The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971)

Horror thriller set in 17th century England about the children of a village slowly converting into a coven of devil worshipers.

Director:

Piers Haggard

Writers:

Robert Wynne-Simmons (original screenplay), Piers Haggard (with additional material by)

Stars:

Patrick Wymark, Linda Hayden, Barry Andrews

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Patrick Wymark	...	The Judge
Linda Hayden	...	Angel Blake
Barry Andrews	...	Ralph Gower
Michele Dotrice	...	Margaret
Wendy Padbury	...	Cathy Vespers
Anthony Ainley	...	Reverend Fallowfield
Charlotte Mitchell	...	Ellen
Tamara Ustinov	...	Rosalind Barton
Simon Williams	...	Peter Edmonton
James Hayter	...	Squire Middleton
Howard Goorney	...	The Doctor
Avice Landone	...	Isobel Banham (as Avice Landon)
Robin Davies	...	Mark Vespers

Storyline

In the XVIII Century, in the countryside of England, the landsman Ralph Gower finds a skull with one eye and fur on the field. He summons the local judge to see his finding but it has disappeared. Meanwhile the local Peter Edmonton brings his fiancée Rosalind Barton to his aunt's house to marry her on the next day. However during the night Rosalind becomes insane and in the morning she is sent to an asylum and Peter sees a claw that has replaced her hand. Then Peter wakes up with a claw attacking him and he cuts it out, but he finds that he has hacked down his own hand. The local children have a strange behavior under the command of Angel Blake and they rape and kill others. In common, they have a strange fur on their skin. The judge returns from London and concludes that evil has possessed the children. What will he and his search party do?

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Plot Keywords:

folk horror | british horror | female frontal nudity | fur | removing someone's skin | 

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Taglines:

A CHILL-FILLED Festival of HORROR!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Piers Haggard was signed to direct on the basis of his 1969 debut drama feature "Wedding Night" despite not being very familiar with horror movies. Satan's Claw was his second feature, though he had directed a few TV episodes. He worked closely on the script with the writer:

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Goofs

During a scene when a girl is swung into a river, at 1.04.14 a crew members hand is in shot to stop actor hitting the camera.

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Quotes

The Doctor: How do we know, sir, what is dead? You come from the city. You cannot know the ways of the country. See... this picture. Did Ralph not describe such a countenance?
The Judge: Perhaps some such thing.

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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema version was cut by the BBFC to edit the rape scene and shots of a naked girl dancing in front of a knife-wielding boy. The cuts were fully restored in the 2003 Anchor Bay DVD release.

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Connections

Spoofed in Good Omens: Saturday Morning Funtime (2019)

User Reviews

Better than Witchfinder General!

Quite simply, 'Blood On Satan's Claw' is the finest horror film produced in Britain in the Seventies. Haunting, horrific and hopelessly compelling it deserves far greater recognition than it currently warrants. Linda Hayden, the most talented actress working in British exploitation films at the time, delivers her finest performance in the film, and it is one light years ahead of the standard in the genre. Patrick Wymark, in his last film role, is also excellent, and music, direction and art direction are all of an exceptionally high standard. Interestingly, the film was shot as 'The Devil's Touch', and originally released late in 1970 as 'Satan's Skin'. For some reason business wasn't too good and it was rereleased the following year on a more succesful double bill with 'The Beast In The Cellar'. Don't miss it!

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Blood on Satan's Claw

Filming Locations:

St James's old church, Bix Bottom, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, UK

Box Office

Budget:

GBP82,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tigon British Film Productions, Chilton Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1