Cinematic Catharsis: The Devil’s Rain

(1975) Directed by Robert Fuest; Written by Gabe Essoe, James Ashton, and Gerald Hopman; Starring: Ernest Borgnine, Eddie Albert, Ida Lupino, William Shatner, Keenan Wynn, Tom Skerritt, Joan Prather, and John Travolta; Available on Blu-ray and DVD

Judgement: **½

“This book was owned by Corbis about 300 years ago. It is a written history of the people – the names of the people he converted to Satan. These are written in blood, these signatures. These are people who believe they have sold their souls to the devil…” – Dr. Sam Richards (Eddie Albert)

“It needed something. It took itself way too seriously, I thought.” – Tom Skerritt (from 2017 interview, “Confessions of Tom”)

Before the so-called “Satanic Panic” of the 80s, the box office was flooded with a plethora of Satanic conspiracy theories. After the success of genre highlights Rosemary’s baby (1968) and The Exorcist (1974) it seemed that everyone with a movie camera rushed to copy the themes of these films, with varying degrees of quality. Somewhere in between lies The devil’s rain. Filmed in Durango, Mexico (and reportedly financed with mafia money), The devil’s rain featured an impressive cast of veteran and up-and-coming actors, including Ernest Borgnine, Ida Lupino, Keenan Wynn, William Shatner, and John Travolta (in one of his first roles). Its biggest claim to fame, however, was the inclusion of Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey (who also appears in a cameo as the high priest) as a “technical advisor,” reportedly to oversee the authenticity of the rituals depicted in the film. While I can’t vouch for the veracity of the rituals depicted, his involvement was one hell of a marketing gimmick (pardon the pun).

The opening title sequence sets the tone (or at least heightens our expectations), with a montage of Hieronymus Bosch paintings. It’s a shame that Bosch’s fanciful depictions of the torments of hell are nowhere to be seen in the rest of the film. The opening scene begins, appropriately enough, on a stormy night. Mark Preston (William Shatner) returns home to find his mother (Ida Lupino) cowering in unseen forces while his father melts into a puddle on their doorstep. At that point, he decides to take matters into his own hands by confronting Corbis and his henchmen at their home base—a ghost town somewhere in the southwest. The film’s MacGuffin is Corbis’s much-sought-after book, which details a list of trapped souls the Preston family has hidden in the floorboards. As we soon learn in a flashback sequence, Mark’s ancestor once betrayed cult leader Jonathan Corbis (Ernest Borgnine), who was burned at the stake. 300 years later, he’s back seeking revenge on Preston’s current descendants, and desperate to get his book back. When Mark suddenly disappears, it’s up to his brother, Dr. Tom Preston (Tom Skerritt), to bring down Corbis. Conveniently for us, Tom’s wife Julie (Joan Prather)* possesses ESP powers, allowing her to see back 300 years to when Corbis was being persecuted for his beliefs and practices. Now the stage is set for the ultimate showdown between good and evil (or as much as the budget would allow).

* Fun Fact #1: Shatner, Skerritt and Prather all starred in the Roger Corman production, Big Bad Mommy (1974), the year before.

One of the film’s greatest strengths (which some critics praised at the time) is Ernest Borgnine’s deranged performance as Jonathan Corbis. Being a cult leader requires a big personality, and Borgnine fits the bill, warm and gregarious one moment, maniacal the next. Borgnine looks particularly impressive when Corbis transforms into a goat demon (“Who calls me from the pit?”). Unlike some actors, who seemed to play their roles under duress, he seems to enjoy himself. Keenan Wynn, as the local sheriff, is underused but makes the most of his brief appearance. Lupino, on the other hand, is wasted in her thankless role. John Travolta’s much-vaunted presence adds little to the viewing experience, as he barely appears in the film and is virtually unrecognizable under makeup.

(SPOILER ALERT) It’s hard to top the hyperbolic tagline on the movie poster: “Absolutely the most unbelievable ending to a movie ever!” While nothing will ever match that kind of hype, it is fun to watch the Satanic congregation melt into red and green gobs of goo in the rain (it probably deserved a “PG” rating instead of an “R” because of the unnatural-looking orange-red and green hues of the effluvia).* Unfortunately, the producers never heard the expression; a little goes a long way. Too much of a good thing becomes boring. Fuest confided that the final scene** runs too long, with more footage shot by one of the assistant directors at the producers’ request.

* Fun Fact #2: According to makeup effects master Tom Burman, the production’s limited budget meant it couldn’t afford full-body makeup. For scenes where bodies appear to waste away, Burman’s crew used inflatable dolls from a sex shop.

** Fun Fact #3: To create the visual effect of crying souls trapped in a satanic ship, the crew constructed a container around a portable television.

The devil’s rain continues the dubious horror movie tradition of smart people doing stupid things. Both Mark and his brother Tom choose to take on Corbis’ cult while they are severely outnumbered (they apparently never learned the saying: safety in numbers). Tom and his wife certainly don’t pay attention to the fact that Corbis was defeated 300 years ago by an angry mob of torch-bearing villagers.

It’s hard to separate the hype from the reality when you look at the stories circulating about the film’s production. Rumors of a “cursed” production seem to have no basis in fact, as do reports of director Robert Fuest suffering a nervous breakdown (which he flatly denied in his DVD commentary). Whether or not the film was in trouble behind the scenes, The devil’s rain is a mess. Unfortunately, the all-star cast doesn’t make up for the weak story, thin characterizations, and dark motives. There’s a kernel of an intriguing story here, but the end result is half-baked. Even the director’s commentary (moderated by Marcus Hearn) is lackluster. Fuest (who initially seemed to have a vague memory of the production) often veers off topic, discussing many of his other films (such as The Horrible Dr. Phibes
And Wild Heights). The devil’s rain is probably best remembered for Borgnine’s exuberant performance and the aforementioned ending. It may be worth checking out for the curious, but prepare to be disappointed.

Sources for this article: 2005 commentary by Robert Fuest (moderated by Marcus Hearn), “Confessions of Tom” (2017 interview with Tom Skerritt), “The Devil’s Makeup” (2017 interview with Tom Burman)