The Day of the Devil (13 Jan. 1993)

A sociopathic but clever murderer who believes in the occult escapes from prison and returns to Oxford, and it is up to Morse to stop him.

Director:

Stephen Whittaker

Writers:

Colin Dexter (characters), Daniel Boyle

Stars:

John Thaw, Kevin Whately, Keith Allen

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
John Thaw	...	Chief Inspector Morse
Kevin Whately	...	Detective Sergeant Lewis
Keith Allen	...	John Peter Barrie
Harriet Walter	...	Dr. Esther Martin
Patrick O'Connell	...	Jack Vaizey
Anthony Hunt	...	Young Porter
Lloyd McGuire	...	Clough
John Bleasdale	...	Desk Sergeant
Aran Bell	...	PC Pringle
Richard Graham	...	PC Cobbs
James Grout	...	Chief Superintendent Strange
Susan Ellen Flynn	...	Waitress
Patrick Drury	...	Frank McTeer
Peter Atard	...	Mack Shaw (as Peter Attard)
Wayne Norman	...	Larry Broomfield

Storyline

When John Peter Barrie escapes from a maximum security mental institution, the police assign all available resources to finding him. Barrie is a dangerous sex offender known as the Devil's Disciple. Morse is assisted by Barrie's psychiatrist, Dr. Esther Martin. Barrie contacts Morse and they begin a deadly game of cat and mouse. When Morse refuses to play the game Barrie's way, the madman kidnaps a woman and demands that Dr. Martin be held for a future exchange. As the investigation proceeds, Morse believes Barrie has accomplices in the area but after a local cultist is killed, he realizes he has been looking in wrong direction all along.

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Plot Keywords:

occult | oxford | solicitor | lammas day | murder investigation | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 January 1993 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Balliol College, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zenith Entertainment, Central Independent Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Detective Sergeant Lewis: [Speaking of Barrie] How can someone so bright believe in all that stuff?
Canon Humphrey Appleton: I believe in an historical figure who made the lame walk and the blind see. and who raised himself up from the dead, or don't you believe that, Sergeant?

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Soundtracks

"Toccata and Fugue in D Minor for organ, BWV 565"
by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

Quite terrifying, and a masterful episode to a brilliant detective series!

My all-time favourite episode has always been Masonic Mysteries, but Day of the Devil is so brilliant, it almost surpasses it in terms of tension, suspense and terror. This time, Morse and Lewis hunt for a psychotic escapist, who challenges them to a cat-and-mouse game that could end in deadly consequences. John Thaw and Kevin Whately are both excellent, but they are out shadowed by an outstanding performance from Keith Allen as John Peter Barrie, a performance that riddles with terror and tension. The scene when he dressed up as the devil was so terrifying, I was beginning to wonder, whether the fright on the supporting characters' faces was actually genuine. The music, script and camera-work are all brilliant. The performances from Harriet Walter, Richard Griffiths, Gilly Coman and James Grout are all impressive, but at the end of the day, it is Allen that walks away with the acting honours. Outstanding! 10/10 Bethany Cox.