I'm always saying that I'm not a true fan of horror movies but do appreciate a good shocker and that might let me off writing a decent review. But it doesn't, of course.
I saw this on The Horror Channel and I'm afraid, people, that it's not up there with 'The Wicker Man', which is a true classic, nor quite 'The Witchfinder General'. Both these others are often used as comparatives with 'Blood On...' and certainly they do have similarities; namely the folky witchcraft and devil worship deep in the quaint English (& Scottish) countryside.
Whilst The 'Wicker Man' is superbly paced and there is a real sense of menace throughout and features one of the greatest endings of all time and 'The Witchfinder...' has Vincent Price swooping around on horseback and quite a lot of juicy violence, these aspects aren't as prevalent in this film.
It's still good, of course, though the lack of star names require the actors to work a bit harder for our approval and enjoyment. Patrick Wymark and Linda Hayden are fine and play their roles with gusto and I noticed Mrs Frank Spencer (Michelle Dotrice) had a good and meaty role.
When the sinister acts do occur, they are definitely worth waiting for, with just the right amount of nudity and carnal lust, mixed in with violence and chilling ritual. If I have a gripe, it's as I said, that the pretty landscapes dominate the picture too much and the nitty-gritty take too long to come. The ending and a scene of ritualised rape in the middle were very well done and the final scene unfolded most dramatically.
All in all, a good, but not outstanding chiller, even though horror aficionados may say otherwise. I don't doubt their choice, in their eyes and it does remain one of British cinema's better horror flicks, from an admittedly chequered catalogue.
I saw this on The Horror Channel and I'm afraid, people, that it's not up there with 'The Wicker Man', which is a true classic, nor quite 'The Witchfinder General'. Both these others are often used as comparatives with 'Blood On...' and certainly they do have similarities; namely the folky witchcraft and devil worship deep in the quaint English (& Scottish) countryside.
Whilst The 'Wicker Man' is superbly paced and there is a real sense of menace throughout and features one of the greatest endings of all time and 'The Witchfinder...' has Vincent Price swooping around on horseback and quite a lot of juicy violence, these aspects aren't as prevalent in this film.
It's still good, of course, though the lack of star names require the actors to work a bit harder for our approval and enjoyment. Patrick Wymark and Linda Hayden are fine and play their roles with gusto and I noticed Mrs Frank Spencer (Michelle Dotrice) had a good and meaty role.
When the sinister acts do occur, they are definitely worth waiting for, with just the right amount of nudity and carnal lust, mixed in with violence and chilling ritual. If I have a gripe, it's as I said, that the pretty landscapes dominate the picture too much and the nitty-gritty take too long to come. The ending and a scene of ritualised rape in the middle were very well done and the final scene unfolded most dramatically.
All in all, a good, but not outstanding chiller, even though horror aficionados may say otherwise. I don't doubt their choice, in their eyes and it does remain one of British cinema's better horror flicks, from an admittedly chequered catalogue.