Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

Leoni Haney Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Leofwine_draca 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.

GL84 Gathering together in a large mansion, a group of Satanists use the friend of a Duke to finish their ritual, unaware that the Duke has powers of the occult as well and uses them in a war with the Satanists to save his friend and stop their plan to bring Hell on Earth.This was quite enjoyable and offered some enjoyable scenes throughout here. What really gives this one a lot of good points is how much fun this one has with its demonstration of the occult throughout here, from the initial opening party where their rude treatment spurs the discovery of the symbols that dictate the discovery of the group and their return visit where the demonic figure appears to them and nearly corrupts them before some last-minute rescues and the influence asserted over the follower during a hugely enjoyable car chase where he uses his powers to first break free and then escape his clutches following the high-speed pursuit through the woods which is a fantastic highlight. These displays here are given a really impressive amount of time here through these scenes that there's a really fine amount of action in here, not only the fine car-chase but also a rather fun black mass ceremony where the rituals and decorations are performed for the raucous crowd, the invocation of the goat-headed man appearing and leading into the frantic rescue attempt that makes for quite a fun time here. The attempts to break their circular protection field are quite fun as well with the howling, freezing cold winds and frightening apparitions that continuously approach them which is quite the enjoyable effort here as they all continuously battle them in an extended, one-on-one sequence. As well, the finale back in the cult's den is quite impressive with the powers again on display and really giving a fun overall sense of action with the fire crawling up along the walls which lets this one come along at a fine scene to close this out nicely as these positives all make up for the few flaws. The main issue here is a serious continuity error over the weakness of the coven area, as despite the conjurations and spells he produced it seemed that all he could do was hypnotically control people as long as they were looking in his eyes, so if you look away, he really has no power over you which is quite a silly change that drops this somewhat. The other flaw here is that it has a tendency to employ one of the most hated traits in a film where the one character who knows what's going on never explaining anything to the outsiders when performing rituals or actions of great importance that are going to save someone, so when they do something logical in a situation, you get a feeling he'll kill them right then and there for messing up the situation when it all could've been done away with had he simply shared his knowledge so they know what's going on and what's happening as they have no experience in the subject matter. Still, it wasn't a bad film at all.Today's Rating/PG-13: Violence and intense satanic themes and rituals.

TheRedDeath30 Through my excursions through the horror underground, I've heard many a praise of this movie, so I was excited to finally get a chance to see it. Perhaps all those years of praise had heightened my expectations just a bit too much because I found the film to be enjoyable, though far from classic.The movie differs quite a bit from Hammer's most famous output. There are no Gothic castles or spooky cobwebs, no classic monsters or great creature effects. Instead, the story takes place at the end of the 1920s and involves a black magic cult and plenty of somewhat informed mystic mumbo jumbo (the sort where the writer throws in a bunch of occult terms and Latin phrases and assumes the viewer doesn't know any better anyways). It is directed by Terence Fisher, who created most of Hammer's most famous works and is, sadly, never given the credit he is due as one of the foremost horror directors of all time.The story revolves around a reunion of 3 friends, one of whom is Christopher Lee in a rare "good guy" role, as Duc. However, the youngest of their trio, Simon, is missing, so our two heroes, Duc and Rex, go in search of the young man. They interrupt a coven of occultists planning something evil for the evening and kidnap Simon to save him from the group, incurring the wrath of Charles Gray as Mocata, the cult leader and maybe the best role in the film. Naturally, Mocata is not going away without a fight and we the rest of the film unfolds as a battle between Duc and Mocata for the souls of Simon and a young lady, Tanith whom they try to save from the cult.There are some really good scenes in the movie, which are memorable indeed. The initial rescue of Tanith sees Duc and Rex disrupt a satanic baptism complete with reveling worshippers and one of the coolest devil's ever put on screen (surely inspired by the Church of Satan's images of Baphomet). I found myself reminded a great deal of the Tom Hanks comedy DRAGNET in this scene. After refusing to give up Simon and Tanith to Mocata, he summons the forces of evil against our heroes, leading to a tense scene as they hide inside a Circle of Protection while being assaulted by a giant spider and the Angel of Death. The finale of the film is also a good scene where the forces of good finally show up to assist our group of heroes against Mocata.There is a lot that's really dry here, too. Though Lee and Gray are both excellent, most of the other actors are just role players stumbling their way through the lines. We get one of those silly love angles where two characters fall madly in love after knowing each other for all of about 12 hours, but it becomes an important device for the finale. I could have done with some more shadows and torchlight and something closer to an ominous setting. Instead most of the occult scenes involve a lot of hypnotism, hand wiggling and kitchen sink occult gibberish.All in all, I found it worth the watch if only to see a stellar performance by Christopher Lee and a movie that deviated quite a bit from the norm for Hammer Studios.

Jonathon Dabell Richard Matheson fashions a pretty neat script from Dennis Wheatley's novel of occultism and satanic worship, the end result being one of the very best horror movies ever made by the folks at Hammer. The book is certainly good stuff but it suffers in patches from Wheatley's habit of over-indulging in flowery description and long-windedness. Worth reading, absolutely; but you have to forgive the author these periodic stilted segments. The film is unquestionably a much pacier affair, though it still remembers to set aside time for thoughtful character development. Christopher Lee ranks it among his own finest films – rightly so – although anyone who's seen it will be quick to point out that it's actually Charles Gray who steals the acting honours here as the malevolent villain Mocata.The Duc du Richleau (Christopher Lee) reunites with his close, if long-absent, friend Rex Van Rynn (Leon Greene). Rex is surprised that another of their friends, Simon (Patrick Mower), is not there to greet him too. The Duc reveals that he has concerns about Simon, who has recently severed all ties with his friends, moved into a new mansion, and started mixing in peculiar circles. They decide to pay him a visit to see what is going on, and are alarmed to find their friend hosting some kind of disturbing pagan ritual at his new home, attended by a number of other guests, including the attractive but enigmatic Tanith (Nike Arrighi) and the menacing Mocata (Charles Gray). The Duc and Rex attempt to spirit Simon away from the clutches of his new society of friends, but doing this proves much easier said than done. It quickly becomes clear Mocata is actually a powerful sorcerer, capable of a great many evil spells, including summoning up the Devil himself when the need arises.Tightly directed by Terence Fisher, The Devil Rides Out is a genuinely exciting and occasionally quite scary film which hardly puts a foot wrong throughout its duration. The only real weakness is a slightly-too-abrupt ending, though this is not enough to harm the film too severely. It's great to see Lee playing a good guy for a change, while Gray – as already noted – is a picture of silky sinisterness as the principle villain, one of the horror genre's great bogeymen. The set pieces are especially well done, such as the satanic ceremony in the forest and a night of screaming terror during which our heroes spend the dark hours inside a protective circle while all manner of mind-mashing horrors are unleashed against them. The Devil Rides Out rightly takes its place among the very top ranks of Hammer horrors – it's a hugely entertaining and well-crafted bloodcurdler, not to be missed.