Devil's Partner (1960) User Reviews

Not A Bad Little Story

[gavin6942 · 5/10 · 31 October 2013]

An old man (Ed Nelson) sells his soul to the devil, and turns into a young man (also Ed Nelson). He then uses witchcraft and black magic to win a woman (Jean Allison) from his rival (Richard Crane).

Nelson is probably not a well-known name to many, but perhaps he should be. For fans of horror and science fiction, it is worth pointing out that he worked with famed B-movie producer Roger Corman on such films as "Cry Baby Killers", "A Bucket of Blood", "Teenage Cave Man", and "Attack of the Crab Monsters". That is not a bad bunch of films to appear in!

Stanley Clements should be given credit for writing a simple yet compelling plot. He was primarily an actor and was known to be a part of the East Side Kids or Bowery Boys film series. Apparently, he could have been just as successful as a writer if he had chosen that route!

All things considered, a pretty decent low-budgeter

[Red-Barracuda · 6/10 · 4 August 2013]

In a small rural town an unpopular old hermit sells his soul to the devil. He dies and his mysterious nephew subsequently turns up. A string of bad events follow in his wake.

This low-budget occult horror film is pretty decent considering its obvious lack of resources. It has a fairly by-the-numbers set-up but it maintains the interest just the same. Ed Nelson, who plays the evil nephew, is good and certainly looks the part. Interestingly, he uses animals to do his evil bidding - sometimes, possessing them, other times shape-shifting into them. This includes a dog, a horse and a snake. The scene with the horse is the best one in the film. In it, a wino is chased in the moonlight by a black stallion, which catches up with him and tramples him to death.

The movie on the whole is well handled and should please those with a taste for old cheap black and white horror flicks. Although a word of warning – don't be fooled by the cover art that is often used. It has a scantily clad woman riding a centaur…sadly, there's none of this to be seen anywhere.

Don't judge a book by its cover.

[ChuckStraub · 6/10 · 15 October 2004]

The phrase Don't judge a book by its cover certainly applies to this movie. The cover of the DVD shows a naked woman riding a centaur, in a storm, through a cemetery. Forget all of that. You won't see it. It doesn't exist in this movie. It has nothing to do with the movie. The movie is actually very tame. My copy of 'The Devil's Partner' is by Alpha Video. There are some problems with the actual quality of the film. This is primarily in the beginning of the movie. For me, it wasn't bad enough to be a major problem and I quickly forgot about it. With that being said, I really liked the movie and enjoyed it more than I expected. It's an old B movie, and it does have some problems with the plot, but the acting is pretty good and it is an enjoyable, entertaining film. In my opinion 'The Devil's Partner' is an average 1950s B horror movie, is under rated, and is worth viewing.

Not bad

[Gafke · 9 January 2004]

Don't get too attached to the idea presented by the movie poster or the film box cover for this movie - there is no beautiful naked woman bareback-riding a wild centaur anywhere to be found. Sorry. But despite this fact, The Devils Partner is not a terrible film. It makes up for in mood and performances what it lacks in the style that a bigger budget might have given it. A nasty, hairy, smelly old hermit sacrifices a goat in his dingy shack and is given a new life by the Devil Himself...or at least I'm assuming it was the Devil. You only get to see a burned black hand co-signing a contract that our hermit has already signed with the blood of the poor, aforementioned goat. Anyway, the hermit - minus about 40 years and having benefited from a recent flea bath - waltzes into our story which takes place in a heat blasted desert town. Mr. Brand New SatanicPants never breaks a sweat, strolling cool as ice cream into the lives of Nell and her boyfriend and causing major problems for both of them before he can be dispatched. True enough, this is a low budget extravaganza, but it makes the best with what it has to work with. The performances are sincere, the mood is spooky and the plot is actually rather original and benefits from some light yet surprising touches of perversion and sadism. Filmed in black and white and totally devoid of gore, The Devils Partner still manages to be disturbing, especially when you take into consideration the year in which it was made. Harmless entertainment, and not a total waste of an hour and a half or so.

Little known deal-with-the-devil horror

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 15 October 2016]

DEVIL'S PARTNER is a forgotten little American horror flick that looks and feels like a contemporary western with a few horror touches added to the mix. I'd never heard of it before I sat down to watch it, and while it's certainly no classic, it's an adequate time waster that's difficult to dislike. The film was shot by TV director Charles Rondeau who creates a cosy atmosphere despite all the supposed horror going on.

The story is about a guy who makes a Faustian pact with the devil for eternal youth. There are shades of Dorian Gray here along with all the old-time deal-with-the-devil movies of the 1940s. Unfortunately youth isn't enough for this guy and he also enlists the black arts to help bump off anyone who opposes him. There are some cheesy animal attack scenes mixed in but most of the film concentrates on the resolutely dull heroic characters trying to get to the bottom of the mystery. Again, no classic, but this is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get type movie.

Ed Nelson and his satanic menagerie

[Chase_Witherspoon · 4/10 · 19 June 2012]

Well photographed but ultimately disappointing tale of an elderly hermit who sells his soul to the devil and re-emerges as a a young man (Nelson) claiming to be the hermit's nephew. Despite his apparent good Samaritan turns, a spate of bizarre fatal accidents seem to overshadow causing the local sheriff to suspect a supernatural presence is prevailing.

There's some genuine unsettling atmosphere threatening to emerge, alas it's never given the opportunity to fully develop, the film apparently constrained by a limited budget. Nelson is suitably shady, his almost angelic presence hinting at a sinister undertone as he conjures a series of mishaps to lure local lass (Allison) into his realm. I also liked Spencer Carlisle as the concerned sheriff with a "hunch" and sweaty, rotund MD Edgar Buchanan on hand to serve as coroner for the burgeoning body count.

Despite one effective scene in which Nelson bribes a drunk (Foulger) to witness his occult ritual then turns into a demonic steed, the meagre 70 minutes duration leaves much to the imagination and, disappointingly, little to show for the effort. Capable cast but should have been better.

An okay way to spend an hour or so

[bensonmum2 · 5/10 · 27 September 2005]

A young man arrives in a small town (Pop. 1505 we are informed) after his Uncle, a local despised hermit, died. The young man moves into the Uncle's shack and immediately strange things begin happening. People are killed or maimed by a variety of animals and no one seems to be able to explain why. The only person who seems unaffected is the newcomer living in the old hermits shack.

What Works:

• Kill the Goat. I really wasn't expecting this much blood. Don't get me wrong, this isn't Braindead we're talking about, but for a movie from the very early 60s, I found it surprisingly graphic. The goat sacrifice (shown in shadows) is a nice touch.

• 60s Charm. This is a hard one to explain, but the movie has a certain charm to it that I can't help but enjoy. A lot of American made movies from this period (I Bury the Living, The Devil's Hand, 13 Ghosts, etc.) have a similar feel to them. Maybe it's the innocence of the characters and their reactions when faced with evil. Maybe it's the low-budget look. Maybe it's the willingness on the part of the filmmakers to experiment and take chances. Whatever, I'm a fan of this period of American horror.

• Storyline. Regardless of how successful the movie is or isn't, the whole idea of selling your soul to devil and writing a contract on an old goat skin with your blood is the stuff of nightmares.

What Doesn't Work:

• The Sheriff. I've always had a problem when supposed level-headed characters in positions of authority are so willing to accept wild explanations to strange events. In The Devil's Partner, not only does the Sheriff seem willing to accept the supernatural idea, he formulates the theory.

• Why Did He Do That? The movie presents very little in the way of character motivation to explain why the young man feels the need to summon animals to harm the citizens of the town. Is he seeking revenge? Is he out to get the only young, single woman in town? Is he simply evil? I suppose we, as viewers, are supposed to come up with our own ideas, but a little hint at the true nature of the young man's motivation would have been nice.

• Acting. This one is easy to complain about in these low-budget movies, but it's a fault nonetheless. With a couple of exceptions, the acting in The Devil's Partner is bad. Spencer Carlisle as the Sheriff tops of list of bad performances.

There are far worse ways to waste 73 minutes of your life than watching The Devil's Partner. It will never be confused with a great movie, but it's entertaining enough in its own low-budget, 60s sort of way.

Eerie, creepy and gripping!

[JohnHowardReid · 7/10 · 9 November 2006]

Made in 1958, but not released until 1961 (and then in a cut version), The Devil's Partner turns out to be an interesting variation on Faust, despite a number of script and story inconsistencies (and welcome plot twists from the rather bland pressbook synopsis). Helped by sympathetic acting and moody photography, director Rondeau grippingly creates a suspensefully eerie, small-town atmosphere which fully engages the attention while the film is actually unwinding. Ed Nelson does a commendable job in his dual role and is well supported all the way down the line, especially from Byron Foulger in a most unusual part as the local wino. The film also provides a rare opportunity to see the fine television player Jean Allison in a big-screen movie. Much of the film was obviously shot on actual locations. The heat-struck town of "Furnace Flats", New Mexico, seems vividly real. Photographer Edward Cronjager lends the visuals an attractive shine and, aside from one or two lapses, the make-up and special effects are generally convincing. And by the humble standards of the independent "B", production values are fairly impressive.

Terrible movie

[galensaysyes · 1/10 · 29 May 2001]

For years I had wanted to see this movie, based on the ad--a painting in the style of "True" or "Argosy," from one of which it was probably lifted, showing a randy centaur with a woman flung across his back and a cartoon devil leering down at him from above. I shouldn't have been surprised that the movie doesn't live up to this, but I had hoped for at least a sort of try at a centaur. Instead there's Ed Nelson. Maybe if you squinted.... The story plays like a bad episode of "Perry Mason," with a little black magic thrown in. In a California desert town with about four residents, Nelson shows up and introduces himself as the nephew of the old hermit recently found dead. What we know, and the locals don't, is that the hermit scratched out an agreement in goat's blood on goat skin, and signed it in his own blood (OLD goat's blood), whereafter it was co-signed by a black hand. This is the Devil's-Partner part (and, as a footnote to the history of African-Americans in popular entertainment, the only appearance of a black performer in the film). Nelson doesn't sweat in hot weather, and his black magic, practiced for unconsidered reasons, consists of sending out bad vibes to a dog and a horse, causing them to attack people, not excitingly. What does interest me some is the question of Nelson's identity: he can change into the old man, but the old man didn't change into him to start with, he died; and if he's the old man, why doesn't he recognize anybody, or know his way around his own shack? And why DON'T he sweat?

Creepy, Effective, Low Budget "Twilight Zone" Era Shocker

[Steve_Nyland · 7/10 · 1 August 2009]

"Devil's Partner" is one of the few movies I have seen in a long, long time that actually managed to creep me out. The way to see it is all alone in a darkened house in the middle of the night when you can really let it's atmosphere sink in. There's one scene in particular where someone turns out to not be whom he originally said he was, and under the right circumstances it will send shivers up & down the spine of even the most hardened horror movie fan.

It's also deceptively tightly plotted. Turn away at the wrong critical minute and you might lose track of the plot as it arcs it's way in and out of what now seems to be familiar material. The film even gives away it's big secret within the first fifteen minutes but still manages to hold viewer interest for another hour as it unfolds like a nightmare. And one with a creepy musical score played on what sounds like one of those Ondes-Martenot electronic keyboards.

True the low budget & television stock acting probably works against the overall effect, but if you look beneath it you'll find a very demented little study on Southwestern American supernatural horror that would be revisited again & again: "Race With The Devil" (1975), "Brotherhood Of Satan" (1971), "Enter The Devil" (1972), "The Devil's Rain" (1974) all took a cue from "The Devil's Partner". Which was made just as the Italians were exporting their Gothic horrors from Mario Bava, Riccardo Freda, and Antonio Margheriti. The Europeans had their Gothic castles and misty cobweb filled catacombs, we had the equally Gothic arid, barren Southwest. It would be interesting to trace where the American horror tradition of Southwestern settings began.

Others have summed up the plot elements well enough: A youngish, super-slick and super nice guy drifts into a Death Valley town looking for his ne're do well uncle and everything goes straight to hell, and quickly. What makes it work is the way the film was constructed, including the sharp black & white photography making the night scenes lit by the stark lighting more unsettling than it would have been in color. I also mentioned "Twilight Zone" in my header because the pacing of the film is very reminiscent of that show, as are the themes of urban satire, ironic vengeance, and ironic justice.

Just watch the movie. It's only 72 minutes long and a public domain title so you can probably see it online for free. It's turned up on budget line $.50 cent DVDs at the dollar store (under the title "Enter The Devil"; somebody screwed up) and on those ridiculous 50 movie bargain sets. Worth it just to be completely freaked out for those precious few minutes, if you let it.

7/10

Slow Moving/Poorly Edited

[Hitchcoc · 5/10 · 20 February 2007]

If you're going to do a horror movie, you need to establish the rules a bit. At no time did I ever really understand what this guy was up to. What sort of pact did he make and why did he act the way he did after the pact? An old hermit makes a deal with the devil using goats blood and asks for some time to be something different. He comes back as a young handsome man, but then he hangs around the same town, working in a gas station, hurting people who may find out about him. He falls in love with a young woman who is engaged to be married. He attacks here fiancée and moves in. The film becomes empty and meaningless at times. There's a scene where the man transforms himself into a horse and kills an old wino. Why? Just to see if he can do it. Then there's a long explanation from a witness when we already know what happened. It's as if they needed a few more minutes of film to make a feature length film. There are more questions than answers. That's the problem.

Must see if you like older spook movies.

[moycon · 8/10 · 24 July 2004]

Enough has been said regarding the summary of this flick. Sure, the plot doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I'd even go so far as to say the the makers may have switched stories 20 minutes into filming this movie. The deal with the guy coming back and not seeming to know anyone in the town he's lived in all his life just makes me think there was another version of the story at one time... Maybe not though. Maybe the plot just wasn't thought out enough. But what the movie does have is atmosphere. From the opening shot of a sinister shadow on a decrepit shacks wall with a scared goat bleating in the background , to a faithful pet going berserk and attacking it's master this movie is creepy. All you folks who like these old spook flicks know...That's the important thing. The Alpha Video version is very cheap but is in pretty bad shape especially at the beginning of reels. Sinister Cinema has a better copy but you'll pay more for it. I'd say at the very least get the Alpha Video version. You can't go wrong spending $6.00 and getting a quality spook.

Underrated B movie with a good cast

[erikramaekers63 · 7/10 · 13 June 2023]

Horror fans should give this underrated and well acted movie a chance. An old man living as a hermit in a small town dies.four days later his nephew(Ed Nelson) turns up and people start dying. Turns out that the old man wasn't liked by the people of this small town,and they didn't even knew his big secret. Ed Nelson is very good and unlike The Brain Eaters (another low budget horror/sci fi movie he starred in)The Devil's Partner has a couple of creepy scenes,some decent fx and great cinematography. The sheriff with the help of his small terrier and a old doctor find out the nephew's secret. Best scene:The town drunk killed by a black horse.

Just OK

[arfdawg-1 · 5/10 · 13 March 2017]

The Plot. generally An old man sells his soul to the devil, and turns into a young man. He then uses witchcraft and black magic to win a woman from his rival.

An interesting thing to note is that as movies transitioned from the 50's to the 60's there were lots more location scenes and it makes it fun to look at the cars and buses and such from back then.

And the early 60's films also had a smattering of beat music which is interesting to hear.

So on tot he movie. Not's not horrible, but there is one fatal flaw, When the old guy sells his soul and becomes young, why does he lose all his memory too -- except that he's the young old guy? He doesn't remember the people who knew him and such. Dumb.

The movie is a bit slow and the acting isn't always that great but it's an OK watch

Satan comes to Mayberry

[asinyne · 12 January 2010]

This movie is beyond weird. I guess this is the reason we watch these old films, they are whack! While I watched this I kept thinking about the mythical city of Mayberry. You have the usual cast of characters, with a few borrowed from the Bevery Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction. We have the down to earth country sheriff, we have Ellie May who spends her time milking goats, we got the town drunk, we got Opie who finds a dead body,and of course we have a broken down old man who is worshiping Satan. I agree with other reviewers who said you want to keep watching... true.

The best thing this movie has going for it is the outrageous, off the farm plot. Its also pretty well directed. The last few scenes deliver a big payoff that even includes some VERY weird symbolism. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I thought the cast was very good. I thought Richard Crane was very good and Ed Nelson seemed perfect for his part although if I'd written this, or anybody had today, the girl would have certainly fallen for the handsome fiend. This movie works almost liked a Twilight Zone episode that was rejected because it was just to freaking bizarre. This would be a cool movie to show at a Halloween party. I watched this after watching another Ed Nelson horror film called Night of the Blood Beast. I never realized he had such a cool horror film resume.

Shape Shifts like Odo

[bkoganbing · 1/10 · 5 July 2014]

A few years after Ed Nelson was 'introduced' in this film he got a great career break playing in the television version of Peyton Place for several years. But I'll bet the folks who produced Peyton Place never saw Nelson playing in a monstrosity.

Devil's Partner finds Ed Nelson as an old man who's apparently got the hots for this young woman. But naturally she won't give him the time of day. So he makes a deal with the devil who grants him all kinds of powers and he starts making his moves on Jean Allison daughter of the town physician Edgar Buchanan.

Part of his deal with the devil has him becoming young and he becomes the Ed Nelson familiar to us from the Sixties as Dr. Michael Rossi on Peyton Place. He can also shapeshift like Odo and command the animals to do his bidding. I'll let you see the film to see what he has them do.

Where was Edgar Buchanan's agent to allow him to do such a monstrosity of a film? For that matter Richard Crane who was television's Rocky Jones in the Fifties was similarly dumped on by his agent. Crane plays the filling station owner that Allison has her heart set on. Crane was on the downside of his career, but Buchanan was a respected character actor and Nelson had a future despite this film.

The ending, ripped off from The Invisible Man. I'll bet the cast members wished they were invisible after being in this.

The Old Man and the Song of Satan.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 16 September 2015]

Newcomer Ed Nelson has a unique way of making friends... and losing them. He introduces himself to town-folk as the nephew of a recently deceased resident whom nobody liked, a hermit who was found dead covered in blood along side a goat which obviously had its throat slit. Bizarre goings on reveal that Nelson isn't the nice man he appears to be, and the town doctor and sheriff try to discover what is really behind all of the recent tragic events. The sudden attack of the rival to Nelson's attempt to win the doctor's daughter by his devoted dog, the discovery of a trampled body of the town drunk, and other bizarre happenings prove that something spiritually evil is taking place.

Nelson, a cult actor who found romantic leads on the soap operas "Peyton Place" and "Capital", is a bizarre presence, his easy going demeanor hiding something truly foul. The poor drunk gets a first hand view, and his terror in realizing what he's witnessed isn't a hallucination is truly frightening. This is the type of horror movie that probably sent viewers immediately to church to pray or home to shower. It's cheaply made, adequately acted, and truly disturbing

I can't watch films like this and praise them simply for that reason, even though I think that later horror films like " Rosemary's Baby" and "The Omen" are classics among the genre. This has an element of trashiness to it that puts it in the classification of exploitation rather than a piece of art.

Devil stuff

[BandSAboutMovies · 2/10 · 31 January 2020]

Directed by Charles R. Rondeau and produced by Hugh Hooker, an actor and stuntman. The two teamed up before in 1958 to make The Littlest Hobo. Hooker would do stunts for years while Rondeau would work mainly in TV after this.

Writer Stanley Clements played one of the East Side Kids, Stash, and when Leo Gorcey left the Bowery Boys in 1955, Clements took over as their leader. Starting with 1965's Fighting Trouble, he played Duke Coveleskie until the series ended its run in 1958 with In the Money.

We open with Pete the hunchback who lives in a shack in Furnace Flats. While this sounds like the start of a filthy limerick, Pete obliterates your senses by killing a goat and making a hexagon on the floor with its blood.

Pete's gone and replaced by Nick Richards. They're both played by Ed Nelson from Peyton Place, so some Satanic silliness is going on. He's fond of using animals to attack people, like having dogs maul their owner's faces and cows sacrifice themselves to cause car crashes. He wanted revenge and he's gonna get it - in a way that has nothing to do with the poster for this movie.

Look for Edgar Buchanan (Uncle Joe Carson from Petticoat Junction, Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies) and Richard Crane (Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe's sidekick Dick Preston).

This movie film gathered dust until it was acquired by Roger and Gene Corman and paired with Creature from the Haunted Sea.

She-Goat's head soup

[ulicknormanowen · 7/10 · 12 January 2021]

Unusually offbeat movie, which deals with black magic in a small ordinary town ,recalling sometimes Val Lewton's productions directed by Mark Robson such as "the seventh victim".Special effects kept to the minimum , creating a disturbing atmosphere with a limited budget,it's really an intriguing work.

Ed Nelson who arrives in town after the mysterious death of his uncle is the all-American boy ,butter would not melt in his mouth ,and he's helpful , accepting to run the gas station after the owner's accident .A series of bizarre events occurs (the death of the uncle was already suspect ,but nobody liked him in the town ) , the sheriff has a hunch that maybe...,but he's got no evidences , the doctor's daughter tries to cheer up his disfigured fiancé ,attacked by his own dog , suddenly as redoutable as the Baskervilles' legendary hound .And at night the newcomer does secret experiments which look like black magic ...and the rattlesnake signals a devilish presence .

One Weird Vintage Horror Movie

[loveablejohn-46629 · 5/10 · 27 April 2019]

This movie was not the best but it did have a script that was decently written with some good scary and humorous scenes and the actors did a good job in their roles. The special effects were good considering when this movie was made but the cinematography had some problems with jerky scenes along with imperfections in the film but theses may be due to the age of the film.

Surprisingly good...

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 29 July 2010]

"The Devil's Partner" is a low-budget 1950s film. However, despite a low budget, mostly unknown actors (aside from Edgar Buchanan of "Petticoat Junction" fame) and a simple desert town as a set, the movie manages to set a wonderfully creepy mood.

The film begins with an old man dying while doing some weird satanic ceremony--or that is at least what appears to be the case. A few days later, the guy's young nephew (Richard Crane) comes to town to claim the estate--he somehow KNOWS what's occurred even though no one knew the old guy had any relatives. This nephew seems like one of the nicest fellows you could ever meet (though oddly, he never seems to sweat--even here in the desert heat) and the townsfolk are surprised that the nasty old crank could have a nice family member! However, the audience soon sees that Crane is actually a devil worshiper and is using this power to harm people in order to get what he wants out of life! One man dies while drinking milk and another is mauled by his dog and a third is kicked to death by a horse (among other horrors)--all thanks to the 'nice' young man! Overall, I was quite impressed by the film. While mostly unknown actors, the cast did a very capable job--not what you might expect from a low-budget horror film. The writing was very good--with lots of creepy scenes and characters. Plus, with film work and music that all contribute nicely to the mood, you can't help but enjoy the film.

By the way....if I were the police, I'd deputize that Cairn Terrier!!

Devil is a Deadly Partner

[AaronCapenBanner · 4/10 · 17 January 2024]

Ed Nelson stars as Nick Richards, who arrives in the sweltering desert town of Furnace Flats inquiring about his uncle Pete, but learns that he has recently died, and was a most unpopular resident as well. Nick decides to stay, but a series of mysterious animal related attacks and deaths of other citizens raises the suspicions of the local sheriff and doctor, whose daughter (played by Jean Allison) becomes the object of a love triangle that may prove to be their undoing. As the supernatural occurrences grow out of control...

Mediocre film has a good cast and score, with adequate. Direction by Charles Rondeau but hampered by a muddled plot and no discernable point. Might have worked better as an episode of "Thriller" or even "The Twilight Zone" but falls short as a feature.

I paid $4 for the DVD

[Cador · 8/10 · 20 August 2006]

I paid $4 for a DVD in the cheap bin which contained Monstrosity, Black Dragons (w/Bela Lugosi), Night of the Blood Beast and of course, the Devil's Partner. Considering the price, I would say that it was a pretty entertaining film which sustained my interest throughout.

What I liked most about the movie was the villain, and I was cheering for him to cause even more havoc, to get the girl, and ride off across the River Styx into Hades.

I'm surprised that a sequel hasn't been planned, I hope they make one someday :)

These movie packs of old, forgotten films are great for a guy like me who works nightshift--if I have 75 minutes to kill before going to work (or even in the morning after work), I can escape into classic movieland magic.

How the hell does six and a half gallons come to $2.30? (35.38461538461538 cents a gallon?)

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 25 June 2018]

What is up with that crazy poster for The Devil's Partner? The artist sure took some creative license when designing it, depicting a naked, torch-wielding woman astride a galloping centaur, despite there being nothing like this in the film. It's a little disappointing, if truth be told (can't beat a bit of naked centaur riding), but even so, this obscure B-movie is quite an entertaining little chiller, telling an engaging Faustian tale that delivers a reasonable helping of eerie atmosphere and decent performances all round.

The film opens with town pariah Pete Jensen (Ed Nelson in old-man make-up) performing a ritual in his run-down shack, making a deal with the devil. Days later, a young man (Ed Nelson, sans crazy hair and big beard) arrives in town claiming to be Pete's nephew, Nick Richards, only to be told that his uncle has died in mysterious circumstances. However, in reality, Nick is Pete, having been transformed as part of his Satanic bargain; in his new guise, he proceeds to charm lovely doctor's daughter Nell (Jean Allison), using witchcraft to deal with those who might get in his way.

After causing a savage dog attack on Nell's boyfriend David (Richard Crane) that leaves the guy hideously scarred and acting like a petulant ass, Nick also puts paid to Papers (Byron Foulger), the town drunk, who is trampled to death by a horse, kills plastic surgeon Dr. Marx (who crashes his car into a cow), and attempts to finish off David with the old 'turn into a rattlesnake and slither through the bedroom window' trick. All of this is fairly entertaining nonsense that passes the time painlessly enough, although at a scant 73 minutes there really isn't time for boredom to set in.

Still would have liked to have seen that centaur though.

Needed a director

[xwagner-26993 · 2/10 · 25 February 2021]

Boring waste of time. The plot is not supported by the scenes. Decent 1950s performances are lost in the non-effort. You need to TELL YOUR STORY and not just sleepwalk through an hour and a half.