Halloween Horrorfest 2018: THE BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW (1971)

This weekend, one of my twitter friends opened up a conversation about what was The Greatest British Horror Film Ever Made.  His nominee was The Descent, a movie I’m very fond of that made me a fan of Neil Marshall for life.  While I admitted my love of the film, I pointed out that Britain has such a long history of horror films that it was sort of short-sighted to declare it The Greatest Ever Made.  My friend mentioned that a lot of the people responding to his statement cited The Wicker Man, and I agreed with that and added this movie as a possible candidate as well.

This is, along with the Vincent Price starrer The Witchfinder General, the crown jewel in the crown of Tigon.  In the past, I’ve called Tigon the mentally challenged younger brother of Hammer and Amicus, because their features were, well, goofy (ask me to tell you about the one featuring the bloodsucking were-moth).  This film is anything but goofy, however--it’s a creepy little number filled with ‘that guy’ British actors that manages to create a veracity and sense of chaotic, uncontrolled dread.

The chaos comes, I think, from the fact that this was originally an anthology film.  If you keep in mind that co-writer/director Piers Haggard had already started shooting the movie when the studio demanded that he turn the three tales into a single narrative story, you can sort of see what the stories were going to be--but unifying them gives you a sense that something is consistently wrong in this little town, sliding its fingers into different spaces all at once.

The film bills Patrick Wymark and Linda Hayden equally before the title card, and it’s well-deserved.  Wymark’s The Judge (we never really learn much about this character, save that he was once sweet on a woman in this unnamed village) is a compelling character that really leaves its mark on the film, even during the long stretch in the second act where he’s missing.  And Linda Hayden is absolutely spectacular as the villain, Angel Blake.  A stunningly beautiful blonde, Hayden plays the leader of a satanic cult of children, and her charisma is front and center.  You believe that the kids would follow this girl and engage in some horrific acts--including murder and supernatural incest rape--at her behest.  Even in the final act, where she’s saddled with some ridiculous black crepe eyebrows, you just can’t take your eyes off her.

There’s lots of other great character actors playing the Hell out of their roles (I'd single out Barry Andrews, Wendy Padbury, Michele Dotrice, and Anthony Ainley), and they all contribute to creating a coherent reality that makes the goings-on all the more scary.  This feels like a real, living village, which amplifies the horror.  And Haggard, frequently using natural lighting and ambient sound, knows how to build suspense while emphasizing the sense of place.  It’s a magnificent experience--and I can say definitively that it holds up to repeated viewing.  I somehow end up watching this film once a year. and I always enjoy it.

The Blood on Satan’s Claw was made during the tail end of The Golden Age of British Horror, where the studios struggled to make their gothic sensibilities relevant in the face of the increasingly extreme cinema coming out of the United States...which is probably why it may have fallen through the cracks for years.  Obviously, I recommend this film.  I’d even go so far as to say it’s an essential film for horror fans.

You can still head over to my Twitter Page to vote on tomorrow’s Halloween Horrorfest Movie of the Day.  It’ll be the last Poll before the Back From The Dead Grand Finale to determine what I watch on Halloween Night.  Stick with me and make your voice heard!