Satan's Slave [DVD] [1976] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

For a movie that didn't make more than a minor blip at the drive-in box office - SATAN'S SLAVE sure has received a lot of DVD releases. And I believe a lot of it's fan base comes from a surprise inclusion on one of those cheapie horror box sets a few years ago ("Gorehouse Greats"). Well, this new DVD is the one you want to get your hands on! For the first time anywhere in the world, Norman J Warren's Satanic Sleeze epic has been released in its hardest core version and in anamorphic wide-screen cinemascope! The reason I didn't use the word uncut, is because technically it is not uncut, but an alternate cut of the film. There were 2 completely different versions of one of the opening scenes filmed and this version contains the rarer, rougher version but the other version was quite rough itself and was the one preferred by the director. Coincidentally, if you are interested in seeing the original cut of the film, you may obtain it very cheaply on the aforementioned box set - which also includes another film by this director.

Presented as part of "Katarina's Nightmare Theater", you have the option of watching "Satan's Slave" with an opening and closing bit by horror hostess Katarina Waters. Normally I don't go for these kinds of things, but Katarina is quite enjoyable, and shares lots of little snippets of information about the movie - she doesn't make fun of the film like many of these kinds of "hosts" do. However, I must stress that if you have not seen this movie before - DO NOT watch the Katarina opening first, as she gives away a major spoiler to one of the more shocking moments of this movie.

What's it about? Picture a typical Gothic horror story set in a modern-day (for the time) country cottage, where a sinister man and his evil son have invited his niece to visit - seems nice enough - but apparently these two have something else up their sleeves. Michael Gough, an icon of classic horror schlock films known for his over-the-top, twisted maniacal facial expressions run rampant performances, actually gives a more subdued turn here as the uncle. Michael Potter (star of Craze and Goodbye Gemini) is his weird and restrained, yet sadistic son. And Candace Glendenning, is the ethereally beautiful niece, who's hazy performance adds much weirdness to this already strange tale. There is enough nudity, gore and nasty goings-on in this flick to appease any of its intended audience.

Packed onto this disc are plenty of extras, including 3 documentaries, deleted scenes, and trailers - many carried over from its box-set-only Anchor Bay UK release a few years back. Another nice feature of these DVD's is the reversible covers that contain the original artwork without any mention of "Katarina's Nightmare Theater". If you like Hammer Horror, 70's Satanism, or Michael Gough - this is one you want, no NEED, in your collection.

[SATAN'S SLAVE -AKA- EVIL HERITAGE - (1976) - Directed by Norman J. Warren] "It's Catherine's birthday... you're invited to her torture party". That's how the promo ads for this late-entry British horror flick read upon release. While hardly a party (or really a good film for that matter), it manages to serve up hor dourve's of horrific, misogynistic violence and gratuitous nudity, thereby managing to satisfy most of the Eurocult and satanistic sleaze hounds out there for ninety minutes. Having the naughty bits once-censored by the British Board restored is cause célèbre enough.

Directed by cult fave Norman J. Warren ('Inseminoid', 'Terror') and scripted by David McGillivray (a critic turned screenwriter who collaborated with Pete Walker in some memorable exploitation including 'House of Whipcord' and 'Frightmare') would lead you believe that this one's a gem, but it wasn't mined in that quarry. In fact, much of this film's problems can be traced to McGillivray's screenplay, a skeletal mixture of witchcraft, sadism and paranoia, driven by dialogue rather than action, which chugs along on auto-pilot most of the time. The storyline is predictably short and sweet (to those of us who appreciate such rubbish) - while visiting her uncle's country estate, a young girl (Candace Glendenning) becomes involved with Satanists who believe she's the reincarnation of an ancient witch, a plot I'm certain you've never heard of before...

Cast for her fragile beauty and startling blue eyes, Glendenning fits the bill as a stereotypical heroine, but she evinces little more than a colorless waif, and her one-note performance is a liability. Second-billed Martin Potter (usually excellent in these roles) gives a fairly lackluster performance as Glendenning's cousin, a charmingly malevolent psychopath who subjects a comely young girl (Gloria Walker) to a terrifying ordeal in the opening sequence before turning up as resident in the home of Glendenning's enigmatic uncle, played by Michael Gough. Not his finest acting hour (along with 'Konga' and 'Trog', and yes, there were others), but he rises to the occasion with predictable pretentious flair, delivering fruity dialogue with Shakespearean relish.

The gore, including a nude woman tied to a bed and threatened with scissors, a woman's head crushed, a gory fall off a steep ledge, a blonde stripped naked before being branded and whipped by a priest, a woman slashed with a jagged piece of glass, another nude assaulted by a crucifix, and a nail driven into an eye, is lively enough for the twisted among us but the central story about the traumatized heroine being cared for by her malevolent uncle and murderous son isn't strong enough to withstand the tedious dialogue on its own. There are also the mandatory scenes of black masses rife with stark naked female worshipers, so a hammy harmonic balance between sleaze and sensibility is sought but never quite achieved. For those in this choir, however, the tedium of the indulgent dialogue and monotony of the "Haven't I seen this flick a dozen times before?" is frequently tempered by scenes of brutality visited mostly on female characters who are often stripped before suffering the kind of cruel indignities which characterized exploitation cinema of the 70's. The downbeat ending is also typical of the era, though die-hard horror fans will surmize the outcome long before the on-screen characters.

Having a genetic weakness for horror, Eurosleaze, Satanic goings-on (was it the ferociously uptight religious schooling?) and abundant helpings of nudity, I'll give this one 3 ½ stars - you'll agree with me only if a slave to the same satanic weaknesses, otherwise you'll think I'm being incredibly kind to this flick. Keep that in mind...

Junk. Utter junk. This movie was obviously designed to cash in on the cinematic-Satan craze going on at that time, a craze that was buoyed by such films as Devil's Rain, and a few years earlier, Rosemary's baby. Not to give away too much, but if you are looking for strong female leads, look much farther for all you will get in this film are weak-minded dupes. Even when the proverbial writing is spelled out on the wall, main characters make choices that boggle the brain at their implausibility. It's really expecting a lot of the view to believe that a car, which practically has to come to a dead stop to get through an entrance gate then crashes 5 feet away into a tree and burst into flames! Precognition is an element, but to a complete dead end, as our heroine neither acts on any of the warnings and barely pays attention to them, despite supposedly taking her "ability" very seriously. The movie does have some plusses: for the voyeur, there are at least four nude scenes; for the gore-monger, though few, there are a couple of nice splattery scenes. Neither of these small boons, however, are enough to lift this film up above anything other than dead on arrival.