The Devil's Own

1966

1h 31m

Horror

List

70%

10 Reviews

Tomatometer

31%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Gwen Mayfield (Joan Fontaine) suffers a mental collapse after a showdown with a witch doctor while performing missionary work in Africa. Once she recuperates, she starts teaching at a private school in England and gets to know Linda (Ingrid Brett), one of her students. Linda's boyfriend claims that there is a cult that is going to sacrifice her, and Gwen begins to investigate the wild rumors. This leads her to a confrontation with powerful cult leader Stephanie Bax (Kay Walsh).

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Mat L

Delightful horror/thriller boasting a top-notch performance by raspy voiced Fontaine in her best form. If Agatha Christie and Roman Polanski (circa Rosemary's baby) had collaborated.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/12/23

Full Review

dave s

Despite the decent production values that you'd expect from a Hammer release, The Devil's Own is a bit of a bland affair. After Gwen Mayfield (Joan Fontaine) has a nervous breakdown as the result of being tormented by an African witch doctor, she finds herself in a quaint English village, teaching in the local school. Before you know it, she suspects the locals of being witches, all of whom are preparing to sacrifice a virgin in a black magic ritual. Or are they? The opening scene is odd, what follows is all a bit boring, but the ending is something that needs to be seen to be believed. What was undoubtedly intended to be horrifying is actually laugh-out-loud hilarious, a total misfire of a climax.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Much much better than you’d expect! A little bit Wicker Man and a lot of fun. The ritual at the end is campy and weird and gloriously sexual (it doesn’t take much imagination to see sexual fetishes in the writhing cult members). And Joan gives a very admirable performance. And how sad that a film with a beautiful 48 yr old woman is called ‘hagsploitation’.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/13/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Good movie to watch just a bit corny at the witches sacrifice ritual part scratch that when i said a bit corny the ritual sacrifice part was hella corny but it is a good movie to watch id recommend it also watch it with your family see what they think

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Joan Fontaine goes the Hagsploitation route in the slow-moving Hammer horror film with a silly-looking monster.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

paul b

Classic Hammer folk-horror albeit one with an ending routinely copied & adapted over the years. Some excellent moments built on paranoia & a feeling of isolation as a school teacher begins to think that life in a quaint English country village isn't all as it appears to be.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Cyril Frankel

Director

Joan Fontaine

Gwen Mayfield

Kay Walsh

Stephanie Bax

Alec McCowen

Alan Bax

Ann Bell

Sally Benson

Ingrid Boulting

Linda Rigg

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…The Witches is a rare entry for Hammer in that it does offer rare, straight-laced credulity about the dangers of witchcraft rather than knowing commercial calculation… deserves to be more than a footnote in several illustrious careers…

Rated: 3/5

Dec 2, 2023

Full Review

Alberto Abuín

Espinof

'The Witches' is estimated as a whole, either by the description of the inhabitants of the town, or by approaching the psychological thriller. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 23, 2019

Full Review

Chris Alexander

Alexander On Film

THE WITCHES is no pandering horror-hagsploitation potboiler. It's something far more evolved and interesting

Apr 8, 2019

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The juxtaposition of satanic rituals practiced against the backdrop of a picturesque English countryside gives this film its unique edge.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 30, 2019

Full Review

MFB Critics

Monthly Film Bulletin

After a crude opening sequence of poor Joan Fontaine being frightened out of her wits by a prancing witch-doctor in an African hut, this very enjoyable thriller settles down more calmly to make good use of Nigel Kneale's highly literate script.

Mar 3, 2019

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jul 15, 2005

Full Review

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Synopsis

Gwen Mayfield (Joan Fontaine) suffers a mental collapse after a showdown with a witch doctor while performing missionary work in Africa. Once she recuperates, she starts teaching at a private school in England and gets to know Linda (Ingrid Brett), one of her students. Linda's boyfriend claims that there is a cult that is going to sacrifice her, and Gwen begins to investigate the wild rumors. This leads her to a confrontation with powerful cult leader Stephanie Bax (Kay Walsh).

Director: Cyril Frankel
Screenwriter: Nigel Kneale
Production Co: Hammer Film Productions Limited, Seven Arts Pictures
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Nov 25, 2003
Runtime: 1h 31m