The Devil's Hand
June 4th 2010 03:58
Title: The Devil's Hand
Year Of Release: 1962
Running Time: 71 minutes
Directed By: William J. Hole Jr
Writing Credits: Jo Heims
Starring: Linda Christian, Robert Alda, Ariadna Welter, Neil Hamilton
Taglines: This is the hand of terror - it struck with savage fury - killing all that crossed its path!
The tagline of this early sixties b-grader would lead one to believe that the movie is about a killer hand, perhaps one akin to that in THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS. As is often the case, the tagline has little relevance to the actual plot of the film which is centred around a voodoo cult operating in a modern American city. Strangely enough, the male lead, Robert Alda, had appeared in the 1946 BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS. Maybe that was the reason they gave this film the tagline, but more likely it was just something the producers made up to hook viewers.
Written by Jo Heims, who would go on to write PLAY MISTY FOR ME and DIRTY HARRY, this is not a bad little horror movie. As one who who always been a sucker for plots about devil-worshipping cults, I was pleased to get a chance to see it. The director, William J. Hole, had directed a lot of TV in the early sixties for different series from CHEYENNE to 77 SUNSET STRIP and acquits himself reasonably well in this foray into horror and occultism.
Rick Turner, played by Alda, is engaged to Donna Trent, played by Ariadna Welter, but dreams every night of a beautiful blonde who appears to him as a heavenly vision in a veil of clouds. One day he wanders past the window of a doll shop and goes in, only to find that one of the dolls looks exactly like his dream-woman.There is some business about how he supposedly ordered a doll in the likeness of his fiance but Turner remembers nothing of it. Eventually Francis Lamont, the doll-shop owner, reveals that the dream-woman whose doll is in his shop is Bianca Milan, played by Linda Christian. BATMAN fans will enjoy seeing the role of Lamont, for Neil Hamilton acted the role of Commissioner Gordon in the 1960's Adam West BATMAN series.
Bianca is a witch who uses voodoo to project herself into Turner's dreams (she has a doll in his image). She uses her witchcraft to lure Turner away from Donna, who is admitted to hospital with a condition caused by Lamont's having poked her doll with a voodoo pin. She then sways Turner into joining the voodoo cult which has headquarters below Lamont's doll shop. Lamont is the "High Executioner" who runs the cult devoted to "Gamba , the Devil-god of evil" (!). The straight-looking cultists (clad in suits and ties) sit around on cushions in a reasonably elaborate temple with velvet hangings and tall flaming braziers while Lamont holds forth about Gamba, testing various cult members' loyalty via means of a sort of wheel of death Russian roulette - a wheel which lowers down onto the altar and which has one real killing knife and various fake ones. The temple has some resident black (possibly Caribbean) bongo players and dancers who add to the exotic atmosphere.
A subplot involves a journalist who has penetrated the cult. Later in the movie the journalist conveniently drops a note revealing that he will be writing an expose on the cult, which Lamont, clad in his "High Executioner" ritual dressing gown, reads, and the journalist is voodooed to death - his car is made to run off the road.
Ariadna Welter has little to do in the film, as she is confined to her hospital bed for most of the plot. Turner, who is totally under the influence of the glamorous Bianca, seems to forget all about his fiance. But towards the end, after he pulls the pin out of her voodoo doll, she is released from hospital and at that point he escapes the influence of Bianca and rescues Donna. In the action scene in the temple at the end, there is (of course) a brazier knocked over which sets the place on fire - why does every horror film have to end with a fiery conflagration?
It's worth seeing the movie for Linda Christian, who is rather stunning as she floats about her apartment in diaphanous witchy gowns seducing Turner, and offering him drinks which he says "taste like devil's brew". While the Gamba cultists seem to have no actual purpose beyond worshipping their dark god, and punishing members who betray their secrets, this is a fairly entertaining little occult thriller, well worth a look. OK, it's not THE DEVIL RIDES OUT or ROSEMARY'S BABY or TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER, but it's of their ilk, and an interesting example of the occult horror subgenre.
Year Of Release: 1962
Running Time: 71 minutes
Directed By: William J. Hole Jr
Writing Credits: Jo Heims
Starring: Linda Christian, Robert Alda, Ariadna Welter, Neil Hamilton
Taglines: This is the hand of terror - it struck with savage fury - killing all that crossed its path!
The tagline of this early sixties b-grader would lead one to believe that the movie is about a killer hand, perhaps one akin to that in THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS. As is often the case, the tagline has little relevance to the actual plot of the film which is centred around a voodoo cult operating in a modern American city. Strangely enough, the male lead, Robert Alda, had appeared in the 1946 BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS. Maybe that was the reason they gave this film the tagline, but more likely it was just something the producers made up to hook viewers.
Written by Jo Heims, who would go on to write PLAY MISTY FOR ME and DIRTY HARRY, this is not a bad little horror movie. As one who who always been a sucker for plots about devil-worshipping cults, I was pleased to get a chance to see it. The director, William J. Hole, had directed a lot of TV in the early sixties for different series from CHEYENNE to 77 SUNSET STRIP and acquits himself reasonably well in this foray into horror and occultism.
Rick Turner, played by Alda, is engaged to Donna Trent, played by Ariadna Welter, but dreams every night of a beautiful blonde who appears to him as a heavenly vision in a veil of clouds. One day he wanders past the window of a doll shop and goes in, only to find that one of the dolls looks exactly like his dream-woman.There is some business about how he supposedly ordered a doll in the likeness of his fiance but Turner remembers nothing of it. Eventually Francis Lamont, the doll-shop owner, reveals that the dream-woman whose doll is in his shop is Bianca Milan, played by Linda Christian. BATMAN fans will enjoy seeing the role of Lamont, for Neil Hamilton acted the role of Commissioner Gordon in the 1960's Adam West BATMAN series.
Bianca is a witch who uses voodoo to project herself into Turner's dreams (she has a doll in his image). She uses her witchcraft to lure Turner away from Donna, who is admitted to hospital with a condition caused by Lamont's having poked her doll with a voodoo pin. She then sways Turner into joining the voodoo cult which has headquarters below Lamont's doll shop. Lamont is the "High Executioner" who runs the cult devoted to "Gamba , the Devil-god of evil" (!). The straight-looking cultists (clad in suits and ties) sit around on cushions in a reasonably elaborate temple with velvet hangings and tall flaming braziers while Lamont holds forth about Gamba, testing various cult members' loyalty via means of a sort of wheel of death Russian roulette - a wheel which lowers down onto the altar and which has one real killing knife and various fake ones. The temple has some resident black (possibly Caribbean) bongo players and dancers who add to the exotic atmosphere.
A subplot involves a journalist who has penetrated the cult. Later in the movie the journalist conveniently drops a note revealing that he will be writing an expose on the cult, which Lamont, clad in his "High Executioner" ritual dressing gown, reads, and the journalist is voodooed to death - his car is made to run off the road.
Ariadna Welter has little to do in the film, as she is confined to her hospital bed for most of the plot. Turner, who is totally under the influence of the glamorous Bianca, seems to forget all about his fiance. But towards the end, after he pulls the pin out of her voodoo doll, she is released from hospital and at that point he escapes the influence of Bianca and rescues Donna. In the action scene in the temple at the end, there is (of course) a brazier knocked over which sets the place on fire - why does every horror film have to end with a fiery conflagration?
It's worth seeing the movie for Linda Christian, who is rather stunning as she floats about her apartment in diaphanous witchy gowns seducing Turner, and offering him drinks which he says "taste like devil's brew". While the Gamba cultists seem to have no actual purpose beyond worshipping their dark god, and punishing members who betray their secrets, this is a fairly entertaining little occult thriller, well worth a look. OK, it's not THE DEVIL RIDES OUT or ROSEMARY'S BABY or TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER, but it's of their ilk, and an interesting example of the occult horror subgenre.
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