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The Brotherhood of Satan DVD Released: August 13, 2002 Approximate Running Time: 92 minutes Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1 Rating: PG Sound: Dolby Digital Mono DVD Release: Columbia/Tri-Star Region Coding: Region 1 NTSC Retail Price: $24.95 Reviewed by: Mike Long on August 16, 2002 |
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| The Film |
| "The Brotherhood of Satan"
is an obscure horror film from 1970 which is making its debut on DVD. Even
though it was made during the era of "Night of the Living Dead"
and "The Exorcist", this film shows an eerie bleakness and a
disdain for a common narrative structure that certainly set it apart from
its contemporaries, and probably explains why it's so rarely seen. The film opens with a ten-minute segment which is virtually devoid of dialogue. In a pre-credit sequence, we witness a strange encounter between a car and a toy tank. The film then shifts to a more tranquil setting, as Ben (Charles Bateman), his girlfriend Nicky (Ahna Capri), and Ben's young daughter K.T. (Geri Reischl) enjoy a ride through the countryside. (They are going to K.T.'s grandmother's house for a birthday celebration, but we don't learn that until much later on.) As a storm begins to form on the skyline, this trio comes across the smashed remains of a car (which we recognize as the car from the film's opening.) They head for the nearby town of Hillsboro to report the "accident". Upon their arrival in town, they are immediately attacked by an angry mob, and barely make it back into the car to escape. On the way out of town, their car wrecks, and they are forced to head back into Hillsboro. Once there, they meet the local sheriff (L.Q. Jones), his assistant Tobey (Alvy Moore), Doc Duncan (Strother Martin), and a priest (Charles Robinson). The locals explain that for the past three days, things in Hillsboro have been a bit unusual. No one has been able to leave the town, there have been several murders, and many of the local children are missing. The sheriff doesn't know what to do, Tobey believes that aliens are involved, and the priest thinks that the supernatural is at work. Ben and Nicky will soon learn that the priest is correct, as a local coven of witches has been taking the children of Hillsboro and they have their eyes on K.T. To say that "The Brotherhood of Satan" is an odd little film would be a grievous understatement. The overall plot structure of the movie isn't all that different from an episode of "The Twilight Zone" -- family goes to town, family can't leave town, something weird is happening in town. But, it's the film's style and narrative structure that make it unique. The film has a dreamlike (or nightmarelike) quality, as there are long passages with no dialogue, and the movie never steps forward to fully explain what is going on in the town. The characters are behave as if they were in shock and no one really seems to no what to do. This approach gives the movie a very creepy edge. While many may find the film slow (more on that in a moment), I found that the film's sluggish quality made it more suspenseful, as the viewer is forced to endure the mystery along with Ben and his family. Don't go into "The Brotherhood of Satan" expecting a shock-fest. The film has very little in the way of gore and violence, and even the scenes involving the coven are relatively tame. The film was made by a group of TV veterans (director Bernard McEveety directed many TV shows and movies, actor/producer Alvy Moore was Mr. Kimball on "Green Acres", screenwriter William Welch had written for "Lost in Space" and "Land of the Giants") and they seem to be relishing the freedoms of film. McEveety makes great use of the widescreen format (most notably in Chapter 14) and the pacing of the film is the exact opposite of the typical rapid-fire TV show. While many horror films from the 1970s were schlocky and silly, "The Brotherhood of Satan" shows that some filmmakers were attempting to make horror films that would have an effect on the viewer. While the film isn't perfect, and comes across as dated at times, it certainly has it's own personal style, and those looking for a different kind of "cult" movie should enjoy it. |
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| Video | 4/5 | |
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| Audio | 3/5 | |
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| This DVD features a Dolby Digital Mono audio track. This track provides clear dialogue, with no distortion or hissing. The audio is well-balanced and stable. But, it is also flat and lacks any sort of depth. While it's admirable to have the original track on this DVD, one can't help but wish for a surround track. |
| Extras | 1/5 | |
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| The only extras here are three
trailers for other Columbia/Tri-Star horror titles. |
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| Overall | 3/5 | |
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| I was surprised by how much I liked "The Brotherhood of Satan", as I rarely like films made before 1975 (Don't ask, it's a long story). The only problem that I had with the movie was the ending. I just didn't get it. I watched the movie twice and I still don't understand it. But, that didn't diminish the fact that "The Brotherhood of Satan" is an impressive movie and looks great on this DVD. |
| Film Rating | DVD Rating | |||
| Director: | Bernard McEveety |
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| Writers: | L.Q. Jones & William Welch |
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| Released: | 1972 |
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| Cast: | Strother Martin, L.Q. Jones, Charles Bateman, Ahna Capri, Charles Robinson, Alvy Moore, Geri Reischl |
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