Truly Dreadful Film

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

We find ourselves in a fictional European country where the people's names are a mix of German or English but which is obviously countryside of Austria. The witch-madness is at its height; people are being arrested, tortured and killed for the most flimsy reason, like having the suspicious birthmarks or being puppeteers. Young nobleman Christian von Meruh (Udo Kier), foster son and apprentice of the local witch hunter Lord Cumberland, is a dedicated follower in the fight against witchcraft but upon falling in love with a fiery inn maid, he begins to question the sincerity of his tutor. Cumberland seems reasonably and benevolent at first but soon enough reveals himself as bigot and, plagued by his impotence, a sadistic pervert.Let's face it: the film is exploitation in its purest form. We're talking hardcore torture, disembowelment, tongue-tearing, amputation of limbs from little toe to head and a lot of beating, whipping and burning. However, it's very tasteful exploitation and doesn't have to shy the comparison to Michael Reeves groundbreaking "Witchfinder General", upon which heel this was filmed. Similar to cult horror-film "Cannibal Holocaust", the soundtrack plays a key role; atmospheric but, in stark contrast to the violence, beautiful and similarly unforgettable as Riz Ortolani's haunting score. .About the cast: no broomstick-riding hags with warts on their noses, actually, all the witches are remarkably pretty. As protagonist, Udo Kier isn't yet at the prime of his skills and, for the sake of argument, seems miscast as a young witch finder-apprentice. Herbert Lom, a master of his trade, plays the villain; he manages to appear very father-like, even trustable until revealed as the symbolizing the hypocrisy and corruption of this era. Olivia Vuco (Olivera Katarina) shines in her role of love-interest and very fiery damsel in distress; unfortunately it would remain her only starring role in Western European cinema. Perfectly cast: character actors Herbert Fux as torturer (never was a role cast more aptly), German trash legend Johannes Buzalski (or "Count Porno" as he's known by his fans) as treacherous advocate and the excellent Reggie Nalder, who's unique facial features would have him cast forever as a villains villain. American's might know him best as vampire Mr. Barlow in the first TV-adoption of "Salem's Lot".Is it as good as "Witchfinder General"? No, it cannot quiet conjure up the same cold, dark atmosphere, it didn't have a brilliant director like Michael Reeves (although it can be felt that director Michael Armstrong was familiar with Reeves style and methods) and was much more geared toward fans of hard exploitation flicks. Yes, you'll have to have a certain morbid taste for medieval torture but don't expect some cheap smorgasbord of blood and gore, like you would expect from contemporary films like "Saw" or "Hostel". "Mark of the Devil" stands far above that sleaze and, within its own subgenre, is only matched by Michael Reeves masterwork.

Wow. Just wow. I started watching this movie thinking that it would be another cheap 70s flick, but I watched more and saw that it was a good movie after all. After watching I went online and found out that they had to give barf bags to audiences because it was so graphic. Well I wish I had a barf bag when I saw this. The torture sequences are so horrendously gruesome. They burn women at the stake. They press hot irons on peoples feet, they rip out a woman's tongue. I'm not going to give everything away. Im just saying that if you like horror movies that are filled with blood and gore, then see this. You won't be disappointed.

This is a movie supposedly based on real accounts of the witch hunts in 15th-19th century Europe. Albino (Reggie Nalder) is an evil corrupt witch hunter in a small town. He, at random, accuses people of being witches and tortures and kills them. Lord Cumberland (Herbert Lom) arrives in town with his helper (Udo Kier). Kier falls in love with beautiful Vanessa (Olivera Katarina). Cumberland tells Albino that he is in charge of witch finding now. In revenge Albino accuses Vanessa of being a witch and has her locked up. Things escalate and ends up in an all out rampage.This is the infamous film that was "rated V for violence" (actually R rated) and free vomit bags were given to people who attended the movie. It was a huge hit in the US and spawned many sequels. What this is is a badly dubbed German exploitation film full of pointless female nudity and graphic violence. The acting ranges from OK (Lom and Nalder) to downright lousy (Kier and everybody else). Still this DOES work. The 2004 Blue Underground DVD is uncut and has a pristine print with strong color and good sound. Kier and Katarina are both a attractive and make a likable couple. There's a beautiful music score and some incredible scenery. Also the frequent bursts of VERY graphic violence are incredibly disturbing: people are burnt alive; a tongue is torn out; a topless woman on the rack is burnt with a hot branding iron; a man is stabbed in the eye...it goes on and on. Worst of all is the character of Baron Daumer. Young, attractive actor Michael Maien is shown being beaten up and tortured throughout the course of the film. I almost turned it off when he is forced to sit bottomless on nails as his feet are whipped! This is a vicious unrelenting film. On one hand it IS exploitation. On the other hand this is (I've heard) a pretty accurate representation of what went on way back then. Recommended--if you can get the Blue Underground DVD.

I found Mark Of The Devil to be a great film, but also quite disturbing and depressing. at the start of the film, there is a cruel and public display of a witch being burned alive. It is about a man called Udo Kier who is a witch hunter apprentice to Herbert Lom. Count Christian Von Meruh (Udo Keir) arrives at a small rural village, he hears that punishment is being conducted by the wicked local witch finder. He believes in his mentor and the way of the church but he loses faith when he catches Lom strangling Reggie Nalder to death for calling him impotent. Kier begins to see for himself that the witch trials are nothing but a scam of the church to rob people of their land, money, and other personal belongings. So the towns people revolt, Herbert Lom escapes and poor Udo is tortured to death by the towns people with the his own torture devices. This film contains very strong graphic torture including a women's tongue being ripped out of her head, nuns being raped,and lots of beatings, towards people.