Eye of the Devil (B or 3/4 stars)
Deborah Kerr stars in director J. Lee Thompson's bizarre, but atmospheric 1967 occult crime/horror flick, 'Eye of the Devil' -- a troubled production that involved director changes, casting changes, multiple years to complete, & a delayed release; more on that later. When Philippe de Montfaucon (David Niven) is informed during a concert that for the 3rd year in a row, his vineyards near Bordeaux have failed to produce, he tells his wife, Catherine (Kerr), to remain in Paris with their two children while he heads for his ancestral chateau. But a dismayed Catherine follows with their children, anyway. Upon arriving at the enormous, vast chateau, she finds her husband to be secretive, preoccupied & is alarmed when he tells her that no one can help him.
As it turns out, Philippe believes the village's twisted pagan beliefs that they must follow an ancient custom of human sacrifice in order to save the crippled crops. Under the heretical religious leader Pere Dominic (creepy Donald Pleasence), Philippe nobly complies with custom that is due to unfold. But before all this may occur, we watch a frightened Catherine as she tries to make sense of her situation & deal with the madness she is surrounded by while trying to save her husband. Christian de Caray (David Hemmings) is on tap as one of Philippe's eccentric family members, a spine-chilling, warlock bow-&-arrow shooter. And Christian's beautiful, but scornful witch sister, Odile (Sharon Tate, in her 1st movie), is oddly always by her brother's side.
Sinister Odile impresses the Catherine's children, Jacques & Antoinette (Robert Duncan, Suki Appleby) by turning a toad into a dove. Odile also terrifies Catherine who, while on the castle's high ramparts, is bewitched to think she fall to her death far below. All the while, The Countess Estell, Philippe's aunt, the Countess Estell (Flora Robson), seems to know the horror that is to come; lending aloofness & creepy despair to the proceedings. Other scary goings-on include Catherine being terrorized in the Bellac woods by 12 hooded men, finding an assumed deceased member of the family alive in a secluded tower of the ancestral castle, and learning of the tradition which decrees that Philippe must now offer his life's blood as sacrifice to the barren earth. Catherine knows that her husband is headed for a terrible fate, but forces beyond her control just may prevent her saving him.
Under the artful direction of J. Lee Thompson {of The Guns of Navarone} I enjoyed being ensnared in this grim, gloomy, if not really 'scary' film. Based on the 1964 novel, Day of the Arrow, it is written by Dennis Murphy & Robin Estridge, who had to chop-up & cut-out much controversial occult material from the book {and other versions of the script}. Filmed in 1965 and shot with Kim Novak in the lead role, 80% of the film had to be re-done after Novak had to bow-out with a major back injury. Enter 44 yr. old Kerr to pick up the reigns. Kerr does the best she can, but can't evoke the same aura she exhibited in the incredibly moody, The Innocents (1961). Here, her frightened puzzlement by the plot proceedings appears somewhat mannered.
You know, this really is a daft tale of black magic -- religious mumbo jumbo. Nothing flowed well, which caused a more disorienting experience, but for the better. This film also underwent changes in location, 3 title changes, did poorly at the box office and, in some countries, was released 3 years after it was even made. Having said all that, this film still stands as an enticingly unusual & ominous 'horror' flick, impressively pre-dating similar films like The Wicker Man & Rosemary's Baby. The movie is also incredibly stylish, with eerie camerawork & exceptional sets {that sprawling estate!}. I liked how unsettling & off-putting the whole thing was and, I think the director changes, casting changes & editing re-takes kept me on edge {in a good way!}.
As it turns out, Philippe believes the village's twisted pagan beliefs that they must follow an ancient custom of human sacrifice in order to save the crippled crops. Under the heretical religious leader Pere Dominic (creepy Donald Pleasence), Philippe nobly complies with custom that is due to unfold. But before all this may occur, we watch a frightened Catherine as she tries to make sense of her situation & deal with the madness she is surrounded by while trying to save her husband. Christian de Caray (David Hemmings) is on tap as one of Philippe's eccentric family members, a spine-chilling, warlock bow-&-arrow shooter. And Christian's beautiful, but scornful witch sister, Odile (Sharon Tate, in her 1st movie), is oddly always by her brother's side.
Sinister Odile impresses the Catherine's children, Jacques & Antoinette (Robert Duncan, Suki Appleby) by turning a toad into a dove. Odile also terrifies Catherine who, while on the castle's high ramparts, is bewitched to think she fall to her death far below. All the while, The Countess Estell, Philippe's aunt, the Countess Estell (Flora Robson), seems to know the horror that is to come; lending aloofness & creepy despair to the proceedings. Other scary goings-on include Catherine being terrorized in the Bellac woods by 12 hooded men, finding an assumed deceased member of the family alive in a secluded tower of the ancestral castle, and learning of the tradition which decrees that Philippe must now offer his life's blood as sacrifice to the barren earth. Catherine knows that her husband is headed for a terrible fate, but forces beyond her control just may prevent her saving him.
Under the artful direction of J. Lee Thompson {of The Guns of Navarone} I enjoyed being ensnared in this grim, gloomy, if not really 'scary' film. Based on the 1964 novel, Day of the Arrow, it is written by Dennis Murphy & Robin Estridge, who had to chop-up & cut-out much controversial occult material from the book {and other versions of the script}. Filmed in 1965 and shot with Kim Novak in the lead role, 80% of the film had to be re-done after Novak had to bow-out with a major back injury. Enter 44 yr. old Kerr to pick up the reigns. Kerr does the best she can, but can't evoke the same aura she exhibited in the incredibly moody, The Innocents (1961). Here, her frightened puzzlement by the plot proceedings appears somewhat mannered.
You know, this really is a daft tale of black magic -- religious mumbo jumbo. Nothing flowed well, which caused a more disorienting experience, but for the better. This film also underwent changes in location, 3 title changes, did poorly at the box office and, in some countries, was released 3 years after it was even made. Having said all that, this film still stands as an enticingly unusual & ominous 'horror' flick, impressively pre-dating similar films like The Wicker Man & Rosemary's Baby. The movie is also incredibly stylish, with eerie camerawork & exceptional sets {that sprawling estate!}. I liked how unsettling & off-putting the whole thing was and, I think the director changes, casting changes & editing re-takes kept me on edge {in a good way!}.