Boring

A Masterpiece!

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Michael Reeves' horror classic Witchfinder General made an impressive turnaround at the box-office in spite of its modest budget. Following the witch-hunting exploits of Matthew Hopkins in 17th century England, the movie was disturbing, gruesome, and neatly disguised as a history lesson in an attempt to dodge the censors. The success of Witchfinder naturally led to more witch-trial horror films, most famously being Ken Russell's The Devils, although he denies he was inspired by a film he called "nauseous." It was a big hit in Germany, and their own stab at the folk horror sub-genre came in the form of Michael Armstrong's Mark of the Devil. Using clever marketing (posters warned of a V for Violence certificate and theatres handed out vomit bags to the audience), it was a runaway success, although it has spent the past few decades caught up in the video nasty storm and hacked to pieces in the editing room.In a small town in early 18th-century Austria, residents are routinely treated to public executions of those accused of dabbling in the dark arts. In charge of finding the witches hiding in their midst and torturing them to confess is Albino (Reggie Nalder), an ugly man who accuses any unfortunate young woman who spurns his advances of performing witchcraft. Albino enjoys and abuses his position of power, until the dashing Count Christian von Meruh (Udo Kier) arrives in town, quickly catching the eye of beautiful, buxom barmaid Vanessa (Olivera Katarina). He is there to announce that famed and highly-respected witch hunger Lord Cumberland (Herbert Lom) will soon be joining him to put an end to the folly carried out by Albino and his cronies. But when Vanessa stands accused of false charges of baring the 'mark of the devil', the Count starts to question his master's methods and motivations, as well as that of the Church.Mark of the Devil is one of those few horror movies that actually lives up to its reputation. While it certainly isn't the most horrifying film ever made and won't upset your stomach (as the poster claims), it revels in the many scenes of torture and death. Joints are ripped from sockets, digits are squashed, a tongue is removed, and many are burned alive, and almost every torture device imaginable is employed. These scenes initially have the desired effect, but the narrative quickly falls into a repetitive cycle of violence and badly handled love scenes between the Count and Vanessa frolicking on the grass, made all the worse by some atrocious dubbing. It does make a legitimate point however, and points a finger at the hypocrisy of an institution who torture and murder 'by the book' while looking down on the likes of Albino for doing the same for sexual gratification. It would be difficult to admit to 'liking' Mark of the Devil, but it sits as one of the more intriguing entries into the short-lived sub-genre.

Herbert Lom (best known as the police chief in the original "Pink Panther" movies) died recently, so I decided to check out one of his non-Pink Panther movies. Michael Armstrong's "Hexen bis aufs Blut gequält" ("Mark of the Devil" in English) got advertised as the most horrifying movie ever made when it got released. Now that we're inured to on screen gore thanks to ever slasher flick, the movie looks pretty tame, although it definitely contains some ugly scenes. Lom plays a witch hunter in 18th century Austria. He has an assistant (Udo Kier) who pretty much always obeys him. But then the witch hunter goes a little too far...It's hard to tell whether the movie aims more to be a gorefest, or to indict the religious establishment. It's always worth noting that the witch hunts over the centuries were all about suppressing anything feminine. But in the end, Herbert Lom's presence kept making me feel as though Peter Sellers would appear with a French accent and make a mess of everything. Overall, it's a pretty entertaining movie, although definitely not for the fainthearted.

We find ourselves in a fictional European country where the people's names are a mix of German or English but which is obviously countryside of Austria. The witch-madness is at its height; people are being arrested, tortured and killed for the most flimsy reason, like having the suspicious birthmarks or being puppeteers. Young nobleman Christian von Meruh (Udo Kier), foster son and apprentice of the local witch hunter Lord Cumberland, is a dedicated follower in the fight against witchcraft but upon falling in love with a fiery inn maid, he begins to question the sincerity of his tutor. Cumberland seems reasonably and benevolent at first but soon enough reveals himself as bigot and, plagued by his impotence, a sadistic pervert.Let's face it: the film is exploitation in its purest form. We're talking hardcore torture, disembowelment, tongue-tearing, amputation of limbs from little toe to head and a lot of beating, whipping and burning. However, it's very tasteful exploitation and doesn't have to shy the comparison to Michael Reeves groundbreaking "Witchfinder General", upon which heel this was filmed. Similar to cult horror-film "Cannibal Holocaust", the soundtrack plays a key role; atmospheric but, in stark contrast to the violence, beautiful and similarly unforgettable as Riz Ortolani's haunting score. .About the cast: no broomstick-riding hags with warts on their noses, actually, all the witches are remarkably pretty. As protagonist, Udo Kier isn't yet at the prime of his skills and, for the sake of argument, seems miscast as a young witch finder-apprentice. Herbert Lom, a master of his trade, plays the villain; he manages to appear very father-like, even trustable until revealed as the symbolizing the hypocrisy and corruption of this era. Olivia Vuco (Olivera Katarina) shines in her role of love-interest and very fiery damsel in distress; unfortunately it would remain her only starring role in Western European cinema. Perfectly cast: character actors Herbert Fux as torturer (never was a role cast more aptly), German trash legend Johannes Buzalski (or "Count Porno" as he's known by his fans) as treacherous advocate and the excellent Reggie Nalder, who's unique facial features would have him cast forever as a villains villain. American's might know him best as vampire Mr. Barlow in the first TV-adoption of "Salem's Lot".Is it as good as "Witchfinder General"? No, it cannot quiet conjure up the same cold, dark atmosphere, it didn't have a brilliant director like Michael Reeves (although it can be felt that director Michael Armstrong was familiar with Reeves style and methods) and was much more geared toward fans of hard exploitation flicks. Yes, you'll have to have a certain morbid taste for medieval torture but don't expect some cheap smorgasbord of blood and gore, like you would expect from contemporary films like "Saw" or "Hostel". "Mark of the Devil" stands far above that sleaze and, within its own subgenre, is only matched by Michael Reeves masterwork.

Wow. Just wow. I started watching this movie thinking that it would be another cheap 70s flick, but I watched more and saw that it was a good movie after all. After watching I went online and found out that they had to give barf bags to audiences because it was so graphic. Well I wish I had a barf bag when I saw this. The torture sequences are so horrendously gruesome. They burn women at the stake. They press hot irons on peoples feet, they rip out a woman's tongue. I'm not going to give everything away. Im just saying that if you like horror movies that are filled with blood and gore, then see this. You won't be disappointed.