Philippe de Montfaucon (David Niven) is the Marquis de Bellenac and the owner of an old estate and vineyard in Bordeaux, France called Bellenac. Philippe is married to Catherine (Deborah Kerr) and has two children, Jacques (Robert Duncan) and Antoinette (Suky Appleby). Philippe and his family are living in Paris when he receives a visitor, Grandec (Michael Miller), who tells him that the vineyards have been failing for the last three years and that he needs to return to Bellenac.
Philippe tells his family to stay in Paris, but Catherine and the children follow him to vineyard. At the estate is Philippe’s aunt, the Countess Estelle (Flora Robson). Also living near the estate are Odile de Caray (Sharon Tate) and her brother Christian (David Hemmings). The de Caray family has been associated with Bellenac for centuries and the family has been given permission to hunt on the grounds of the estate. Christian is an expert with a bow. When Catherine and the children arrive at the estate, they are witness to Christian shooting a dove and killing it. Catherine is upset by the sight and doesn’t want the de Carays to be near her children.
Later Catherine witnesses a secret ceremony where Odile carries the dead dove into a room where hooded figures stand around in a circle performing a pagan ritual. Philippe dismisses Catherine’s concerns telling her that the people in the area have unusual religious rituals that date back centuries but are meaningless. Catherine is still uneasy about what is going on and notices the Philippe seems to be drawing away from her. When family friend Jean-Claude Ibert (Edward Mulhare) visits he helps Catherine investigate the history of the estate. Their investigation reveals that for centuries, the male heads of the estate have died in some strange and tragic ways.
A village celebration called “Les Trent Jours” or “The Thirteen Days” begins. Philippe is part of a sacred mass performed by the local pagan priest, Pere Dominic (Donald Pleasence) and the hooded figures sway back and forth as if in a trance. Catherine finds out that the festival marks the beginning of a series of rituals that culminate in a sacrifice to ensure that the vineyard would once again become fruitful, a human sacrifice.
“Eye of the Devil” was released in 1966 and was directed by J. Lee Thompson. It is a British supernatural folk horror film. The movie was based on the 1964 novel “Day of the Arrow” by Philip Loraine.
The movie was filmed at Chateau de Hautefort in Dordogne, France. Occultist and Wiccan expert Alex Sanders was hired as a consultant on the film. Kim Novak had been originally hired to play Catherine, but an injury forced her to leave production. Kerr was then hired. Scenes had to be reshot with Kerr, although some of the long shots previously taken of Novak were used in the film.
The movie has the same kind of vibe as “The Haunting” 1963 as well as plot elements of “The Wicker Man” 1973. There’s lots of gothic atmosphere and eerie foreboding images that managed to elevate it to semi-cult status.