Martin Bradley Nobody in their right mind would say that "Devils of Darkness" was a good film but this little known British vampire flic possesses its own charms even if they do belong to the 'so-bad-it's-good' variety. After an interminable pre-credit sequence in which a rubber bat bites bride-to-be Carole Gray, only to have sinister Count Sinistre resurrect her from her tomb, we cut to the chase when on All Soul's Night the so-called Devils of Darkness rise again. Yes, it's terrible in an am-dram kind of way and it does have some of the worst scenes of vampirism ever committed to film but as bad movies go it's still a lot of fun even if actors who should have know better do make fools of themselves. At least the gifted French actor Hubert-Noel does make Count Sinistre a sexy and suave vampire lending the film a very slight touch of class.

Spikeopath Devils of Darkness is directed by Lance Comfort and written by Lyn Fairhurst. It stars William Sylvester, Hubert Noel, Carole Gray, Tracy Reed, Dianna Decker and Rona Anderson. Music is by Bernie Fenton and cinematography by Reg Wyer.It's modern day and a secret vampire cult thrives beneath the town cemetery. Led by Count Sinistre (Noel), they search for human victims to sacrifice at their rituals."These people. This village. There's something they're afraid of."Probably afraid of being known for being in this film me thinks! OK, that's a little unfair, for Devils of Darkness is not without some merit. The production design is very nice, filmed in Eastman Colour there's a garish hue to the reds and greens that befits the narrative, even if it doesn't quite marry up to the modern day setting! The problem in the main is that nothing really happens of interest, the film is rather bloodless and devoid of mystery and peril. A plot thread involving an amulet goes nowhere, though we are led to believe it is crucial to the sinister Count Sinistre's (get it?) very being, while salaciousness is only hinted at and never expanded upon for filmic wallop.Elsewhere the problems continue with the acting. Noel is no bad actor, but his villainous Count is, well, rather wimpy, he may well charm with a touch of class about him, but he doesn't look like he could fight his way out of a paper bag. Sylvester's Paul Baxter, our hero, kind of bluffs his way through the plot, in fact he doesn't go mano mano with the Count, leaving the film desperately reaching out for some good versus evil thrust. The ladies of the piece fare better, with Decker, Reed and Gray adding some characterisations and sexiness that deserve a better movie. It's dialogue heavy, we get a rubber bat thrown in for good measure, and even though there's some nice visual touches, it is, all told, a failed attempt by Planet Films to take a bite on the horror coat tails of Hammer and Anglo-Amalgamated. 4/10

MartinHafer In Brittany, France, there are a couple strange murders, though the local police rule the deaths accidental. One is a cave explorer and the other a young lady who is found drowned--both were British tourists. Apart from harming the tourist industry, this was also bad because in reality this was the work of a Satanic vampire cult! When their friend vows to investigate further, the bodies disappear and it looks like his investigation is at an end...or is it? This is yet another British vampire film from the 1960s, though instead of being a Hammer Studios production, it was made at Pinewood Studios. In many ways it is reminiscent of a Hammer film, though the acting and plot are a bit less sophisticated. Still, it's not bad and is watchable--just don't expect a lot of magic or suspense. In particular, the evil Count Sinistre seems a tad wussy and too pretty to be all that threatening.

angus1878 this movie was shown on the b.b.c.last night immediately after clint eastwoods brilliant ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ, it was late ,eyes were drooping,thought a bit of horror would go down well,what a shocker (in the worse sense), with it being filmed in 1965 you automatically expect A HAMMER PRODUCTION*****THIS IS NOT A HAMMER PRODUCTION******* and boy can you tell, the acting is wooden,the women are not bad but certainly not the seductive,voluptuous type were are use to in HAMMER FILMS and the plot basically just silly and to be frank nothing really happens, needless to say it was the longest hour and a half of my life, well,tiredness got the better of me, if it was a good film i would have stuck it out, but, the awfulness took its toll and the off button swiftly was pressed.did this film give me nightmares ? YES but once i fell asleep i was o.k.watch this at your peril.............. as my mum would say "wouldn,t frighten the cat"