Surprisingly original Hammer Horror that can be seen as a precursor to later, more famous films.
Although it may look hammy by some standards the structure and content of this film were clearly very influential on later films. From the Hammer stable it has an influence on "The Devil Rides Out" and, as another reviewer has stated it has much in common with Robin Hardy's "Wicker Man" but coming seven years earlier. It is also striking how the grotesque village characters and the rituals they follow seem to be prototypes for the Satanists in "Rosemary's Baby." On the face of it an entertaining Hammer film which can be seen as rather ordinary on one level but a closer viewing suggests to me that this film is far more influential than it has previously been given credit for.
Although it may look hammy by some standards the structure and content of this film were clearly very influential on later films. From the Hammer stable it has an influence on "The Devil Rides Out" and, as another reviewer has stated it has much in common with Robin Hardy's "Wicker Man" but coming seven years earlier. It is also striking how the grotesque village characters and the rituals they follow seem to be prototypes for the Satanists in "Rosemary's Baby." On the face of it an entertaining Hammer film which can be seen as rather ordinary on one level but a closer viewing suggests to me that this film is far more influential than it has previously been given credit for.