Rent The Devil's Men (1976)

Land of the Devil's Men - mild spoilers ... - The Devil's Men review by NP

It is rare to discover a previously unheard-of Peter Cushing horror film. Even more so when it also stars Donald Pleasance, another genre icon. So just why has this Greek demon-worshipping thriller passed me by for so long?

Cushing plays Baron Corofax, a Hungarian with no trace of an accent; Donald Pleasence plays Father Roche with an Irish brogue. Luan Peters, who had been in 1974’s ‘Old Dracula’, 1972’s ‘The Flesh and Blood Show’ and a couple of latter-day Hammer films, appears as Laurie. Despite quite a CV, Peters remains rather unappreciated in my view. Certainly, this feature does her few favours – she’s there purely for show and to be rescued.

‘The Devil’s Men/Land of the Minotaur’ has a reputation for being a bit of a stinker. I quite enjoyed parts of it, but found it mostly deadly dull. I’ve never seen Cushing disinterested in a role before, but understandably, he seems pretty distracted here. Pleasence has rather more to work with and makes the best of it. Strange to think these two veteran actors were on the verge of two of their most well-known roles within a couple of years – The Grand Moff Tarkin from Star Wars, and Loomis from Halloween respectively.

There’s not a huge amount to say about this story. Corofax and his minions worship a giant stone Mintoaur that breathes flames through its nostrils and growls apocalyptic pronouncements. The legendary Brian Eno lends a few electronic burbles and flourishes in an incidental score that puts one in mind of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. And yet, Kostas Karagiannis’s sluggish direction ensures things never really get going until pretty much the explosive climax (Karagiannis also stars as one of the main characters, tousle-headed hero-type Milo who, as luck would have it, has a stunning girlfriend, played by Jane Lyle in a pair of miniscule cut-off shorts).

I certainly don’t rate this as lowly as some other reviewers do. It tries something slightly different with its evildoers and boasts some terrific scenery. And yet the pacing is slow, and we never really get to know any of the characters, some of whom disappear for vast chunks of the running time with no particular reason for us to recall them when they do turn up.

Point of interest: I couldn’t finish this review without mentioning, in the DVD extras, ‘Christopher Lee remembers Peter Cushing’. Although Lee had nothing to do with the main feature, Marcus Hearn’s interview with him brings out some fond remembrances of Cushing as part of a truly moving tribute.