Eye of the Devil (1966)

Director: J Lee Thompson

Starring: Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Donald Pleasence, Sharon Tate, David Hemmings

More Info: IMDB

Tagline: we've got your number!

Plot: Vineyard owner marquis Philippe de Montfaucon is called back to his castle Bellenac because of another dry season. He asks his wife and children to remain in London, but they still come after him. His wife Catherine de Montfaucon soon discovers that her husband is acting mysteriously and that his employees are following old pagan rituals that call for the life of the marquis himself to save the crops.

My Rating: 7.5/10

Would I watch it again? Yup!

Alternately titled, "13" (which explains the lame tagline), EYE OF THE DEVIL features a fantastic cast in an atmospheric and creepy tale of pagans, rituals, the black arts and human sacrifice. It sounds not unlike THE WICKER MAN (1973) (one of my top 10 favorite horror films).

Great opening title sequence! We see the names of the cast over the different sections of railroad tracks, moving quickly from the train's POV. Then BAM! The film's title appears over a speeding and blurry train filmed by a now-stationary camera. It's very unsettling and does a fine job of setting the mood for the film to come (as all main title sequences should).


I've always dug Niven in everything he's done. He always seemed to be a class act. In EotD he's pulled out a very subdued performance, almost trance-like; something I hadn't seen from him before. I quite liked seeing this side of his range. Contrast that with Kerr's worried, paranoid wife and you've got an edgy, unsettling balance.


The rest of the cast does a fine job as well. I think this is the first time I've seen a Sharon Tate film. WOW! What a hottie! One thing is certain. Sharon Tate needs to have my babies. Yeah, I know she was murdered by the Manson kids just months after my birth but still...



Euro-fave David Hemmings plays Tate's creepy brother and it's always great seeing Donald Pleasence do his own patented creepy thing.



There are a few tense moments throughout this film. One of my favorites was when Odile (Tate) is playing with Kerr & Niven's children on the roof of the mansion while Kerr is away. The children are enjoying balancing on the edge of danger. Naturally, when mom shows up she freaks the fuck out.




There's lots of this type of thing going on. The premise of having a mother on the brink of sanity trying to protect her family from these pagan/supernatural/satanic elements might not seem so strange now (think THE OMEN (1976) and ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968)), as we've seen this type of thing many times before, but in the mid-60s I'm sure it was quite effective. For me, it still is.




The B&W photography is well handled with some truly great shots. Gary McFarland's score works well to contribute to the atmosphere. I'm a HUGE soundtrack collector and I've never heard of this guy. While watching the film I kind of felt like I had been missing something all these years by not knowing who he was and what he did. Now that I see his credits I don't feel so bad. This is just one of two films he scored so there's a reason why I wouldn't have known of him. I can move on with my life now.


As I mentioned, this film reminded me a great deal of THE WICKER MAN in more ways than one. In fact it's almost a marriage of THE WICKER MAN, ROSEMARY'S BABY and THE OMEN in the way it plays out. The ending is out-fucking-standing! If you think this has the same climax as TWM's, you're only partly right. Having said that, I haven't spoiled a thing.


EotD isn't the home run I would have liked. The pacing is at times slow. I partially like it that way but it did need a little something to punch it up just a tad more. Regardless, it's still a very good film, one that I had never heard but I'm now glad I came across this atmospheric horror gem.