Eye of the Devil

  

 

Eye of the Devil

1966

Director- J. Lee Thompson

Cast- Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Flora Robson, Donald Pleasence, David Hemmings, Sharon Tate, Edward Mulhare, Emlyn Williams

            

      Phillipe (David Niven) is a rich aristocrat, the latest male heir in a family going back a thousand years. He is living the good life with his wife Catherine (Deborah Kerr) and their kids. His family’s money comes from a vast vineyard, worked by the villagers that live around the family estate. His is living abroad until he gets a letter asking him to come back because the vineyard is failing, the grapes dying on the vine. Catherine becomes worried and suspicious when Phillipe tells her that he doesn’t want her to come with him.

            

     He goes off alone but, of course, Catherine ignores his advice and follows shortly with their children in tow.  When she arrives she meets the local clergyman, Pere Dominic (Donald Pleasance, from Prince of Darkness and Halloween, looking impossibly young) and a pair of siblings Odile (Sharon Tate in an early but prominent role) and Christian (David Hemmings who also starred in Barbarella). All of them are a bit menacing, especially Christian who is always walking around with a bow and arrow.

            

     Phillipe acts strange and seems aloof. He makes vague references to destiny and implores his wife to take the children and leave. Catherine (of course) ignores his pleas and decides to do some snooping. While looking around the family castle at night she stumbles across a ritual where Odile presents a dead dove, shot by Christian, to a group of twelve hooded figures.

            

      Odile seems to be some kind of witch. She either has the power to transmute a toad into a dove, or at least has the power to cast convincing illusions. She befriends Catherine’s children, pulling them into her influence. While on the ramparts of the castle, she puts a spell on Catherine who then almost falls to her death.

            

     Catherine (of course) refuses to take the hint and is intent on finding out what kind of cabal her husband is a part of. A family friend (Edward Mulhare who most fans will recognize as Devon Miles from Knight Rider) helps her do some snooping and they find out that all of the male heirs in the family, going back to the time of The Crusades, have met with suspicious deaths; drowning, murder, hunting accidents etc. He reminds her that not only she, but her kids may be in danger. But in for a penny, in for a pound, Catherine isn’t leaving.

            

       While hunting for the grave of Phillipe’s father she is surrounded by a group of hooded figures and barely escapes. Phillipe tries to convince her that the villagers have strange customs but it is clear that he, and everyone else, are gaslighting her. Her persistence finally pays off and she learns her husband’s, and the village’s, dark secret. They practice a perverse form of Christianity (though it’s not explicitly Satanic) where the male heir (symbolizing Christ) is sacrificed in order to give life back to the land and restore the vines. Catherine hopes that she can talk her husband out of the ritual before it’s too late.

           

     I think fans of The Wicker Man and Midsommar will probably figure out the direction that the movie is heading pretty early.  Though this seems like a rip-off of The Wicker Man, the movie and the book that it is based on (Day of the Arrow by Robin Estridge) came out before The Wicker Man (and the book that it is based on as well).

           

     Other than the theme of sacrifice, Eye of the Devil really isn’t anything like The Wicker Man or Midsommar. Though there is the folk horror slant, there is much less focus on paganism. It’s hard to believe that this movie and The Wicker Man are only separated by a scant few years because they seem so different. Part of this is that Eye of the Devil is black and white, but it is also much more reserved, featuring none of the sex of The Wicker Man (and obviously none of the violence of Midsommar). It is a very reserved, methodically paced mystery and seems more like the movies of a decade earlier.

            

     The cast is a group of heavy hitters. David Niven was an Oscar winner. Deborah Kerr was nominated for Best Actress Oscars 6 times over the course of her career. Flora Hemmings and the director J. Lee Thompson likewise had been nominated for Oscars. Thompson is best known for his WW2 adventure film, The Guns of Naverone.

           

     It’s hard to believe that the Sharon Tate in this movie is the same one from The Fearless Vampire Killers. In Vampire Killers she comes across as a little vacant. In Eye of the Devil she is very menacing. I guess that’s a testament to her acting. One scene in particular stands out. Phillipe punishes Odile for almost killing his wife by whipping her. Rather than shrinking away from the pain, she meets his fury with a near orgasmic ecstasy, almost daring him to continue.

            

     Eye of the Devil was a very original thriller for its time, though later films covered the same ground more effectively. Probably the best reason to watch the film is to see its various performers in action, especially Sharon Tate.