The Boneyard 3/20/26
As promised, this week we are in folk horror territory with a couple of British classic films Iād never seen before. I realize this is a subgenre that isnāt for everyone, but itās one that Iāve always been a fan of. I think a part of it is that it can still get to me from time to time. I readily admit to my fear of witches, and there are a lot of them in folk horror. Iām also southern so the idea of being the wrong person, in the wrong place, at the wrong time in a small town is not totally unfamiliar to me. I stick out like a sore thumb too, even though Iāve lived here my entire life, so it also scares the hell out of me.
That doesnāt stop me from seeking out movies from this subgenre though. I recently watched a documentary about an unsolved murder in the UK and itās possible ties to British folk horror invasion during the 60ās and 70ās (specifically The Wicker Man). I added a few films from that doc that looked interesting to my list, two of which are on the marquee. So grab your robes and ceremonial knives, weāre joining the cult this week at The Boneyard!
First up is The Blood on Satanās Claw from 1971. This film, directed by Piers Haggard is widely considered a part of the āunholy trilogyā alongside Witchfinder General and The Wicker Man that brought about the British folk horror craze. It stars Patrick Wymark, Linda Hayden, Simon Williams, and Barry Andrews. Originally written to be an anthology by Robert Wynne-Simmons under the title Satanās Skin, when Haggard came on board to direct he and Wynne-Simmons reworked the script into a single story and changed the title to The Blood on Satanās Claw. Synopsis from IMDb:
In 18th century England, the children of a village slowly convert into a coven of devil worshipers.
A strange skull is found by a squire tending a field, and after he convinces the local judge to come back with him to see it, he finds it has disappeared. Afterward, three children playing in the field come across a claw near where the skull had been. Soon the children begin acting strange, skipping scripture class and playing āritualistic gamesā under the ruins of an old church. Things only get worse as the children begin growing a strange black fur, which is removed by their leader, Angel, and handed over to a robed demon bringing him back to life one piece at a time. Once the squire, Ralph, discovers what they are up to, he rushes to attempt to convince the judge to put a stop to them before they can carry out Angelās plans.
I tried to keep it sort of vague, not because at any point you donāt know who is behind all of the things the children are doing, but because some of it is pretty disturbing and I didnāt want to spoil things. Iām not usually one for āevil childrenā movies, even if some of them are teenagers, as unless theyāre armed I usually wonder why any able bodied adult doesnāt roundhouse the little fuckers in the head and be done with it. The Blood on Satanās Claw I quite enjoyed though. Performances are for the most part good, in particular Linda Hayden as Angel. Despite being somewhat of a slow burn, I thought it had good pacing, never really feeling boring. As I mentioned there were also couple of scenes that I thought were pretty shocking for when it released. Itās not a gory movie but there is some blood, itās more about the rituals than the violence though. There is even some creature stuff with the demon toward the end, which I always appreciate.
The Blood on Satanās Claw is available to own physically on 4k from 88 Films, and can also be streamed for free on Prime (how I watched it) or on Tubi.
Next up is Satanās Slave, directed by Norman J. Warren. It was released in the UK in 1976 and stars Candace Glendenning, Michael Gough, Martin Potter, and Barbara Kellerman. It would later be released stateside in 1979 under the title Evil Heritage. The film was the first release from Monumental Pictures, a studio started by Warren, camera operator Les Young and his wife Moira, and a second camera operator Richard Crafter. It was also Warrenās horror debut. Synopsis from IMDb:
A woman driving her parents to her uncleās house crashes near the house. Her parents die but she survives. She stays with her uncle, but it becomes clear that he and his son are planning something sinister for her.
Catherine (Glendenning), a young woman living in London is traveling with her parents to her uncle Alexanderās (Gough) country estate for a visit. Along the way her father suffers what looks like a heart attack and the vehicle goes off the road right in front of the house. Catherine gets out to go get help and the car explodes. Her uncle and his son come out and bring her inside, attempting to calm her by giving her a sedative. When she comes around, sheās told that neither of her parents survived, and that instead of waiting, they plan to bury them on the propertyās private cemetery. Over the next few days, Catherine begins having visions of women being burned, branded, and killed in sacrificial rituals. She also becomes of romantic interest to Stephen (Potter), her uncleās son. When the two of them plan a trip together, her uncle insists they stay. The longer she is at the house, the more suspicious she gets that something strange is going on and the more danger she is in. Things culminate when she finds out that Alexander plans to sacrifice her to resurrect an ancestral witch and claim her powers for himself.
Satanās Slave is more in line with what I think of when I think of 70ās British horror. It just has that look to it. The house itself is almost a character, it has a gothic feel to it from the start, even before we learn what secrets itās hiding. A good portion of the film also takes place on itās grounds, and while there is plenty of greenery things always feel sort of somber and overcast. Candace Glendenningās performance of the doe-eyed Catherine carries the movie and she is fantastic. The movie also gets some Hammer royalty cred with Michael Gough (the same Michael Gough who played Alfred in both Tim Burton and Joel Schumacherās Batman films from the 90ās). Fun fact, while they knew they couldnāt afford Goughās services, Warren still met with him in his dressing room while he was performing in a theatrical play in London and gave him the pitch. Gough agreed to do the movie based on the story and Warrenās vision for it.
This one I also thoroughly enjoyed. Itās darker in tone than Satanās Claw, has more of a mean streak, and is surprisingly gory. They certainly do not skimp on the kills. Of course all the effects are practical and there is plenty of bright red blood thrown around. There are also some incredibly uncomfortable scenes involving Stephen in particular, who is not only creepy but a fairly sadistic character. If youāre more of a fan of stuff like Suspiria, this one might be more up your alley. It also adds a Rosemaryās Baby vibe as Catherine is never quite sure if sheās imagining things or not, particularly once the visions start. It all comes to a head in a fairly satisfying ending, provided you like one of those endings. Youāll know what I mean when you see it.
Satanās Slave is available physically on bluray from Indicator for around $20. Vinegar Syndrome previously released it as well, and that version is sold out (damn it). You can also stream from Screambox if you have that service, or stream it for free on Plex and Fawesome TV (how I watched it).
Thatās going to do it for this week at The Boneyard. Hopefully you enjoyed and I encourage anyone interested to check out both of these films. Iāll come back to folk horror at some point in the future Iām sure with some other offerings. Recently however Iāve gone down a bit of yet another rabbit hole, so next week weāre going to shift gears to some classic kaiju! Ask anybody, I love me a giant monster movie. Iāve got a few planned for viewing in the coming days and Iām excited to talk about them. Until then.