House of the Black Death (1965)

Simply Perfect

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Some second string actors of the 1930's and 40's get to chew the scenery in this supernatural thriller about Satanists gathering together for an annual celebration of the dark moon and the rivalry of two witch brothers (John Carradine and Lon Chaney Jr.) of who will take over the coven. Andrea King ("The Beast With Five Fingers") plays a doctor (it is never mentioned if she is Christian, but she obviously isn't a Satanist) who comes to take care of Chaney's son (Tom Drake, "Meet Me in St. Louis") who is suffering from the same disorder Chaney Jr. suffered from in "The Wolf Man". The ironically named Dolores Faith is the ingénue here who has Satanic leanings but is fighting with herself to escape the dark side of her existence. A spooky set with practically everybody wearing monk robes and some scary moments make for an interesting, if often disturbing supernatural drama. Of course, every time the horrible Chaney speaks, it just becomes laughable. Everybody else seems to be speaking with some sincerity or wisdom, but Chaney is totally one-note. Nobody delivered bad dialog more badly than Chaney. Carradine at least gets to show some vulnerability in his performance, and even if he is on the side of the prince of darkness, you do find yourself rooting for him in his quest to squelch Chaney. But one thing is for sure. This film will never be a threat to the memory of the big budgeted witches coven picture, "Rosemary's Baby".

If the goal here was to make a good movie, they failed miserably.If the goal was to confuse, disturb and disorient the viewer, then JACKPOT, baby! This movie is not scary because it evokes a disturbing real atmosphere of fear the way something like Night of The Living Dead does. The effect here in HOTBD is much more surreal.No, the world of House of The Black Death, aka Blood of the Man Devil is not a world that you or I might recognize. But it is a world that sucks you in. A world of grainy, back-and-white horror; a world of creeping, Gothic torment, a world of a furtively glimpsed fever dream while under the influence of absinthe or laudanum, as you are restrained with rubber hoses in a rusty dentist's chair from the 19th century and assaulted with various antique dental implements.The stark textures of the muddy, washed out print I viewed only added to the sense of ennui and nausea endured while watching this exercise in creepiness, a tableau which added death-desiring boredom to the mix during the endless talky scenes of people discussing the battle for the soul of the Dessard family between Carradine and Chaney. The extra added frisson provided by the poor condition of the print I viewed was clearly not intended by the filmmakers, but you know what they say, when life hands you lemons...or, more concisely, whatever works.Now that I have accidentally referred to Woody Allen and Larry David in this review, a highly inappropriate turn of events, I will end with just one command: I importune you to watch this film only late at night, with the lights off, preferably when you are so tired that you will not be able to stop dozing off (if you weren't already there, the dialog will see to that). The wretched visuals of this nightmare of a psychotic will mix with your own dreams as you drift off into an impenetrable trap amongst the ether, of both your own making and that of the (many) directors of this "film." Pleasant screams.UPDATE: As of 1/2014, now available on DVD from VCI Entertainment, who have released 2 volumes each of three Jerry Warren "classics." For those with strong constitutions only...

This film starts off wonderfully--with Satan himself introducing the characters. While this was inspired and clever, nothing else in the film was. In fact, it's pretty much a stupid mess about two warlocks who fight over the family fortune in some godforsaken (literally) town. While John Carradine and Lon Chaney Jr. star in the film, both were at the points in their careers where they would have appeared in ANYTHING--even ads for Playtex girdles if they'd asked! In addition to being an extremely dull and talky film, 'sexy' dancing girls are rather randomly inserted throughout the film to try to keep you awake. However, their alluring antics are about as alluring as a bowel obstruction."House of Black Death" (also known as "Blood of the Man Devil") is an absolutely horrible film that has not surprisingly slipped into the public domain. While IMDb often links such films to archive.org, this time they didn't--though if you go to this site you can download it for free. But, in many cases, why should you?! My advice is to only watch it if you love schlocky films--such as those of Larry Buchanan, Ed Wood or William Grefe. In this sense, it is watchable because it's THAT bad! Don't say I didn't warn you.

Sue me I liked this. perhaps seeing it late at night with the lights out and being half a sleep the film came across as a twisted dream. Perhaps I had to eventually like a film that Jerry Warren was involved in. What ever the reason I liked the film. (Actually I think its the fact that Sinister Cinema's print is dark and shadowy and very moody) The plot has a white magician getting involved with two warring brothers who are black magicians. Lon Chaney is one John Carradine is the the other.Its a strange film that has a rhyming opening intoned by Satan, a plot that wanders all over the place and plot holes that you could drive a rampaging demon through. Its not by any real normal sense a good film, but it has mood and a sense of place and a reality that is sort of bent, I liked it.I have no idea if anyone else will but its a dark tale that clicked with me.