Review of The Devil Rides Out

To be honest, I find devil worshipping boring. It usually involves a bunch of stuffed shirts standing around chanting nonsense no spawn of Satan would give the time of day to. This well made but plodding adaptation of a long-winded Denis Wheatley novel (script by the great Richard Matheson) focuses on Christopher Lee's efforts to de-program two young worshippers. It's like a Hammer version of "Ticket To Heaven", a great film about the de-programming of Moonie-style cult members. There is a battle between good and evil, a goat-headed Devil, an exciting car chase with appalling rear-screen process work, and some strong thematic elements. Unfortunately, the devil worshipping aspects of the film are boring because -- you guessed it! -- stuffed shirts stand around chanting nonsense no spawn of Satan would give the time of day to. Lee is solid and Terence Fisher's direction is tight and controlled, but the film needed a lot more anarchy, and some strong sexuality would have served its purposes well also. I'm not the fan many people are of this stodgy drawing room devil drama, but I don't deny that it's a well-intended effort.