The Blood on Satan's Claw

source: The Blood on Satan's Claw

Trailer—The Blood on Satan's Claw

The Blood on Satan's Claw

When a young farmer(played by Barry Andrews) unearths the satanic-looking remains of an unknown creature, he gets the local judge(played by Patrick Wymark) to view them, but then a mysterious and deadly chain of events begins as the bones somehow regrow themselves into a furry claw that attacks a man in an attic. Meanwhile, local children led by Angel Blake(the beautiful Lynda Hayden) start practicing evil rites meant to fully resurrect the demonic being. Can the judge and townsfolk stop this threat in time? Though atmospherically directed by Piers Haggard, with a fine cast(including past and future "Doctor Who" actors Wendy Padbury, and Anthony Ainley) this is an otherwise most disjointed and unpleasant film, with gaping narrative holes, such as how this thing got started in the first place, and spread so quickly. The ending also feels truncated. Still, there are some effective sequences here and a spooky score, it's just a pity the script is so muddled.

This 1970 British horror pic is just oozing with atmosphere. It takes place in England in the 1600s where life was harsh and the appearance of weird bones in a farmer's field sets off a chain of demonic activities when a group of farm children discover them. They then begin to worship a mysterious evil entity and start sacrificing other children to it. The music score is appropriate for the movie and there were some scenes that made my skin crawl (no pun intended). I would recommend this movie for connoisseurs of classic horror pictures where the characters don't act like total fools when confronted with evil. If you're squeamish, don't watch this in the dark.

This film is just as bonkers as it sounds. Another Tigon production, it was massively influenced by Witchfinder General and is just as unflinching if not the depraved masterpiece that its predecessor is. All the ingredients of a great 'folk horror' staple are here- witch trials, a country setting, Olde English magick and buxom wenches showing off their voluptuous delights. Joe Dante says this is one of the best horror films of the 70's. I agree with him.

THE BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW is the quintessential slice of British folk horror, one of the towering masterpieces of the genre alongside 1973's THE WICKER MAN. However, this one's a film all of its own, a 17th century tale of witchcraft and spreading madness among the inhabitants of a forest village that has to be seen to be believed. It's a weird, episodic kind of film which summons up an air of disquiet and disturbance rather than full blown horror, although it does have plenty of graphic and disturbing scenes including surgery and rape. The attention to period detail is spot on, as is the social commentary of the era, while the plot itself is fragmented and hallucinatory, which works perfectly when combined with the film's subject matter. Among a cast giving interesting performances, Linda Hayden stands head and shoulders above everything else as a seductress less than angelic.