Blu-Ray Review: Mark Of The Devil

By Less Lee Moore

The original German title of Michael Armstrong’s infamous Mark Of The Devil was Hexen bis aufs Blut gequält, literally translated into Witches Tortured Till They Bleed. It’s a horrifying, yet accurate title for a movie that contrasts lush scenery and exquisite period costumes with some of the most excruciating scenes of torture ever put on film.

Mark Of The Devil, made in 1970, isn’t the progenitor of the alleged “torture porn” genre. Instead, it’s a scathing indictment of religious greed and parochial paranoia, set in 18th century Austria. In it, young Count Christian von Meruh (played by a luminous Udo Kier), is apprenticed to the imposing figure of Lord Cumberland (The Pink Panther‘s Herbert Lom), a Witchfinder.

The aptly named Christian finds his loyalties tested when it is revealed that Cumberland is just as much of a monster as Albino, the local Witchfinder, portrayed with sadistic gusto by Reggie Nalder (Barlow from Salem’s Lot), certainly one of the most scary-looking villains in film history.

What makes Mark Of The Devil even more compelling is that there are no heroes, only villains. Expectations that Lord Cumberland, whom Christian praises as a good and just man, will free the townsfolk from Albino’s regime of terror are quickly shattered after Cumberland actually shows up. Indeed, the low angle camera and repeated shots of Cumberland’s cane opening doors, as if his hands are too pure to be sullied, indicate that things have just gone from worse to hellish, narratively speaking.

It’s also fascinating to compare Mark Of The Devil to Ken Russell’s The Devils, which was still filming around the same time that Armstrong’s film was completed. The plot structures of both films are similar—religious man tries to expose the hypocrisy of the Church and suffers greatly as a result—even though the scenarios take place a hundred years apart.

Both films were raked over the coals by the media and critics and both were heavily edited due to accusations of gratuitous violence. However, even though Mark Of The Devils was exceedingly difficult to find in the UK of the 1970s, it was a blockbuster success in the US, with specially printed “vomit bags” issued to theater patrons. The Devils, as film fans know, has only recently received its due amongst the cinematic cognoscenti but has never been released in its complete form, while Mark Of The Devil is derided by some as an “exploitation” film.

Mark Of The Devil may not have the accolades of The Devils, nor the overpowering talents of its cast (Oliver Reed, Vanessa Redgrave), but it’s still a worthy and important film in terms of both its social commentary and as a chapter in British cinema.

This HD transfer of Mark Of The Devil—the first time the film has been released uncut on Blu-ray—is literally eye-popping throughout, with the exception of about a minute’s worth of footage that appears grainy. The colors are vibrant and pure and the tiniest details—the sheen of the velvet in in a skirt, the lace of a blouse, the texture of Reggie Nalder’s skin—are easily visible. For those who only know of Udo Kier’s work from the last two decades, Mark Of The Devil may result in more than one epiphany regarding his intensely extraordinary beauty: his eyes are actually three different colors.

Arrow Films has been reissuing classic, horror, and cult films in the UK for a while and for those of us without region-free Blu-ray players it’s been a mixed blessing. They’re now dipping their toes into the North American market and for that, I’m exceedingly grateful.

The special features on Mark Of The Devil rival those of any Criterion release. There’s an exclusive featurette called “Mark Of The Times,” from High Rising Productions, which includes film historians (Kim Newman, Professor Peter Hutchings) and filmmakers (David McGillivray, Norman J. Warren, Michael Armstrong) discussing the 1970s wave of independent British horror. It’s fascinating and a wonderful intro to the period. There’s also “Hallmark Of The Devil,” in which Fangoria‘s Michael Gingold gives a detailed rundown of Hallmark Distributors, responsible for unleashing Mark Of The Devil on the world. “Mark Of The Devil: Then And Now” compares scenes from the movie with current footage of its Austrian locations, to unintentionally hilarious results.

If that weren’t enough, the disc includes a commentary track from writer/director Michael Armstrong; a montage of outtakes set to music from the film; optional English and German audio with newly translated English subtitles (if you want to hear Udo Kier’s dulcet tones); a gallery; a reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys; and an illustrated collector’s booklet with new writing on the film and an interview with Reggie Nalder.

But wait there’s more! There are also individual interviews with cast members Udo Kier, Herbert Fux, Gaby Fuchs, Ingeborg Schöner, and Herbert Lom (though Lom’s is audio only).

Arrow Films, I bow down to you. Mark Of The Devil is a truly outstanding package that is a must for both collectors and casual fans.

Mark Of The Devil was released by Arrow Films and MVD Entertainment Group on March 17.