Eye of the Devil Movie Review

Trailer here.

Eye of the Devil is a 1966 horror movie directed by J.Lee Thompson and starring David Niven, Deborah Kerr , Sharon Tate and Donald Pleasence.

The film begins with a man called Phillipe(Niven) who is the Marquis de Bellenac in Bordeaux. His wife is Catherine(Kerr) and he has two children, Jacques and Antoinette. He owns a vineyard in the countryside and he receives a visit from a strange priest when he is at his chateau. Pere Dominic(Pleasence) gives him an amulet. Catherine is in Paris with the children while this is happening. Jacques has a dream where his father needs his help, so Catherine and the children head to the chateau to see what is going on. A woman called Countess Estelle(Flora Robson) is there. She is Phillipe's aunt. She doesn't give them a warm welcome. Catherine meets Christian(David Hemmings) and Odile(Tate), his sister. They are hanging around.

Catherine sees hooded figures and weird stuff. A man warns her to take her children and leave the place. Catherine tells this to Phillipe but he dismisses it. He wants her to go home. The Countess talks to him and she tells him that he should leave also. The children meet Odile, who happens to be a witch. Catherine is uncomfortable around Christian and Odile. She tries to tell Phillipe, but he won't take her seriously. Odile takes the children up to the roof. Catherine is furious. Odile tries to cast a spell on her to make her walk off the roof. A friend. Jean Claude(Edward Mulhare) arrives and Catherine tells him everything. He discovers that Phillipe's ancestors were all killed. Catherine finds the tomb of one of them, Edouard de Montfaucon. She sees hooded figures. She runs away. They surround her. She wakes up at home. Phillipe is there. He gives her a sleeping tonic and he leaves. She has nightmares.  When she comes to, her door is locked and the phone is dead. She tries to get out. 

The Countess hears her and she lets her out. Catherine is in a bad way and the doctor is called. He tells her that she was given belladonna which causes hallucinations. There is a local festival happening called The Thirteen Days. Everyone is there. The weird priest, Pere Dominic is celebrating some sort of mass.  It is a black mass. The locals have to make a sacrifice every year. Phillipe is meant to be the sacrifice this year. Catherine doesn't want to let it happen. She tries to stop it. Doctors show up and say that she hit her head. Phillipe tells her that he has to do it.  She wants him to leave, but he won't. The priest tells Christian and Odile that it is time and they lock Catherine in. She escapes and runs after her husband.

She finds underground passages after speaking to Phillipe's father. He has been living in the chateau after he did not make the sacrifice he was meant to.

Alain, the father, tells her that the ritual is being performed by Pere Dominic, who is an evil man. Phillipe has to die to complete it. Christian takes Phillipe out to the forest with the others and he is killed. Catherine doesn't save him. She is too late. Catherine and her children leave. Jacques runs back to get his watch before they go and Pere Dominic gives him the amulet. Jacques will be the next one to be sacrificed.

This was a good film. I liked the cast. I mean, who wouldn't. David Niven, Deborah Kerr, Donald Pleasence, Sharon Tate, David Hemmings. A very impressive bunch. This was fun and entertaining. I can't say that it was scary or anything but it doesn't need to be. There is enough happening to keep it moving along. I liked it a lot and I give it a 6/10.