Devils of Darkness

I first came across the knowledge of this when interested in Witchcraft (1964), starring Lon Chaney, Jr. Devils of Darkness (1965) was part of a double feature along with Witchcraft many of my horror peers were purchasing on DVD around ten years ago. Years later, DoD was showing on Fox Movie Channel so I recorded it and eventually today was the time I gave to it, being October and all. I was seriously hoping for an October first viewing gem, but, ultimately, this was nothing more than a Hammer vampire in different studio clothes. It was filmed at Pinewood Studios even. I did like that France was a location also part of filming for the film. And the cast is quite attractive, especially Tracy Reed as the vampire count's new woman of desire, while Carole Gray, the jealous gypsy whose marriage was interrupted by Count Sinistre (Hubert Noël), soon not only "married" to him instead but fully committed to him. Sinstre starts to paint Reed's model Karen, eventually strongly attracted to her while Gray's Tania begins to plot against them. Tania marks Karen with a crucifix, uses a voodoo doll to subdue her, and cuts through the finished painting of Sinstre's as the canvas bleeds. Quite simply, Tania wants Karen out of the way, while Count Sinistre obviously plans to replace the former with the latter as his new bride and traveling companion. The film has plenty of bourgeoisie types in London and locals from Sinstre's own village as dedicated Satanists and followers of him. A cavernous altar under a manor in London where Sinistre plans to add Karen to his fold in a ritual is really similar to countless films of the period involving Satanism/occult and vampires. This film doesn't distinguish itself from the myriad of British horror of its era. It just doesn't stand out. I mean, there is just nothing here you haven't seen before. Diana Decker is fun as an antiquities store owner/dealer, Madeleine, and lead star hero, William Sylvester (as Paul Baxter), is the nuisance to Sinistre he can't seem to get rid of. Paul Baxter loses friends to the village vampire and later must try and rescue Karen, along with Peter Illing's police inspector. Sinistre's reign of terror costs Baxter a great deal of loss. I thought the bleeding painting Tania cuts with a knife through was a colorful scene and the film does deliver a lot of sinister (pun intended) goings-on thanks to Count Sinistre. An amulet with a type of bat is sought after by Sinistre, secured by Baxter at the spot where he lost a friend to the vampire. The vampire tropes often arrive on cue such as the use of the cross and no casting reflection from water. Not to escape its familiarity to Hammer Dracula, Sinistre gradually turns to dust thanks to the sun's beaming a cemetery cross right into his face while he tries to drag Karen away from the cavernous worship underground lair that is soon obviously toppled by falling rock. 2/5