The vampire Count Sinistre (Hubert Noel) kills the gypsy girl, Tania (Carole Gray), on what was to be her wedding day. After she is buried, he resurrects her. Eventually the Count and Tania are caught. Suspected of being vampires, the Count and Tania are buried alive.
In modern day Brittany, Paul Baxter is on holiday at a lovely inn in the countryside. At the same inn are Anne Forest (Rona Anderson) and her brother, Keith (Geoffrey Kenion). Keith is killed while exploring some local caves. Not long after that Anne is found dead having drowned in a nearby river. The local inspector (Peter Illing) tells Paul that it was suicide induced by being distraught over the death of her brother. Paul is not so sure about that.
Anne had been attacked by Count Sinistre, who has been using the name Armond du Molier. Sinistre and Tania were accidentally resurrected and are terrorizing and indoctrinating the local townspeople. After kidnapping her, Anne was used as a sacrifice for one of the Count’s satanic masses. During the kidnapping struggle the Count dropped a talisman in the shape of a bat with a serpent wrapped around it. Paul finds the talisman. One of the Count’s followers sees that Paul has it and tells Sinistre.
Paul returns to England with the talisman and the bodies of Anne and Keith. He has plans on having autopsies done on them, but the coffins are stolen during transport. Wanting to get the talisman back, Count Sinistre and Tania follow Paul back to England and will stop at nothing to get it.
“Devils of Darkness” was released in 1965 and was directed by Lance Comfort. It is a British horror film. Director Comfort, who was known mostly for directing British quota quickies and various television episodes, died the year after the film’s release.
I had high hopes for this movie and although it wasn’t as good as I was hoping for, it wasn’t all that bad. It had a Hammer-esque style but with lower production values. The movie is decent enough for a “B” budget film.
Hubert Noel as the vampire is slimy but not exactly frightening. He does sport fangs on occasion, but he doesn’t have the finesse or haunting looks that most modern date vampires have. As the main attraction of the film, Noel brings the film down a little. The beginning is interesting, and the satanic masses are colorful and also pretty good. In between things get a little slow.
The talisman is your basic MacGuffin. It is the reason the Count goes to England, but other than that, it plays no part.