Good concept, poorly executed.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Filled with cheesy acting and obligatorily campy dialog, this British horror staple is a winner.A tale of wicked children from a rural village transforming into beastly devil worshipers in 17th century England, and the religious fervor it spawns, it almost sounds like it could have been a true story. Authentic landscapes, excellent costuming and the generally gloomy atmosphere further adds to the sense of realism. filled with ignorant peasants, bewigged judges, spooky children and icy, hatched-faced vicars, this classic is definitely worth viewing, whether you are a fan of cult films, camp, or horror in general.

In 17th Century England a man ploughs a field and comes across the skeletal remains of something . Summoning a judge he tells him that the remains belonged to a fiend and takes the judge to the field only to find the remains have disappeared This acquired a cult following in DOCTOR WHO fandom circa 1990 when the fan press revealed it contained a scene where Wendy Padbury ( 60s companion Zoe ) appeared topless in a scene . Knowing this no one bothered to ask about the rest of the film but the major problem was trying to track it down . It was a time before the internet and Britain was confined to four TV channels and despite Hammer horror movies being broadcast on a fairly regular basis BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW was made by an entirely different film company and no one could recall it being broadcast or released on video . In other words it became something of a cult film and a cult film no one had seen but it eventually turned up on Channel 4 a couple of times along with the occasional screening on satellite channels It'd be all too easy to dismiss this a Hammer clone full of lowbrow thrills and historical hokum featuring witchcraft but this would be slightly unfair to the film whose central idea revolves around Satan trying to reassert himself on Earth by using a 17th Century English village as his bridgehead . Realistic ? Of course not but my disbelief was totally suspended for the entire running time . There's quite a few themes going on at the same time such as the abuse of authority , of scapegoating , sexual repression and sexual awakening and the hypnotic power of sexuality Piers Haggard doesn't have a massive budget to work with but he does the absolute best with what he's got . Where he succeeds best is in the production design . This isn't the expensive looking interiors you'd find in a big budget historical movie but far more cramped and drab interiors befitting of the times which comes over as being totally realistic . The cast too are very good especially when you compare to these all too good looking and sassy teens we've seen over the decades in American horror movies . Their accents might be a bit too cod regional but this is a minor flaw . The ending itself might be a too silly for its own good where the supernatural comes to the fore but this is always the problem featuring the supernatural . Up until then the human aspects is enough to keep the story going in a horror film that remains something of a cult but perhaps deserves to be better regarded in horror circles

I'm always saying that I'm not a true fan of horror movies but do appreciate a good shocker and that might let me off writing a decent review. But it doesn't, of course.I saw this on The Horror Channel and I'm afraid, people, that it's not up there with 'The Wicker Man', which is a true classic, nor quite 'The Witchfinder General'. Both these others are often used as comparatives with 'Blood On...' and certainly they do have similarities; namely the folky witchcraft and devil worship deep in the quaint English (& Scottish) countryside.Whilst The 'Wicker Man' is superbly paced and there is a real sense of menace throughout and features one of the greatest endings of all time and 'The Witchfinder...' has Vincent Price swooping around on horseback and quite a lot of juicy violence, these aspects aren't as prevalent in this film.It's still good, of course, though the lack of star names require the actors to work a bit harder for our approval and enjoyment. Patrick Wymark and Linda Hayden are fine and play their roles with gusto and I noticed Mrs Frank Spencer (Michelle Dotrice) had a good and meaty role.When the sinister acts do occur, they are definitely worth waiting for, with just the right amount of nudity and carnal lust, mixed in with violence and chilling ritual. If I have a gripe, it's as I said, that the pretty landscapes dominate the picture too much and the nitty-gritty take too long to come. The ending and a scene of ritualised rape in the middle were very well done and the final scene unfolded most dramatically.All in all, a good, but not outstanding chiller, even though horror aficionados may say otherwise. I don't doubt their choice, in their eyes and it does remain one of British cinema's better horror flicks, from an admittedly chequered catalogue.

Tigon British Film Productions was a small company based out of London that was created in the middle of the 1960's, finding itself thrown into the mix of other established low-budget horror contributors like Hammer, Amicus, and American International Pictures. The collection of films produced by Tigon is not an extensive one - the most well-known film that exists in their filmography is 1968's Witchfinder General starring Vincent Price in a role many consider to be his best. This was made possible by a temporary collaboration between Tigon and AIP. Aside from this, Tigon's contribution to the genre only lasted a short time and eventually came to a halt in the early 1970's. Their efforts in the industry did not cease, however, continuing to act as a distribution company until 1983.The story takes place in 17th Century England where a farmhand uncovers a few skeletal fragments. He reports his findings to the local Judge who ignores the disturbing discovery, chalking it up to foolish superstition. Meanwhile the Judge's son, Ralph, introduces his potential wife Angel Blake (played by Linda Hayden who was featured in 1974's Madhouse alongside Vincent Price), who later becomes possessed during her overnight stay in the attic. As a result, the village's youth are slowly corrupted by the influence of the devil with Angel leading the coven.You really have to love a film like this. Even if the formula may be too predictable and the effects kept simple, the atmosphere usually brings everything together nicely; that's why I love Amicus and AIP so much...they all have a familiar air about them and Tigon is no stranger to recreating this effect. There are contrived moments of female topelessness but I mostly blame the era in which the film was created in - after all, the '70's were a time of ex/sexploitation in the genre and lower budget films fell victim to certain pressures enacted by corporate figure-heads. Featuring senseless nudity became part of a marketing strategy that would later develop into a full-fledged stereotype within the genre that still has a firm grip in modern times. Thankfully Blood on Satan's Claw contains rare glimpses of this and the moments are kept brief; not that I don't appreciate the female form, but if it's primary inclusion is to goad small-brained Neanderthals into watching a film they normally wouldn't't...then that is where I draw the line.Viewers should expect period costumes, the occult, and interesting set design. The majority of the film seems to have been shot outside while the sets used to portray the innards of each building the characters wind up in are constructed fabulously. Fans of the genre liken the plot to Witchfinder General but there are several differences; don't be easily mislead by their false rhetoric. This is yet another wonderful addition to any fan's collection - if you enjoy the material that was coming from the UK during the 60's and 70's, you'll love this one.