“She’s the one who had intercourse with the Devil on Goat’s Mountain! He took her to his den in the disguise of a little donkey and then they fornicated all night long! She’s the witch! She’s the witch!” A little donkey, eh? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they try to get their arms around another infamous film. This time it is Mark of the Devil (1970).
Decades of Horror 1970s
Episode 217 – Mark of the Devil (1970)
Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel!
Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content!
https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine
Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
In 1700s Austria, a witch-hunter’s apprentice has doubts about the righteousness of witch-hunting when he witnesses the brutality, injustice, falsehood, torture, and arbitrary killing that go with the job.
- Directed by: Michael Armstrong; Adrian Hoven (uncredited)
- Writing Credits: Michael Armstrong (as Sergio Casstner) & Adrian Hoven (as Percy Parker) (original story and screenplay)
- Producer: Adrian Hoven
- Music by: Michael Holm
- Selected Cast:
- Herbert Lom as Lord Cumberland
- Udo Kier as Count Christian von Meruh
- Olivera Katarina as Vanessa Benedikt (as Olivera Vuco)
- Reggie Nalder as Albino
- Herbert Fux as Jeff Wilkens – Executioner
- Johannes Buzalski as Advocato
- Michael Maien as Baron Daumer
- Gaby Fuchs as Deidre von Bergenstein
- Ingeborg Schöner as Nobleman’s Wife
- Adrian Hoven as Walter – the Nobleman
- Günter Clemens as Friedrich
- Doris von Danwitz as Elisabeth
- Dorothea Carrera as Young Lover
- Percy Hoven as Christopher (uncredited)
- Friedrich Schoenfelder as Narrator (uncredited)
- Emile Stemmler as Monk (uncredited)
Get your barf bags ready! The Grue-Crew is reviewing the 1970 witch-hunter gore-fest Mark of the Devil (1970). The film features Herbert Lom, Udo Kier, and Reggie Nalder. While the special effects may be tame compared to modern films, their impact on early Seventies audiences is unmistakable. They’re graphic, disturbing, and often difficult to watch. Does this film still earn the reputation of requiring a barf bag to enter the theater? Perhaps not, but the film is surprisingly well made with a strong cast and, quite honestly, shouldn’t be missed by horror fans and Seventies cinema aficionados.
At the time of this writing, Mark of the Devil (1978) is available to stream from Amazon Prime and Tubi and is available on physical media as a 4K Ultra HD 3-disc Set from Vinegar Syndrome
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Doc, will be Vengeance of the Zombies (1973), a Paul Naschy (or if you prefer, Jacinto Molina Álvarez) flick. This one is sans Waldermar Daninsky, Naschy’s frequent role, but gives you an Indian mystic and women zombies. Yay!
We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at [email protected].