Demons of the Mind Review: Released in 1972 Demons of the Mind returns to the big screen at this years Frightfest.
Demons of the Mind Review
In 1972 legendary purveyors of British horror Hammer Film Productions were struggling to terrify audiences, so they began veering away from their established formula of cheap but chilling Gothic entertainment. Demons Of The Mind was part of this movement, with its warped tale of exploitation-infused bloodlust. It’s one of the more obscure entries in the studio’s back catalogue and maybe this is the reason the film is being re-released following a new restoration.
Emil (Shane Briant) and Elizabeth (Gillian Hills) are photogenic siblings who live with their father Zorn (the late Robert Hardy) in a stunning Gothic mansion. However the family line is riddled with a horrifying condition: “My loins are filled with a sore disease!” proclaims Hardy, indicating this may not be your typical Hammer fare. He is keeping the pair locked up, seemingly for their own protection, while the sinister Dr. Falkenberg (Patrick Magee) attempts to get to the bottom of the problem using psychoanalysis. Meanwhile unfortunate souls out wandering in the forest are being brutally strangled. Could Falkenberg’s assistant Carl (Paul Jones) – who coincidentally had sex with Elizabeth before he knew who she was – become the hero of this overheated situation…?
This certainly had the potential to be a near the knuckle classic but unfortunately director Peter Sykes delivers a vague effort which, surprisingly for Hammer, lacks a proper villain or monster. The main threat is a nebulous affliction that turns family members into flesh-crazed murderers. The narrative has a fuzzy quality and I was never quite sure who was doing what.
Acting-wise, it’s a case of young and dozy meets old and classically-trained. Sporting shaggy hair and a puffy shirt, Briant looks more like a rock star and Hills is mainly there to flash her breasts during the movie’s many stabs at sauciness. Hardy takes chunks out of the scenery with a wild-eyed performance and is about as threatening as an artisan baker. Magee’s glowering doctor indicates a strange dimension to proceedings, as if a cerebral approach is being applied to events when in fact it’s just codswallop. Jones is a suitably wholesome and dashing presence but should have been more heavily involved in the action.
Kenneth J. Warren plays a hulking henchman but doesn’t have much to do, a recurring theme with a few characters. Michael Hordern is the best thing about the production by far, providing good value as a priest who roams the countryside on a permanent rant. Sadly he serves little purpose and isn’t in the story nearly enough.
Instead of shocking your sensibilities, Demons Of The Mind numbs your backside. With such a long history, not all the studio’s output is going to drive a stake through the heart of critics. However Hammer aren’t doing themselves any favours resurrecting this particular corpse.
Demons of the Mind review by Steve Palace, August 2017.
Demons of the Mind is currently playing as part of the Horror Channel Frighfest 2017 programme.
