IMDb >
Tam Lin (1970)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsTam Lin (1970) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 2 | slideshow) |
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
September 1972 (USA) morePlot:
Based on an ancient Scottish folk song, an older woman uses witchcraft to keep her young jet-set friends. full summary | full synopsisPlot Keywords:
User Comments:
A macabre gem moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Ava Gardner | ... | Michaela Cazaret | |
| Ian McShane | ... | Tom Lynn | |
| Richard Wattis | ... | Elroy | |
| Cyril Cusack | ... | Vicar Julian Ainsley | |
| Stephanie Beacham | ... | Janet Ainsley | |
| David Whitman | ... | Oliver | |
| Fabia Drake | ... | Miss Gibson | |
| Sinéad Cusack | ... | Rose (as Sinead Cusack) | |
| Joanna Lumley | ... | Georgia | |
| Jenny Hanley | ... | Caroline | |
| Madeline Smith | ... | Sue | |
| Bruce Robinson | ... | Alan | |
| Pamela Fairbrother | ... | Vanna (as Pamela Farbrother) | |
| Rosemary Blake | ... | Kate | |
| Michael Bills | ... | Michael |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Games and Toys (UK) (working title)The Ballad of Tam-Lin
The Devil's Widow (USA)
The Devil's Woman
more
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
106 minCountry:
UKLanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoFun Stuff
Soundtrack:
The Best Part of You moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Tam Lin (1970)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Help with the ending...possible *SPOILERS* | andyg35 |
| On Location (Scotland) | bsfraser2003 |
Recommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| The City of the Dead | Trick or Treat | Tales from the Crypt | The Masque of the Red Death | Dr. Phibes Rises Again |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Horror section | IMDb UK section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |



Based on Robert Burns' version of the Scottish folk tale "The Ballad of Tamlin," this modest but mesmerizing 1971 thriller concerns a young man, Tom Lynn ( Ian McShane), who becomes the romantic prisoner of an evil enchantress Michaela Cazaret ( Ava Gardner ). In a particularly arrestingly eerie and phantasmagorical set piece during which Tom, stoned out of his mind, is pursued by murderous acolytes of the bewitching Miss Cazaret, McDowall effectively punctuates the story's fairy tale quality with an entirely harmonious nightmarish and hallucinogenic tone that forever reflects the psychedelic sixties. McDowall's laudably creative panache as a filmmaker was embellished by a seductive performance from his star Ava Gardner. Though past her prime, she is nonetheless sultrily convincing as the irresistible, vampiric dominatrix insatiably commanding her hapless lovers to their eagerly desired doom.
Tam Lin (aka The Devil's Widow ) was also McDowall's solo directorial effort. Based on the splendid result (especially the aforementioned set piece), it was a great pity that Roddy did not pursue a career as a film director because - as with Charles Laughton, who blessed us with his only turn as a director, the superb "The Night of the Hunter" - he possessed a definite flair as a filmmaker. Produced in 1969, his film sat on the shelf for two years. In 1971, McDowall returned to his film to do some post-production work on it but 'twas all for naught because it was poorly distributed and sank into relative obscurity. In 1998 Republic Home Video, in collaboration with Martin Scorsese and McDowall, restored "Tam Lin" and rescued it from oblivion by releasing a stunningly superb widescreen print with an introduction by McDowall.
I highly recommend this stylishly directed and unjustly neglected gem to lovers of the macabre and mysterious. To all such, I strongly encourage you to seek it out.