The Devil's Rain (1975) #455

"The Devil's Rain" trailer

It sometimes feels like that horror movies in the 1970's were either extremely campy or scary as hell, usually depending on the age appropriate rating it received. This seems to indicate that the PG rated ones were overly campy while the R rated stood a chance at having some real scares and treated as a seriously treated film. "The Devil's Rain" can be considered campy by today's standards but I think it did a great in trying to be a real horror film despite being rated PG when compared to other movies from that time.

"The Devil's Rain" boasts a stellar cast of big name stars from the mid-seventies. Ernest Borgnine stars as Jonathan Corbis, the Satanic Priest of a ancient cult of devil worshipers. William Shatner plays Mark Preston, a young man who is attempting to keep a dangerous book that his family has hidden away from Corbis who needs it to complete his rituals. Tom Skerritt ("Alien" and "The Dead Zone") plays Tom Preston, Mark's older brother who comes back home after hearing that his brother was in trouble. John Travolta, in one of his first feature films, makes a brief appearance as a faceless cult member. 

While the the main cast members were established actors at this time, this film isn't the best performance for any of them. Some may look back at this film as a slight embarrassment on their resume, but I hope they had a fun time making this film. Not everyone movie is a blockbuster or a career defining moment; sometimes they need to be made for the audience that they hope to find.

Although "The Devil's Rain" had a great cast, it doesn't have much of a story line. The plot is basic and could have been expanded upon in several areas. With a running time of 85 minutes, it feels what story it has feels stretched thin. Had it been a part of an anthology, perhaps as the main segment with a runtime of 50 or 60 minutes, the overall effort may have been more effective. 

The make up effects in "The Devil's Rain" is another point where the film may feel campy. Compared to today's standards, the effects are outdated and sloppy. But back then, on a PG rated film, I feel that it works. The Goat-like appearance that Corbis has is practical and effective. The cheap looking expressionless masks that the cultists wear become makes sense when their faces begin to melt in the film's climax. The cultists appearance also adds to the dread that they've lost their souls and that they are nothing but pawns for the Satanic Priest.

The bottle known as The Devil's Rain!

Trilogy of Terror (1975)

The “Trilogy of Terror” is the only anthology that doesn’t have a connecting story and it’s the first Made-for-TV movie that I’ve reviewed so far. This movie was developed as a TV series pilot that was later passed over. It stars Karen Black in four different roles and was written by Richard Matheson. The first two stories were mediocre at best with disappointing endings that failed to shock. The third story, on the other hand, is highly regarded as one of the scariest moments ever seen in a Made-for-TV movie and it’s the only reason why I’m reviewing this film instead of John Carpenter’s “Body Bag”….(yawn).

The first story is about a college student that asks his teacher out on a date, drugs her and takes pictures of her, and then blackmails her into doing whatever he wants. But after a few weeks, the teacher tells the student that she has become tired of him and the entire experience was of her design. He’s shocked and dies after drinking a poisoned beverage. She burns down his apartment and makes it all look like an accident.

The second story is about two sisters who are the polar opposite of each other. One day the prudish one decides to kill the sexy one, but the only problem is that they happen to be the same person who is suffering from a split personality syndrome.

The third and by far greatest story of the trilogy is about a young woman who buys her boyfriend a Zuni fetish doll that has a warning to never remove the golden chain that it wears because it keeps the killer spirit that’s trapped within under control. Of course the chain falls off and the Zuni doll comes to life, attacking the woman over and over again. She tries to kill it in various ways but nothing works. Finally, she manages to trap it inside her oven where it burns to death…only to become a cloud of black smoke that she inhales when she opens the oven. The woman becomes possessed with the killer spirit and waits for the next victim to come along.