The Devil and Miss Sarah (1971)
A notorious outlaw being escorted to prison by a homesteader and his wife turns out to have satanic powers. He uses them on the man's wife to try to possess her and help him escape.
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Wow! Such a good movie.
hyped garbage
Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Gene Barry plays an outlaw who provokes an almost supernatural fear in the surrounding Native American population. They believe he is of the devil. Miss Sarah is a housewife who may be psychic and is clearly open to the power of suggestion. Through a complication, she and her husband, both en route to a new home, have the job of transporting the outlaw to justice. What follows is a game that might be just psychological in nature or could be something more. I was expecting a horror themed western; however, the Devil and Miss Sara is better described as a western with mild supernatural overtones. This isn't what I expected but the cast, especially Gene Barry, make it worthwhile.
This compares with Garden Of Evil (1954) as one of the great style over substance westerns of all time!The style comes from the carefully spoken words of Gene Barry ("The Devil") as he questions Miss Sarah. Gene's bitchy lines to the farmer are also a standout, the viewer really feels that there is something a bit off about Mr Barry, but no violence or bad language here, this is a class act all the way.More style comes from the atmosphere charged score than resembles music done by the late Leith Stevens. And let us not forget the location filming in the desert!The story does not amount to a hill of beans, but who cares, not since Irwin Allen can I think of a production that did such a good job of making something out of nothing.This is outstanding and Gene Barry's finest work.Please don't send me emails requesting a copy of this rare TV movie, it screened in Australia in the early 1990s and has not been seen since...maybe The Devil got it?