Horror Movie Reviews
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Title: Mark of the Devil (2004) |
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Review of Mark of the Devil
- The commanding Herbert Lom stars as a sadistic, corrupt inquisitor in this salacious exploitation thriller from Germany set in 18th-century Austria. A handsome young Udo Kier takes a rare romantic lead as a young baron who rescues an innocent peasant girl from the clutches of a local witch hunter (the villainous-looking Reggie Nalder), only to run afoul of Lom's unholy warrior. An early entry in the "sex and sadism" genre, this production is an exploitation film with an intelligence behind it, but an exploitation film nonetheless: director Michael Armstrong revels in the most barbarous tortures as the impotent inquisitor punishes innocent young maidens for his own unclean desires. Strong performances from Lom, Kier, and Nalder and a cynical ending deliver a dramatic punch along with the grisly nastiness. This brutal thriller is not for all tastes: barf bags were handed out to audiences on its initial release. The new Collector's Edition restores the film to its full, uncut gory--that is, glory. --Sean Axmaker
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Comments for Mark of the Devil
- Posted on 2007-10-16
Too much hype for a lackluster film
This movie has a lot of hype going for it, yet it fails to have any lasting impact. Even for the time period, this movie fails. The story line has a lot of promise, though the hysteria of witches is poorly done. There is little characterization to lead to credibility that the people being tortured are actual witches. It is understood that most people tortured were not witches, yet without characterization, there was little compassion for those being tortured. Without empathy for the victims, this became a run of the mill gore flick, without much gore. The torture scenes, though not overly graphic by todays standards, are adequate, but nothing special. Even the hype of the ripped out tongue fails to have any lasting impact for me. The musical score was awful and not overly fitting for a torture movie.
To its credit however, the movie was fairly well acted, even though the dubbing was hideous. There is also a historical value to the film, as it tries to show the hysteria of witchcraft running rampant in a small town. It certainly shows how easily people are persuaded by the powers that be, and how easily society can be lead astray by hysteria (of any kind).
Overall, this film rates a "C-". Its worth a look, but dont expect to be moved by it.
Score: 2
- Posted on 2007-07-23
Open up wide
3 Star average rating, NO WAY!!! This movie is great in every way. Based on true events, it is all about the prosecution of witches in the 18th century. It focuses on the madness of superstition, and how out of control it got. People were being burned at the stake for looking at someone the wrong way, and a lot of peoples lives were lost because of human ignorance. This is a beautifly shot film with exceptonal acting and great atmosphere. While the box may be misleading, (the most horrifying movie ever made) for 1970, this is a very shocking, offensive movie. It is one of my all time favorites, just talking about it makes me want to watch it. I think I'll go do that now, I suggest you do the same thing.
Score: 5
- Posted on 2007-06-11
Italian Sadism and Cleavage
Any student of horror has to look back on some so-called "Giallo" films of the 70's and just wonder..why?
In "Mark Of The Devil", for instance, WHY did we need to see an innocent woman's tongue ripped out by crazed and perverse "witchfinders" and then see her burned to death, unable to scream: WHY did we need to see Count Cumberland (played in a nearly perfect constipated, corrupt "manly" feverish fury by Herbert Lom) rape the mother of two children who are locked up in a cell because they were playing with puppets? WHY did we need to see nails stuck up the a** of Baron Daume, played by some other tan Italian guy? And WHY, oh why, would we have any interest in a romance between Udo Kier (playing a Byronic Thomas More, kind of) and some idiotic but very attractive Italian woman?
The answer is difficult but undeniable: the madness of natural breasts, gore, the constant mention of the Devil in some way, and the undeniable fact that historians who study some of the Inquisition's torture techniques are really no different from the people who watch nonsense like this: the curiosity about ultimate chaos under the guise of religious purity.
A more refined version of this interesting trashfest is "Witchfinder General" with Vincent Price. That great but largely unnoticed horror star, Reggie Nalder ("Salem's Lot", "Zoltan", "The Manchurian Candidate") is here in full glory as Albino, a demented and malicious witchfinder. I don't know why he never got more attention. That nose, that burnt mouth...authentically sinister.
Score: 2 - Posted on 2007-06-08
Love story AND gruesome goosome
Interesting seeing Udo Kier (Nazi Captain in Raiders of the Lost Ark) in his early days. Rather boring plot that drags among beautiful scenery. Surprising that this film is not rated as there is nudity, torture, and violence; this one's not for the kiddies! It will make you squirm in your seat during some of the torture scenes, especially the tongue scene. I first saw this movie when I was a teenager (35 years ago) and something about it stuck in my mind; I think it may have been the ending.
Score: 3
- Posted on 2007-01-16
old but good
it's kitzy now but i waited 30+ years to see it .....sooo cool
Score: 5