The Devil's Rain (DVD)

The tagline for this 1975 horror film was: "Absolutely the most incredible ending of any motion picture!" um, can I add one word? …Not! The ending is memorable all right, but it wasn't for the reason the filmmakers were hoping.

It's really hard for me to process the fact that Robert Fuest, who made the deliciously droll The Abominable Dr Phibes in 1971, also directed this dreary mess but that's a fact. And here are the basic facts of the story: Mark Preston (William Shatner), having witnessed the literal meltdown of his dad (George Sawaya) and the abduction of his mom (Ida Lupino), heads out into the boondocks to confront Satanist cult leader Jonathan Corbis (Ernest Borgnine). Unbeknownst to Mark, Corbis is actually an undead warlock who, when alive in 1680, was burned at the stake by the Preston family. And he's still pretty sore about it.

The Devil's Rain has all the ingredients of a creepy camp classic — Borgnine actually dons devilish ram-like horns; John Travolta makes his big-screen debut as a minion with no lines (and no eyes); and there's an Anton Szandor LaVey cameo — but the movie is deadly dull in its seriousness and its total lack of discipline when it comes to the editing. Obviously, somebody spent a lot of moolah on the special bodies-melting-in-the-rain effects, and they weren't going to let one penny of that wind up on the cutting room floor. As the ending drags on and on and on (and on!) we see each and every moment of the satanic meltdown and view everyone's death for every possible angle.

Surprisingly, the acting is not bad. Borgnine, emoting through layers of laughable prosthetics and greasy makeup, seems to be giving it his all, as does Tom Skeritt and the rest of the cast. The cinematography is not bad, and the music is passable.

If you must, have a super-70s Satanic-panic attack and watch The Devil's Rain along with fellow stinkers Touch of Satan (1971) and Race with the Devil (1975).

The new DVD release from Dark Sky has a commentary with the movie's elderly director, which is actually quite interesting and is a nice legacy to leave for fans of vintage schlock. There's also a short bit of newsreel footage showing LaVey presiding over a Satanic marriage .

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson