THE DEVIL RIDES OUT

(A.k.a. THE DEVIL’S BRIDE)

It all begins innocuously enough with Nicholas (Christopher Lee) arriving at a private airfield to meet old friend Rex (Leon Greene).

Rex asks if old chum Simon (a permanently perspiring Patrick Mower – yes, Rodney from TV’s "Emmerdale" …) will be joining the pair for their reunion. Nicholas advises that he has not heard from Simon for three months - a fact he states is very unusual indeed. Naturally then, the pals drive out to Simon's grand country manor to call upon him.

Ushered into Simon's dining hall by his butler, the pair is astonished to find he is in the middle of entertaining a party of well-to-do guests. Simon greets Nicholas and Rex, and then apologises for forgetting about the pre-arranged reunion: he blames his failed memory on being busy with his new friends, all of whom are members of an "astronomical society".

Smelling a rat when he hears that only 13 guests are allowed at the party, Nicholas agrees to leave with Rex - but only after Simon has shown him his telescope. Nicholas doesn't miss a trick and soon exposes Simon as having fallen under the spell of a cult of devil worshippers. Nicholas does what any good friend would do: punches Simon in the face and gives him a fireman’s lift out of the house.

After tucking Simon into bed for the night with a crucifix around his neck for protection, Nicholas returns to his lounge to fill Rex in on what he suspects is going on. Simon has fallen in with a black mass, he explains, and they have most likely just saved him from being initiated into the cult in an unholy ritual that was to take place in his home.

Rex is understandably sceptical, until Simon vanishes in the night and an apparition appears to hypnotise Rex. Fortunately, Nicholas saves the day once again, warning Rex that they have but one day to save Simon from his initiation - along with a girl who will be sacrificed as his "bride".

They have to find the girl first though. Hmm. Whoever could it be? Surely not the demure Tanith (the beautiful Nike Arrighi), who they initially spotted at Simon's party with the sinister-looking Mocata (Charles Gray) ...?

Based upon Dennis Wheatley's novel of the same name and written for the screen by celebrated US sci-fi author Richard Matheson ("I Am Legend" etc), THE DEVIL RIDES OUT is a superior offering from Hammer at a time when they were starting to lose their grip on the horror mantle (late 60s).

The premise is a good one for a start, and the subject matter was one that the studio had not tapped into until then. Inspired by Wheatley’s home-grown success in the book charts and the growing cultural interest in the occult, it was a timely move by Hammer to explore such dark territory. The film also benefits from being set in modern times - complying with the emphasis on realism that is strived for by the director.

Speaking of which, Terence Fisher (HORROR OF DRACULA; THE MUMMY) is behind the camera here, and earns his crust with restraint and imagination. Fisher is arguably the best director the Hammer studio ever knew.

DRACULA composer James Bernard does a sterling job of delivering a sensational, unapologetically sinister score that manages to stir all the right emotions.

Lee is as solid as ever, delivering lines with such a deadpan force that they soon stop being laughable and start to become really effective. His presence remains undeniable. Mower meanwhile turns in a surprisingly competent performance, as does Gray – possibly the film’s highlight - who revels in his character's hypnotic nastiness.

There's only Greene who falls short in the acting stakes, visibly trying not to laugh in some of the more "intense" scenes. Still, these scenes have a foppish charm of their own and I warmed to his ineptitude as the movie progressed.

And progress it does. THE DEVIL RIDES OUT benefits from being driven by two great writers and a truly talented director. It is completely flab-free, rattling through its storyline in no-nonsense style, with never a dull sub-plot or superfluous character to speak of.

It's also quite creepy on occasion, which means it's stood the test of time better than a lot of Hammer's 60s horror output. It's only when the FX guys show up that things get silly and dated. But that's allowable, all things considered ... isn't it?

For its HD debut, THE DEVIL RIDES OUT comes to UK blu-ray in a stunning new 1080p restoration. Don’t be fooled by the scratchy, shaky BBFX "X" certificate card at the start: this is a sparkling, clean affair once it gets going. Authentically film-like while enhancing the picture quality spectacularly over previous releases, this truly is the best this film has ever looked by such a wide margin. The amount of detail in close scenes, along with the fine textures and depth evident in wider scenes, make this transfer a true stunner. And, the colours … wow.

The film is presented in its original 1.66:1 aspect ratio and is enhanced for 16x9 TV sets. Presented as an MPEG4-AVC file on this dual layer disc, it really is difficult to imagine THE DEVIL RIDES OUT ever looking any better.

I should point out that restorers Cineimage have enhanced a couple of optical effects. There’s more on this below.

First though, I’ll mention the English audio track. It’s a lossless Master DTS-HD mix and is suitably impressive. Optional English subtitles on the main feature are well-written and easy to read.

An animated main menu page contains pop-up menus, including a scene-selection menu allowing access to the film via 12 chapters.

The first extra is the excellent audio commentary track recorded several years ago by Lee, co-star Sarah Lawson and Hammer historian Marcus Hearn. This has previously featured on Anchor Bay US’ DVD of the film and an even earlier laserdisc release from Elite Entertainment – both of which are out of print.

Lee is relaxed, Hearn is a good prompt and Lawson joins in wherever she can as the threesome offer a mix of mirth, behind-the-scenes trivia and uncanny knowledge about Satanic practices.

Hearn also co-produces a series of new 16x9 HD featurettes for this disc, as well as appearing in them.

The first is "Black Magic", a highly enjoyable 33-minute Making Of retrospective. Various historians and authors have their say, along with Mower and Matheson whose contributions are of course the most interesting. Still, this is a fact-filled voyage with enthusiastic contributions from the ever-engaging Mark Gattiss. The differences between the screenplay and the source material are discussed, as is the extraordinary score and Fisher’s laidback approach to directing his actors. There’s even an amusing anecdote about actors and their insecurities regarding their height …

Next up is a most welcome 11-minute expose into the black art of film restoration. Three key members of Cineimage speak about how they painstakingly cleaned the film up while staying true to its original look. They also took the opportunity to ‘enhance’ some of the less successful FX work of the film (discreetly, and purists needn’t worry – they haven’t ruined the mood or look at all. In fact, this is done with the blessing of the original FX supervisor’s kids, who were on set and know their dad was disappointed with the end result due to budgetary cuts). An improved bolt of lightning here, a more natural-looking dusky sky there, shadows beneath the spiders to render them less unconvincing: they’re modifications that remain true and respectful to the film, and actually help it age a tad better.

There’s a 12-minute featurette on Wheatley’s relationship with Hammer. This looks at how THE LOST CONTINENT, THE DEVIL RIDES OUT and TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER were all adapted from his novels – with varying degrees of artistic and commercial success.

A generous 5-minute gallery is attractively produced.

Finally we have a 25-minute episode of the archive "World of Hammer" series. Narrated by the late Oliver Reed and presented in its original window-boxed ratio, this overview episode is simply titled "Hammer". We get a little bit of everything as a result: clips from HOLIDAY ON THE BUSES, ONE MILLION YEARS BC, THE NANNY, TWINS OF EVIL and beyond. Frustratingly, Reed’s voiceover is sometimes drowned out by the volume of the audio in the clips being used.

I’d have liked to have seen an original trailer (or the US trailer bearing the title THE DEVIL'S BRIDE, as featured on the Optimum DVD). But their absence hardly matters, given the remarkable quality of the main feature’s presentation and the spiffing bonus material that IS on offer.

THE DEVIL RIDES OUT is, as one historian puts in in the extras, a great film despite not being great art. It has its silly moments and the climactic FX are, even with the subtle tweaking of this new restoration, pretty giggle-worthy. But in terms of atmosphere, vintage Lee pomposity and surprisingly dark tone, THE DEVIL RIDES OUT retains a highly effective edge.

And this new blu-ray release is the definitive way to watch it.

Review by Stuart Willis