The Devil’s Rain (VCI)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C     Extras: C-     Film: C+

 

 

British director Robert Fuest had come from The Avengers and shot a series of Horror films in Britain, including at the famed Hammer Studios.  The Devil’s Rain (1975) was a chance to try something different.  He would direct a film in an underused scope format, while he rarely shot anything in scope, then would do a film with a full American cast for a change.  The result is mixed, but also a hoot.  It begins with mother (Ida Lupino) and son (William Shatner) living together.  She is not happy with her life and her son is trying to help out.  When Satanists show up, that puts things on the backburner!

 

Led by Ernest Borgnine, who has a strong connection to Belial, the fun beings.  Early on, Shatner challenges Borgnine’s Satanism with his Christianity.  When Shatner starts praying with his trademark bad reading and Borgnine start gloating Satanic versus with his hilarious delivery, you could land up on the floor laughing.  As far as the acting of the two is concerned, it can still be said that rarely has Satan had such an edge in all of cinema history in an opportunity to destroy mortal man.

 

As compared to Race With The Devil (reviewed elsewhere on this site) as another U.S. installment of the Satan cycle of the time, it is not as convincing, but it has a stronger cast that is always interesting.  This includes Tom Skerritt, Keenan Wynn (the two shot this around the time they did their memorable work on Kolchak: The Night Stalker), Eddie Albert (a hit in Switch at the time, but still best known for Green Acres), a young John Travolta in a brief part a year before Carrie and just before Welcome Back, Kotter would change his life forever.  Satanist Anton Lavey and Diane Lavey also show up and the film was released by the infamous distribution company Bryanston, who eventually got in trouble with the U.S. Government for non-Satanic reasons.

 

The letterboxed 2.35 X 1 image (which may be a bit wider than this disc shows) is old, dated and from an analog master that screams NTSC analog master.  Colors are dull and inconsistent, while detail and depth are limited.  It would be pasty if it were any worse.  Still, this was shot in Todd A.O. 35mm scope by cinematographer Alex Phillips, Jr. is not bad, and likely looks much better than this old video transfer reveals. 

 

The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is also aged and dated, being a few generations down from the optical track on the film print, while the film was a monophonic release.  The score by Al De Lory is nothing spectacular, but appropriate.  The only extras are a trailer with an awkward voiceover that is not an original theatrical copy and a stills section.  The conclusion of the film is mixed, but it still adds on to make this worth a look.  Some of Fuest’s autueristic touch and feel is lost with Americanization, but The Devil’s Rain is worth catching at least once.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo