Let’s keep an eye on the weather.
The Devil’s Rain stars William Shatner as Mark Preston who, after seeing his father melt, decides to go after satanic cult leader Corbis (Ernest Borgnine). Corbis is after a black book the Preston family has protected for generations. Can Mark outsmart the devil and save his family?
The oddest part about this film is we get to see what type of actor Shatner was before he became a caricature of himself. He plays the rough and ready hero, not bad, but the reactions of all the characters leave a little to be desired. Seriously, the dude sees his dad literally melt into a pile of goo and barely acts surprised.
None of the characters react to the horror appropriately. It is all muted in an attempt to be stoic in the face of danger. Oddly, the dramatic and suspenseful moments work well. Once the scare occurs it all crumbles.
The film follows a similar thread of the action/hero films where the beleaguered hero must find a way to defeat the overwhelming force. Our narrative here adds in additional support at around the halfway point, which mostly works.
I wouldn’t call this a good film but it is fun enough. I watched this one while ill and it drew me back into the past of TV horror films that mostly work but aren’t anything special. A perfect movie to have on in the background.
The satanic panic elements are fun and this one touts Anton Levay as a technical advisor. I guess this might have been scary in the 70s but here it is just too cheesy. Granted, a little cheese is a nice change of pace once in a while.
I don’t have much to say about this one. It is fun enough for someone to watch on stream during a lazy afternoon. The best part is the care to the set designs–hand crafted and thorough. Many nice touches elevate this one beyond just a B movie outing.
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