Charles Gray (as leader of a demonic cult) and Christopher Lee (the knowledgeable hero) are the two great leads which make this film the exciting satanic thriller that it is, Lee especially giving a commanding performance in every scene he's in. The effects may not stand up nowadays but the sense of menace, well paced storyline and great acting performances certainly do... and it's nice to see education being more useful than brawn for once too!

Even among horror flicks, this reaches into some of the most ridiculous bag of tricks imaginable.

"Lee seems to be sniffing out the evil." - Eric Henderson

Le flm commence gentiment en jouant le jeu du surnaturel. Mais rapidement le gouffre entre les horreurs suggérées de messes noirs & de terrifiants démons, face à ce qui montré est trop forte pour ne pas inspirée le ridicule.

i haven't read any of his books, but based on the movies i've seen, dennis wheatley seemed pretty xenophobic. still, this movie's nicely creepy, with some nifty special effects and a solid chris lee performance.

Much better than the usual Hammer studio fare. Sure, the special effects look silly today, but the Matheson screenplay is taut and intelligent, Gray (better known as Blofeld) is an excellent villain, and Lee is suavely heroic as the Duke de Richleau. (IHow nice to see him as a hero for a change!) All in all, a successful film version of an occult adventure classic of the '30's.

Probably my favourite Hammer film. Christopher Lee is hugely watchable as the impeccably tailored Duc de Richleau, likewise Charles Gray as the equally dapper Mocata. The effects are understandably limited, but the performances and story drive this forward. Entertaining hokum.

An unexpected pleasure; an action packed ride through satanic mind games.

Quite good.

Magnificent. Christopher Lee plays a hero, for once in his life, and he does a great job. Scary and exciting from start to finish. Hammer's best film except for _Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter_

Very intense thriller here with great performances all around. The effects can be laughable, sure, but it all adds to that certain charm Hammer pictures always have.

Rather stodgy adaptation of a frightening novel; moments of suspense.

Easily the best Hammer film I've ever seen. I enjoyed Lee and Gray immensely. The subject matter is fun and the film makes it all feel very weighty even when the effects are laughable.