The Devil Rides Out

The Devil Rides Out has always been a favourite of the Hammer Horror films. An absolute gem that doesn't waste any of its screen time. As soon as the ominous titles are over we are straight into the action as the Duc De Richleau and Rex Van Ryn (Christopher Lee and Lorne Green) arrive for a reunion and find that their friend Simon Aaron (Patrick Mower) has not turned up. When they visit him at his new pad, they find him mixed up in satanism. They kidnap him to keep him safe, but the leader of the coven, Mocata (Charles Gray) is very unhappy about this and so begins a cat and mouse game.

The sheer pacing of this film alone makes this Hammer entry a must-see; it rattles along at a fair lick barely pausing for breath. Each of the actors play their parts with an intense glee, and if the dialogue they are given to speak seems a little thick-ear and melodramatic, it's perfectly in keeping with the source novel by Dennis Wheatly, whose books were very much Boys Own fare, albeit with an adult slant. Charles Gray's turn as Mocata is surely one of the most sinister portrayals in an English horror movie, reminiscent of Karswell from Night Of The Demon, but with more blackness of heart - it's a truly chilling performance.

There are many fine set pieces on offer - the orgy where they rescue Simon (again) is superbly realised and a thrilling, heart stopping ride as Mocata raises the Goat Of Mendes. Also of note is the evening they spend within a sacred circle, knowing that Mocata will be trying to break their spirits during the night, as he sends giant spiders and horsemen of hell to try and tempt them from theirholy barricade.

The battle rages until the big climax where the devil is summoned and Mocata is foiled and ends up being taken to hell himself and time itself is reversed to give us the happy ending. If you only ever watch one Hammer Horror, you cannot go wrong with this one. Everybody is on top form, including, and most importantly, director Terence Fisher who keeps such a tight hand on proceedings there's no wonder it's such breathless entertainment.

Somewhat bizarrely, as much as I love this film, it is one that I reckon could be remade without the usual problems inherent in such undertakings. Of course, it would have to be sympathetic with both the source novel and original film. but if they didn't try and set it in more modern times it could be pulled off. In fact when the news came through the other year about Hammer beginning to produce movbies again, I actually thought that they would redo this, and I firmly believe they would have been better off doing so.