A chilling low budget British horror film made by Tony Tenser's Tigon Productions, who often gave Hammer Films a run for their money with Gothic horrors like this one, it is very atmospheric, well shot, convincingly acted and confidently directed by Piers Haggard with some nice attention to period detail.
Similar to Tigon's Witchfinder General (1968) the story deals with naive villagers rooting out witches in 17th century England. When a local farmer unearths a skull belonging to an unidentified fiend the locals start developing signs of madness. While doctors try to treat patients who develop 'Devil's skin' the village soon becomes a coven of Devil worshippers led by teenager Linda Hayden and it is up to a more enlightened local Judge, played by Peter Wymark, to cast out the evil.
There's plenty of flesh on show as witches get sacrificed with some gory moments and plenty of unrelenting bleakness. Featuring a young Michelle Dotrice, who would go on to find fame as Betty in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973) on TV, the film was mostly shot on location in the English countryside and this provides an authentic backdrop which is both familiar and unsettling.
One of the better so called folk horror sub genre of horror films, The Blood on Satan's Claw is a lurid slow burner that holds the attention and one of the best horror films Hammer never made.
Similar to Tigon's Witchfinder General (1968) the story deals with naive villagers rooting out witches in 17th century England. When a local farmer unearths a skull belonging to an unidentified fiend the locals start developing signs of madness. While doctors try to treat patients who develop 'Devil's skin' the village soon becomes a coven of Devil worshippers led by teenager Linda Hayden and it is up to a more enlightened local Judge, played by Peter Wymark, to cast out the evil.
There's plenty of flesh on show as witches get sacrificed with some gory moments and plenty of unrelenting bleakness. Featuring a young Michelle Dotrice, who would go on to find fame as Betty in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973) on TV, the film was mostly shot on location in the English countryside and this provides an authentic backdrop which is both familiar and unsettling.
One of the better so called folk horror sub genre of horror films, The Blood on Satan's Claw is a lurid slow burner that holds the attention and one of the best horror films Hammer never made.