The Devil's Hand

The Devil's Hand was one of the earlier films to deal with the subject matter of devil-worship, but don't expect anything too shocking in this surprisingly good 1961 suspense thriller (alas, there's no blood or nudity whatsoever). Robert Alda stars as Rick, a mild-mannered fellow heading for a seemingly idyllic life with his fiancée Donna (Ariadna Welter). Then he starts dreaming about an attractive blonde who comes to haunt him both day and night. Walking around one sleepless evening, he comes upon a doll shop with a doll in the window that looks exactly like the girl in his dreams. The mystery deepens when the doll maker speaks to him by name and informs him that he is the one who ordered the custom-made doll. On a return trip to the shop with his girl Donna, he discovers another doll that looks just like his fiancée. You're thinking voodoo, aren't you? If you aren't, you should be - even though it's passed off as witchcraft in the story. The mystery blonde witch, Bianca (Linda Christian) soon makes stronger contact with Rick, and all it takes is a little smooching to make Rick declare his love and agree to join Bianca in her worship of the devil-god Gamba. It's not easy being a Gamba worshipper, as each full moon means a loyalty test for one of the flock. For those Gamba deems unworthy, it's the end of the line.

Rick walks a fine line of loyalty to his new god, never quite forgetting Donna, who has been hexed right into the local hospital. Donna, as you might expect, makes for the ultimate loyalty test for Gamba's newest novitiate. It's all fairly predictable, but there's just something about The Devil's Hand that makes it more interesting than it has any right to be. A lot of it, I think, has to do with Neil Hamilton's performance as the leader of the Gamba cult - then again, maybe it's just the fact that it took me the whole movie to figure out why his face was so familiar - he went on to play Commissioner Gordon on TV's Batman.

For fans of B-grade horror films, THE DEVIL'S HAND is a rare treat. The story is about a mild-mannered guy called Rick (Robert Alda), happily engaged to pretty Donna (Ariadna Welter). But Rick begins to have strange dreams involving a mysterious woman who beckons to him. And whilst browsing the window of a doll shop, he sees a doll that looks just like his dream girl. The woman soon reveals herself as Bianca (Linda Christian), a stunning blonde with an hourglass figure and killer wardrobe. Bianca draws Rick into an underground voodoo cult called Gamba.

For fans of B-starlet Linda Christian, this film is fantastic. Ariadna Welter, Christian's sister in real life, is lovely in one of her rare American horror films (she was a regular scream queen in Mexican productions). Stage veteran Robert Alda adds a great dimension to his role, and the character's psychological dilemma is well played-out. THE DEVIL'S HAND offers a few fun thrills. Alpha's DVD offers a watchable print in addition to the trailer.

Disclaimer: This film is included in The Gorehouse Greats Collection, which is the version I watched. I can't comment on the quality of this particular product offered on this page - my review is concerned only with the entertainment value of the film.

The dreams of soon-to-be-married Rick Turner are haunted by the beautiful Bianca (the exotic and full-figured siren Linda Christian), a temptress with strange powers, who eventually woos him away from his pretty but somewhat dumpy fiancee Donna (Ariadna Welter), and introduces him to the mysteries of the cult of the great devil-god Gamba. But the perks that come as a by-product of devil worship also come with hidden costs. When the final test of loyalty comes for Rick, will he choose the devil-god or will he choose to keep his soul?

I have to admit I liked this film. Many years ago, there used to be a Saturday afternoon mock-horror host called 'The Son of Svengoolie' out of Chicago who played flicks like this - goofy, kooky horror movies that MIGHT be just a tad bit better than the Mystery Science Theater 3000 turkeys. Whether it's MST3K fodder or not is splitting hairs - it's definitely B-grade horror, but the actors do a good job, and you can find a lot worse to look at than Linda Christian on a Saturday afternoon. Especially quirky is Neil Hamilton (who would go on to play Comissioner Gordon on the old Batman TV series) as the high priest of the devil cult. He plays it straight, but he's not the first face that leaps to mind when considering someone involved in human sacrifice.

Still, the storyline isn't too complex. Rick lives the high life after dumping his steady Donna, and takes up a whirlwind romance with Bianca. But Bianca can't quite trust that Rick has completely given up Donna, and it's her jealousy that brings everything to a blazing conclusion. The film plays out in the way that one would expect an early '60's morality tale about voodoo would, but I give it decent marks for not trying to be anything more than what it is. But don't let it's inclusion in the collection of 'Gorehouse Greats' fool you. This is only slightly less sanitized than a rowdy episode of the Dick Van Dyke show.

This is a short film, only an hour and eleven minutes, and at that length - and style - it reminded me of the hour-long 'Twilight Zone' episodes. Perhaps that isn't too strange - director William Hole Jr. worked mostly in television, on such series' as '77 Sunset Strip', and 'The Tab Hunter Show' and several others. Filmed in crisp black and white, the film looks good from a technical standpoint, with adequate direction and lighting. The film stock itself is also in good shape, at least in the 'Gorehouse Greats' collection - with only some cigarette burns visible from the transfer. According to imdb, the DVD offered on this product page is a bare bones release, with no commentary or extras, so it may be worth checking out some of the multi-packs that this film is included on, as there probably won't be a whole lot of difference between the appearance of the seperate editions.

Fun facts: Linda Christian (one-time wife of Tyrone Power) and Ariadna Welter are real-life sisters.

Last note: this film has a rocking score to open up the film, almost like Duane Eddy's Rebel Rouser. Interesting, but a strange choice for a film called 'The Devil's Hand'.

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