By Keri O’Shea
“There is no safety! – Anywhere!”
Like the films before and after it which have dealt with the insalubrious subject of Europe’s witch trials, 1970’s Mark of the Devil is an unremittingly grim affair – perhaps even surprisingly so, given its vintage. However, as it proudly announces its links to historical fact from its earliest scenes, we should perhaps instead wonder how it isn’t nastier still, though it came in for a rough enough time from the censors on its release as-was. For all its nastiness though, this is a film which – unlike Witchfinder General, its most obvious near neighbour – is all rather more lavish. Misery is offset by finery; the drab interiors of the torture chambers and the waiting pyres are balanced by the vividly-coloured clothes of the townspeople. This film feels like a bridge between the sumptuous old horror of Hammer and the pared-down, more visceral British horror of the new decade, though thanks to its Austrian location and pan-European cast, it is its own beast too. This interesting pedigree is just one reason why I think Mark of the Devil is a very worthy choice for a Blu-ray release, however…
The plot of the film is fairly simple, even minimal – giving the lie to the idea that it’s only the most modern audiences who have been faced with lengthy torture scenes in film. In those strange days when large numbers of men and women were executed as witches, a certain amount of due process was expected; yes, in mainland Europe (and Scotland) it was legitimate to burn someone to death, but woe betide the executioner who did it without the right bloody paperwork.
Small-town tyrant and witchfinder Albino (Reggie Nalder) is faced with the prospect of a visit by Lord Cumberland (Herbert Lom), and very little evidence to show that he has followed the legal procedures of the Church during his current witch purge, the results of which are regularly to be seen in the town square. This dereliction of duty is in many ways the least of Albino’s flaws – he’s a megalomaniac, sadist and rapist to boot – but knowing he is about to lose face in front of the more powerful man perhaps leads him to one last hurrah, during which he accuses the beautiful young serving-girl Vanessa (Olivera Vuco) of witchcraft, when she rebuffs his advances. Cumberland’s men, who have travelled to the village ahead of their mentor, intervene to protect her – and one of them, Christian (Udo Kier) begins to fall for the girl. However, when Cumberland arrives, his at-first more temperate approach soon begins to falter. It seems that there’ll be little respite for Vanessa or for anyone, and Christian finds himself doubting the good work he has been undertaking with Cumberland.
That ‘good work’ finds its way to the screen with great regularity. Sure, the film stops short of the sort of SFX we may see or expect today, though whether by implication or otherwise, people (usually young women) being stretched on the rack, or having their tongues torn out by the root – well, it’s not pleasant viewing, and as I said earlier, the filmmakers make damn sure you know this sort of torment has real-life precedence. Not for nothing did the original publicity campaign manufacture Mark of the Devil ‘barf bags’; I doubt they were ever used, but the film hinged a great deal on its grisly content, and a good deal of screen time is devoted to it. Other than that, running through the movie like a seam is the association between witch-hunting and sexuality – overtly, when old goats like Albino can’t get their way with young women and instantly want them ablaze instead, and less overtly too; the whole town is preoccupied with the notion that young witches want nothing more than to render the whole male population impotent, for instance, and many of these women die because of it. Aspersions cast on masculinity are routinely of this nature during the course of the film. Even Cumberland, who at first seems at least occasionally inclined to mercy, grows ever more wrathful when he too gets sneered at along these lines.
This brings me onto the cast, and how wonderful Lom is in his star turn here as a religious zealot. Though perhaps not quite as saturnine as Vincent Price was as Hopkins (it’s nice to think that Lom wasn’t as pissed off during filming) he brings superb gravitas to his role – an ambiguous character at first, though growing increasingly deranged. He also boasts some amazing boots, though that’s by the by. A very young Udo Kier is at hand too, new to cinema at this point, and whilst not reaching the zany heights of the Flesh For Frankenstein/Blood For Dracula and his later genre roles, enacts a watchable performance as a blue-eyed youngster coming of age in very trying circumstances, though the overdub on his own, accented voice lends a slightly weird atmosphere here. That said, the clash between a clearly Germanic location, actors and speakers overlaid with a distinctly English array of names and voices, not to mention the somehow comforting clash between period detail and 60s/70s hair & cosmetics – it’s all part of the appeal.
If the great work Arrow have done on this release wasn’t enough to sway you (this is the best-looking version of the film you are going to get, with sharp, crisp colours throughout) then the extras on offer just might. The package offers a director’s commentary; the documentary ‘Mark of the Times’ which examines the turnaround in British horror come the early 70s, ‘Hallmark of the Devil’; a documentary about the controversial Hallmark Releasing (responsible for this film’s initial distribution) and a look at the changing landscape of the film’s locations. There’s also a trailer, a gallery, and – rather charmingly, a short outtakes reel from the original shoot. Want more? Howsabout interviews with Udo Kier (melts), Michael Holm, Herbert Fux (…) Gaby Fuchs (ah, come on!) Ingeborg Schöner, and an audio interview with the late Herbert Lom.
Once again proving themselves the go-to guys for all the best cult film and horror releases, Arrow have really excelled here, and I’m not just saying that because Udo Kier. Mark of the Devil will essentially never look better nor come with such a clutch of goodies, so have at it people.
Mark of the Devil will be released by Arrow Films on 29th September 2014.