Cross of the Devil
Cinema De Bizarre
Web: http://www.cinema-de-bizarre.com
I
have always loved Hammer films and found they were a perfect mixture of horror,
high camp and cult. Cross of the Devil
(1975) aka La Cruz De Diablo is not
really a Hammer film but it comes pretty damn close. John Gilling was the
director of two of Hammer’s more creative offerings The Reptile and Plague of the
Zombies and after he relocated to Spain he made Cross of the Devil in 1975.
It
is a rare film and sadly while Gilling’s 60’s Hammer films are well known, it
is not. We were lucky enough to get a good quality edition from Cinema De
Bizarre which has a Spanish language track and very clear English subtitles. It
is actually a rather classic story based on a tale by 19th century
macabre writer Gustavo Adolfo Becquer and adapted by the Spanish “Vincent Price”
Paul Naschy. It seems Naschy was actually going to appear as the lead but after
a nasty clash with Gilling was sacked. The story was rewritten to Gilling’s
liking and Ramiro Oliveros stepped into the role.
The
Templars have always been a mainstay of Spanish horror films with Amando de
Ossorio’s classic Blind Dead Series Tombs
of the Blind Dead (1971), Return of
the Blind Dead (1973), The Ghost
Galleon (1974) and Night of the Seagulls (1975) being
celebrated tales of Dead Templars taking their revenge on the living.
The
story opens with the hashish induced dreams of author Alfred Dawson. He has a
recurring vivid nightmare of a distressed young woman being pursued by what
looks like Templars through a forest. He receives a message from his sister advising
she is fearful of those around her after having a miscarriage. He travels to
Spain to see his sister and discovers she has just been murdered. Soon he is
caught in a web of intrigue involving her husband, his questionable assistant
and Satan worshipping Templars and a Cross Made out of the iron armour of a
once dead Templar. As he comes closer to the truth he finds witnesses to his
sister’s murder and then friends and acquaintances killed by a dark figure,
whose identity will shake him to the core.
Cross
of the Devil is a fascinating film, filled with luscious dream sequences and
superb cinematography. It has an exotic mood accentuated by the landscape, castles
and buildings. While it has a Hammer like feel, the budget certainly must have
been better than a traditional Hammer release! The way in which the current tale is
intertwined with a Templar legend from the past and other tales is intriguing
and keeps your interest.
I
highly recommend it, it deserved a lot more recognition that it gets and I am
surprised it has not had a more general DVD release.
Reviews appear on the Synergy website with
a single cover image. In the digital and print edition, reviews appear with
multiple images and with expanded content. We recommend you download the free digital edition (or buy the print edition) to get the most from Synergy Magazine.
This review will appear in Volume 2 No.6 (2009) of the digital and
print edition of Synergy Magazine.
If you came to this page directly (and
missed our menu), click here to go to the
front page of Synergy Magazine Website or click the following link: http://www.synergy-magazine.com