The Devil Rides Out

A British horror film. The Duc de Richleau and his friend go to see the son of a man they knew in their youth. Simon has not been seen for a long time, and there are preparations for a gathering at his house. Their host puts them off. Richleau goes upstairs and understands from what he sees in one room: the young man is inside a cult and there is a ceremony that night. He takes him out of the house by force. From there the film becomes a rescue. Mocata, the leader of the cult, wants the young man and a woman back; his method is not force but influence at a distance. The best passage runs through one night. The group shuts itself in a room, a protective circle is drawn on the floor, and they wait until morning against what comes from outside. The rule is simple: whoever leaves the circle is lost. What the film is interested in is not the scare but the system of belief: Richleau acts by rules and every step has a reason. The source is a novel by Dennis Wheatley. The screenplay is by Richard Matheson. Christopher Lee plays Richleau; it is a rare turn on the good side for him and he counted the part among his own favourites. Charles Gray plays Mocata. Terence Fisher directed. Who it is for: anyone who likes the horror films of the Hammer studio and stories about cults. Who it is not for: anyone the effects will bother; some scenes are weak even for their time and the film loses pace toward the end.