THE
BROTHERHOOD OF SATAN (1971)Director: Bernard McEveety
Columbia TriStar
THE
BROTHERHOOD OF SATAN (1971)In the late 60s, character actors
L.Q. Jones and Alvy Moore formed a film company and began producing their own
efforts. Only three films were actually made and all were drive-in movies within
the realm of science fiction and horror. The first was 1969's THE WITCHMAKER
and the last was 1975's A BOY AND HIS DOG starring a young Don Johnson. Sandwiched
in between was 1971's THE BROTHERHOOD OF SATAN, a release which was riding on
the occult/Satanism film craze, spawned by the success of ROSEMARY'S BABY.
The story has Ben Holden (Charles Bateman), his young daughter K.T. (Geri Reischl, best known as the impostor Jan Brady from "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour") and his girlfriend Nicky (Ahna Capri from ENTER THE DRAGON) driving through a desert town on their way to grandma's house. After the shocking site of car-crushed dead bodies, they alert the panicked townsfolk of their discovery. It seems as though there's a force that's cutting the town off from the outside world.
Residing
in a community that resembles a dilapidated Mayberry, the always interesting
Jones is the sheriff, while Moore is his goofy deputy, and it still seems like
he never left "Green Acres." Ben and his family are at first thought
of as suspects, but after most of the local adults are found massacred, and
since they can't leave anyway, they stay and assist in any way that they can.
At the same time that the adults are found dead, their children have all disappeared,
and soon after, Ben's daughter is also missing.
In the midst of all this we learn
of a coven of mostly elderly Satanists (shades of ROSEMARY'S BABY) secretly
lead by the town doctor, played by Oscar winner Strother Martin. Since the late
Martin barely got any horror parts (SSSSSSS and NIGHTWING were still years away),
it's good to see him hamming it up in flashy red Pagan gear. THE BROTHERHOOD
OF SATAN is definitely a moody, creepy little PG-rated film that keeps the monsters
and demons unseen while still delivering the chills. Utilizing shadows, fog
and unusual camera angles, it boasts some clever ideas, such as children's toys
working as murder devices, but I don't want to give too much more away.
It's a surprise that Columbia TriStar chose this nearly-forgotten oddity as part of their recent horror DVD releases, but it's welcomed with open arms. Available on video before in a horrible pan & scan format, this DVD restores the film to its full Techniscope glory, letterboxed at a ratio of 2.40:1 with Anamorphic enhancement. Visually, the colors are very solid and bright, and the source print is in excellent shape with very few imperfections. The audio plays cleanly throughout, and is perfectly satisfactory. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, and Chinese.
The disc's cover trashes the original artwork for a satanic design that seems more suited to an Ozzy Osbourne video collection or something. There are no extras (I wish Columbia would realize the value of having a given title's appropriate trailer on the disc), except for inappropriate trailers for "Creature Features" (a series of cable television AIP remakes), HOLLOW MAN, and THE CRAFT. (George R. Reis)