My love for old horror films started in my formative teen years. The BBC would show cult horror films late on Friday and Saturday nights in the early to mid-90s and, when we got Sky, late 90s/ early 2000s Bravo Channel. Some were the more salacious films of 60s and 70s European cinema, often in the horror genre but not always- some were experimental pieces which had a deeply ethereal feel and long moments of quiet where the gorgeous scenery and silence would wash over you. It was here I first saw Circus of Horrors, Vampiros Lesbos, Twins of Evil and many, many more.
For this dark season, I thought I'd watch the Unholy Trinity of British folk horror; The Witchfinder General, Blood on Satan's Claw and The Wicker Man.
I saw Witchfinder General on Bravo back in the late 90s/ early 00s I believe. I watched it again recently (read my review here) and still found it a powerfully violent film with something important to say about the violence wrought against women in the name of faith and power. However, I had never seen Blood on Satan's Claw so I decided to watch it on a cold, rainy day.
It is a typical English folk horror tale: a farmer finds the remains of a mysterious creature whilst tilling the soil. After the discovery, much evil is unleashed on the village. The locals start to act strangely and the youth are particularly susceptible to the powers of darkness.
The typical genre elements are all present and correct: rural setting, isolation, and themes of superstition, folk religion, paganism, sacrifice and the dark aspects of nature. The old trope of an outsider who comes into the community but doesn't understand the old ways is present, in this case the judge does not believe in witchcraft and superstition, leaves the village to carry out his duties elsewhere leaving the innocent locals to fend for themselves against the evil infected peers.
Director Piers Haggard has a wonderful eye for period detail and the cinematography of the English countryside is beautifully represented. The title music by Marc Wilkinson is playfully haunting, it sounds olde English but has a sinister woodwind string wending it's way through.
Even after nearly 50 years, the film is still a indictment about the power of suggestion, mob rule and religious paranoia. Even though it is set several hundred years ago, the collective ideology and influence of a few to change the society they exist seems prescient. The small town, local people mentality shows how quickly people will turn against people they consider outsiders.
The cast overall are great and the fact that it doesn't have a big name attached lends the whole affair a sense of mystery and uniquenessall its own.
Linda Hayden (left) plays the malevolent and precocious Angel Blake extremely well.
The actors and actresses all do a wonderful job but special mention must go to Linda Hayden, who plays malevolent Angel Blake, as she is only 17 at the time of filming yet seems to command a screen presence beyond her years. Patrick Wymark is effective as the judge who becomes the jury and executioner at the end of the film when he fights the Devil with a secret weapon. The scene is presented in slow motion and this gives the finale a nightmarish, surreal feel.
Overall, I can see why the film is held in such high regard and can see that it definitely earns it place amongst the Unholy Trinity.
LINK- Children of the Stones: Cult TV Series Review
LINK- Dead of Night: Cult TV Review
LINK- The Stone Tapes: Cult TV Review