Mark of the Devil Movie Review

Trailer here.

Mark of the Devil is a 1970 horror movie directed by Michael Armstrong and starring Herbert Lom, Udo Kier and Olivera Katarina.

The film begins with a witch burning. A man called Albino(Reggie Nalder) is a witch hunter who has taken it upon himself to accuse innocent women of witchcraft. He is told that a resepected witch hunter called Lord Cumberland(Lom) is coming to his village. He has an apprentice called Count Christian(Kier) who is in the village. An executioner, Wilkins(Herbert Fux)will be arriving also. Albino likes a local woman called Vanessa(Katarina). He harasses her but she spits at him. He tries to attack her and she ends up injuring him. He announces that she is a witch. She tells him that he is the devil. Count Christian sees what he is doing and he demands proof of what Albino is saying. There isn't any. Christian and Vanessa talk. Soldiers arrive to help Lord Cumberland.

Albino is jeaous of Christian and Vanessa. He wants her declared as a witch. Christian and Vanessa become close and they kiss. Lord Cumberland arrives in the village. Albino catches Vanessa and he whips her. She is brought in as a witch. The Count states that she is innocent. Cumberland doesn't agree. There is a lot of torture occuring in the village. People are being targeted. A baron is brought in and he is promised freedom if he signs over his estate to the church. Albino is leading his men into people's houses and getting them to do his bidding with the locals. Christian is beginning to lose his faith in Cumberland as he sees all the pain and suffering that he is inflicting on people. He realises that it is corrupt.

Vanessa is in custody and Christian can't get her out. Albino gets into trouble for his deeds and he ends up dead when Cumberland strangles him. Christian witnesses it and this makes him doubt Cumberland. Christian confronts him about it and asks him to spare a family but he won't. This pushes Christian to free Vanessa. He does so and goes back to free more prisoners, but gets caught himself. Vanessa gathers the locals and she tells them that they should get the witch hunters. Lord Cumberland tells his soldiers to kill everyone. The locals come and storm the castle. They free the prisoners. Christian is freed. Cumberland tries to escape. He gets into his coach and he drives off. Christian isn't so lucky. The locals catch him and kill him. Vanessa tries to stop them but she can't. She holds his dead body as the locals go home.

This film is kind of like Witchfinder General but it has more torture scenes and blood in it. The cast are good. The story is interesting and the ending is brutal. You know what you are getting here, but there is actually a story so it isn't just torture scenes. I liked it and I am giving it a 5/10.