The Blood on Satan's Claw

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Bert V Blood on Satan's Claw has always been indelibly etched in my memory from the frequent viewings on local horror movie host TV shows of my childhood. I found a VHS copy in the 80s which, unfortunately, was visually washed out but kept with the eerie, foreboding nature of the film. An all-region Blu-ray special edition that I found on Amazon was an amazing transfer of the film, making the beautiful and effective scenery jump off of my television screen as if the movie had just been filmed. For being over 50 years old, the movie still seems fresh and still seems as scary to me as it did back in my childhood. If you enjoy Hammer-esque horror and are looking for something that still has its edge after so many years, check this one out. And, if you can see the special edition Blu-ray, even better. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/16/24 Full Review Audience Member Evil can take many forms but corrupt innocents in the process. A corpse is dug up in the 18th century England countryside that doesn't appear to be human. Then strange occurrences start taking place. Angel and her friends gather together performing a devilish ritual to contact what possessed the corpse. Slowly the villagers are taken over by a demonic presence. The teenage adolescents display odd behavior like screaming, having sharp claws, fur, and the parents take drastic measures to thwart them. Another one of the many 1970s Satanic horror flicks. Fast paced, downright terrifying music, slick camerawork, and the teenage actors sell the uncomfortable feeling falling prey to this evil's suggestive ways. It actually reminded me of The Witch in many respects. There's a sense of eeriness throughout with an unknowing sense of terror that could strike without warning. Satan has mischievous ways to spread his teachings and walk the earth. But there are still some brave souls willing to strike down his influence. This movie might be largely forgotten but still finds its place in this sea of devilish horror. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/17/24 Full Review Taylor L "Leave me to judge who is innocent." A formative work of the now-legion folk horror subgenre, The Blood on Satan's Claw deals with a social poison, a pastoral landscape whose inherent innocence is shown to be a facade hiding a brutal true nature; it's an A24 horror made on a low budget, 50 years ahead of its time. Though nominally the plot deals with very Puritanical fears (the emergence of devil worship and the decay of Christian piety), there is something more universal in its design that taps into the fear that the world around us is not as it seems. Sometimes that belief gives us conspiracy theories, other times it focuses our misgivings into a sense of general unease that never lets us sleep comfortably. While the low budget, lack of enthusiastic contemporary reviews, and later critical reevaluation granted this Piers Haggard film a position in cult classic territory, it's got flaws, mostly concerning the ending. A slow and atmospheric start that features a sense of sadism and psychological decline is surprisingly concluded by a relatively straightforward and tame final confrontation with the literal devil, who is not only kept hidden but also is done in by the classic weakness of getting stabbed with a big-ass sword. There really isn't much in the way of difficult decisions or tragedy to come to terms with, instead everything is wrapped up neatly, a bit too neatly for the themes that the film initially touches on. (2.5/5) Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 10/04/22 Full Review isla s This is an old folk horror film with a b material feel to it, which has a cult following/status I believe. I thought the plot some interesting twists. Of course the special effects are close to non-existent and its far from genuinely scary for the most part, though there are some pretty chilling moments thematically. The entrapment angle is certainly chilling, for one thing. The idea of a group of adolescents ganging up anf threatening sdults and acting out, even amongst themselves, is just as concerning now as ever, I suppose. I thought the music helped add to the overall sense of tense atmosphere, the sinister feel and sense of impending doom. Yes I'd recommend this as an example of this type of film, of its time. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review sean s As a kid in the 1970s, I watched a ton of late night horror movies on TV. This is one of them. It has been entertaining rediscovering all these old movies now and then on cable. I recently watched this again and was knocked out by the atmosphere of it, color and sets. It falls into that small genre of English "folk horror" movies of the time. The acting is great: the crazy, sexy, but repulsive witch girl, the creepy village bullies and the upright protagonist village grunt all do a great job in it. The music is even catchy and eerie. It was also Patrick Wymark's last film before he passed. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member For the viewer in 2021, it's easy to find this sort of film over-wrought in tone (not to mention to also see it through the lens of Monty Python And The Holy Grail); but viewed on its own terms it remains a gripping, chilling film that's also at times moving, upsetting, disturbing and challenging. There's no doubt it genuinely has things to say about religion and community; and its totemic influence on much that was to come is clear. I was really engaged by this - I'm not sure why I find myself so surprised by the extent to which I was. An excellent, powerful film. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Blood on Satan's Claw

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