Lack of good storyline.

Just so...so bad

Dreadfully Boring

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

This is a very cheap film. Acting is terrible and the story is just silly. It is so silly that it made me laugh many times. In the end, it even tries to convert its viewers to Jesus. Ridiculous.

A fantastic Hammer Horror film, a full-blooded Gothic masterpiece in the vein of their '50s triumphs like Dracula and THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, which recalls favourably the similar black magic shenanigans of the black and white classic NIGHT OF THE DEMON. In many ways this is the "last" of the old-fashioned stately Hammer films we know and love; the last time the producers had a budget to really do justice to the material, and the last time when the production values were high enough to ensure that every element in the film was hugely successful. Indeed, with a fantastic cast, a veteran director in Terence Fisher (arguably Hammer's finest when he got things right), some fine special effects and an excellent screenplay from the reliable Richard Matheson, there is little to complain about with this movie, which offers everything a fan of old-fashioned horror could wish for.The fast-moving storyline is awash with action, whether it be car chases, physical fights or more importantly, magic battles. The central characters are placed in constant danger right from the beginning and there is no letting up until the very end. Luckily the suspense and tension is sustained throughout meaning that you'll never find yourself looking at the clock. And indeed who would want to, when the film offers such delights as Christopher Lee protecting his companions against the Angel of Death (a winged skeleton on a horse) or fighting against a gigantic tarantula. The music is splendidly bombastic in the best Hammer tradition, helping to expand every dramatic moment into epic proportions. The special effects are sometimes a little wobbly but largely effective, relying primarily on simplicity for their charm (clouds of eerie smoke, fog rolling in, some straightforward back projection). One of the best moments in the film for me is the arrival of the grinning embodiment of evil that sends a shudder down my spine every time – the later appearance of the Devil is a disappointment in comparison.Christopher Lee is on top form and given a chance to shine in one of his rare roles as a good guy. Unfortunately the rest of the cast can't reach him but at least they make valiant attempts – there's Leon Greene (A CHALLENGE FOR ROBIN HOOD) as the strong but rather stupid friend Rex – forever getting himself into trouble – and a young, sweaty Patrick Mower as Simon, the boy in danger. Nikki Arrighi makes for an almost ethereal damsel in distress whilst Paul Eddington is excellent as a straight man unable to believe in what he sees. But acting awards go to Charles Gray (THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW), shining as the charismatic figure of evil, who is able to charm and hypnotise anybody with a mere stare. One of the best Hammer villains of all time. I don't really have much else to say about this great film, other than that if you like old-fashioned horrors, Hammer and otherwise, then it truly is unmissable entertainment and a creepy, evil classic of the genre.

I'll just say it: Without an actor of Christopher Lee's caliber, this movie would have been somewhere between corny and laughable. But the director, and Lee, and a cast of talented, hard-working supporting actors, managed to pull this off and created a classic of horror. What's amazing, when you think about it, is that the creators had a screen play that just pulled out one worn supernatural cliché or gimmick after another - ritual sacrifice, satanic possession, rising winds, mental domination and hypnotism, séances, demons appearing in flames,you name,it was in there...all without any back-story or exposition. And the ending was a Deus-ex-machina that should have made me howl in disbelief, But it was all done so briskly and in such a matter-of-fact way that I just went along with it all and applauded at the end.Yes,some of the overt special effects were clumsy and even laughable (vis the giant spider). But most of the time events were simply suggested by the way the actors widened their eyes or grimaced or flinched...and THOSE moments were utterly convincing. I really, really like this one, and am glad I finally had a chance to see it.

I love Hammer movies, I love Christopher Lee. With all the praise this movie gets, I was really looking forward to this movie. Shockingly, I was very disappointed. I actually thought it was rather dull at times and somewhat dated as well. There is some good atmosphere at times, but I never felt truly terrified or threatened. Maybe I've seen too many of these movies or something, but I wasn't all that effected by it. I also hate how people automatically deny that it's happening. It happens in way too many horror movies. The set designs are lavish as usual, for a Hammer movie. It was also fun to see Christopher Lee play a good guy as well. Robert Gray gives a chilling performance as a disciple. It was far from bad, just disappointing. This is the second Devil related Hammer film that I've been disappointed with. The first was "To the Devil a Daughter" This one is better than that movie, but it's nothing outstanding. Apparently, this is Lee's favorite film that he made. Why?5.7/10