User Reviews

SATAN'S SLAVE

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Techniscope)

Sound format: Mono

While visiting her uncle's country estate, a young girl (Candace Glendenning) becomes involved with satanists who believe she's the reincarnation of an ancient witch.

A key work from cult director Norman J. Warren (TERROR, INSEMINOID), SATAN'S SLAVE combines gratuitous nudity and horrific violence in a censor-baiting concoction designed to compete with the gore and cynicism of its contemporary American/European counterparts. Tellingly, SATAN'S SLAVE was written by David McGillivray, a film critic-turned-scriptwriter whose collaboration with another Brit maverick (Pete Walker) resulted in some of the most memorable exploitation movies of the 1970's, including HOUSE OF WHIPCORD and FRIGHTMARE (both 1974). McGillivray's scripts were always distinguished by their tongue-in-cheek attitude and gleeful subversion of accepted morés, and SATAN'S SLAVE is no exception. Sadly, despite its lip-smacking excesses, the movie is a disappointment.

In fact, much of the film's problems can be traced directly to McGillivray's screenplay, a skeletal mixture of witchcraft and paranoia, driven by dialogue rather than action, which coasts along on auto-pilot in between bouts of skin and sadism. Cast for her waif-like beauty and startling blue eyes, Glendenning (in what appears to have been her final appearance in a theatrical feature) fits the bill as a stereotypical heroine, but she emerges as little more than a colourless wimp, and her one-note performance is a liability. Second-billed Martin Potter gives an equally lacklustre performance as Glendenning's cousin, a psychopathic brute who subjects a pretty young girl (Gloria Walker) to a terrifying ordeal in the opening sequence (more of which later), before turning up as a resident in the home of Glendenning's enigmatic uncle, played by Michael Gough. SATAN'S SLAVE may not have been Gough's finest hour, but he rises to the occasion with predictable flair, delivering his fruity dialogue with Shakespearean relish and acting everyone else off the screen; his obvious talent and lack of pretension has earned him the devotion of cult movie fans worldwide, and with good reason.

Warren uses the widescreen format to visualise the gulf between the characters, and to exploit the landscape and décor of Gough's isolated residence. In fact, the film's threadbare production values are clearly bolstered by its primary location, a Gothic-style mansion located within the Surrey countryside, filmed in all its autumnal splendour. But the movie's rough-edged beauty is frequently tempered by scenes of horror and brutality, visited mostly on female characters who are often stripped naked before suffering the kind of cruel indignities which characterised exploitation cinema of the period. The downbeat ending is also typical of the era, though die-hard horror fans will guess the outcome long before the on-screen characters.

During post-production, Warren was asked to beef up the sleaze quotient for a number of European and Asian markets, so the director prepared a variant edition at odds with his original vision: The rough foreplay between Potter and Walker in the opening sequence (preceding Walker's murder) was extended by having the killer run a pair of scissors over his victim's naked body (the original version develops in a different way and features alternative dialogue, which means the 'new' material can't simply be edited back into the print), and a brief flashback was added to a later scene, in which Potter is seen stabbing an unidentified woman to death. The BBC dispatched a film crew to cover the production for a documentary entitled "All You Need is Blood: The Making of SATAN'S SLAVE", which they subsequently refused to show, though it has since been issued on video.

Perhaps because of the success of ROSEMARY'S BABY (1968) and THE EXORCIST (1973) and, to a lesser extent, THE OMEN (1976), the 1970's were a time in which the genre of horror in film was saturated with movies about evil Satanic cults, demonic possession, and incarnations of the big cheese Satan himself. Dozens, if not hundreds, of very low-budget movies revolving around this theme were made in the western world during this era, some with more success than others. It is within this period that SATAN'S SLAVE (1976) was made as a pleasant little contribution from England. While the budget is not as microscopic as that of some of its peers, this flick did not have the sort of funding possessed by the more successful examples of the genre.

This movie is not, by any stretch of the imagination, the worst of its type. It has a reasonably interesting story, attractive characters, at least one sleazy psycho guy, and plenty of nakedness and blood. Since its about an evil Satanic cult, there's also a few cool ritual scenes with daggers and baphomets and robes, along with an attractive young blonde being offered up to the dark lord. What more can a viewer ask for, right?

One of the coolest parts of this movie is the opening sequence, if only because of the eerie off-key piano music and bizarre artwork--there was a certain look attributed to Satanism in the 1970's, and this movie definitely gives the audience that feel. It then transitions to an outdoor scene with a bunch of goat-headed cultists performing the sacrifice of a naked blonde woman upon the altar for the generic reasons that Satanic cults typically do such things in movies of this nature.

From there, we are introduced to Patrick Bateman's wealthy British counterpart, Stephen Yorke (Martin Potter), who romances a young woman. Things are going well for our anti-heroic psycho and it looks like he's about to score a bit of crumpet (if you know what I mean) when suddenly his companion changes her mind for some inexplicable reason. He isn't about to give it up, however, and suddenly clothes are torn and rape seems almost imminent. She does flee the immediate scene, only to have Stephen smash her skull in the doorway before she can exit the manor.

Finally, we meet our heroine, pretty Catherine Yorke (Candice Glendenning), who has spent the night with her long-term lover John (Michael Craze). The two discuss the trip she is about to make out into the country for a week with her parents, to visit a long unknown uncle. Oh yes, and we also find out that Catherine is psychic. No specific psychic powers, mind you--just the generic extra-sensory perception that operates as the plot deems necessary.

Catherine leaves London with her mother and father and they travel by car into the countryside. As they approach her uncle's estate, her father has a flash headache and steers the car directly into a tree. When Catherine is sent for help, the car explodes into a fireball, incinerating her parents and leaving her in the care of her uncle Alexander (Michael Gough).

From there, things go from bad to just plain weird. While Uncle Alexander remains the cool center around which everyone else revolves, his "secretary," a young woman named Francis, does everything she can to maintain Stephen's affection and attention despite the fact that he only has eyes for his cousin. Catherine, meanwhile, has repeated psychic flashes of witchcraft and other assorted Satanic activity around the area, only to end up falling in love with the cold-hearted Stephen and having incestuous relations with him.

Eventually the secrets of the evil cult are revealed, much to the surprise of Catherine but not so much to the surprise of the audience. There are a few twists, but given the age of this movie, expect numerous clichés.

This is a super-cheap movie and there's absolutely no reason you should be paying full price for it. I personally got mine with one of those Mill Creek boxed sets in the dump bin at a local department store. It's not too bad for what it is, all things considered.

I am going to give a lot of Gough(pronounced GUFF) on this film. Not really. Be realistic. What does one really expect with a name like Satan's Slave and starring that master ham - Michael Gough. In Gough's favor - he gives(for him) a rather subtle performance and is the best thing about this film. Unfortunately that doesn't mean terribly much. Satan's Slave is about a girl and her parents going to visit an uncle she has never met. He(Gough) happens to practice the black arts and is working against all odds to bring back his dead wife. In order to do so he needs to sacrifice his niece(never really explained why?) Well, needless to say, he has a devilish time toying with his niece as he awaits the right day and hour for the sacrifice. To fill in the time we see his son fall for the girl. The son - as we see in an opening scene - has issues with women and kills them before sexual intimacy comes. Martin Potter does an eerie job playing this deprived youth. He is effective at seeming quite perverse at moments. The director Norman Warren lacks consistency in what he is trying to convey. He also has little vision as very little really happens in this film. What he does do to add interest is show a lot of needless nudity in scenes fabricated just for that purpose. None of it is particularly erotic or interesting(although the blonde in the flashback sequences has some decidedly distinct features and points of interest). For me the biggest letdown of this film is David McGillivray's tiresome, boring script. He might have made this a bit better if he had done more with some of the characters or at the very least had given Gough's character some more "juice" to his role. Gough - when given free hand or a part with some dimension - can make the most trite interesting. Although he still is the best aspect of this film, he doesn't have many of those special Gough moments like you will see in Horror Hospital, Konga, Horrors of the Black Museum, or Black Zoo(my personal favourite). McGillivray's biggest mistake is the ending that he tries convincing us is original even though we have seen something like it hundreds of times. I knew what was going to happen well before.

I got this movie in a pack of twelve movies called gore house classics or something. I figured they would all be total crap, but as I like watching horror movies and reviewing them I had to buy it, especially seeing as how I had never seen any of the movies on it. This is the first one I have watched on it and while not a good movie by any means it had its moments and did entertain me for its run. The movie does have gore in it, nothing that looks all that great at times, but it is the 70's, a time for the red paint to come splashing out. It also had a good deal of nudity too, I always enjoy seeing 70's ladies nude from time to time as they have a natural look that is just hard to find these days. The story has its moments as I really enjoyed the beginning of the movie and the end quite a bit. It is the middle that at times muddles the movie down as there is a strange love story going on between the female of this tale and her cousin that really seems to be added to pad the film. Basically, she is visiting this uncle that until recently she did not even know she had and there is tragedy shortly after she arrives with her parents. The rest of the film is watching her try to figure out and realize what you the audience already knows, she is in deep trouble. So while not great it was entertaining, rework the script a bit and this one could have been a classic. Though Michael Gough's performance in this one does help the more talkative scenes seem more tolerable.

On the eve of her 20th birthday, "Catherine Yorke" (Candace Glendenning) is going with her parents to visit her uncle, "Alexander Yorke" (Michael Gough). Unfortunately, just as they arrive within sight of Alexander's house, the car hits a large tree and explodes killing her mother and her father. Her uncle takes her inside the house so that she can recuperate. While she is there she begins to have premonitions that include flashbacks to Satanic rituals which happened hundreds of years before on the very grounds where her uncle lives. Throw in a mentally unstable cousin, "Steven Yorke" (Martin Potter) and a jealous secretary, "Frances" (Barbara Kellerman) and the result is a devilish tale with a couple of surprises along the way. I thought Candace Glendenning put on a superb performance as did Michael Gough as well. Likewise, both Candace Glendenning and Barbara Kellerman were also quite attractive. On the minus side though, there were some parts which were rather dry and other parts didn't seem to transition very smoothly, causing me to suspect that there was some cutting and splicing which tended to give the film a choppy feel. But I liked the Gothic atmosphere which added to the dark ambiance necessary for a film of this type. One warning though, it does have some nudity which some people may find offensive. Be that as it may, this wasn't a bad film but because of the criticisms I mentioned earlier I have to rate it as average.

On her way to a nice, relaxing vacation at her uncle's isolated country mansion, Catherine (Candace Glendenning) is instead tortured and terrorized by her uncle Alexander (Michael Gough) and cousin Stephen (Martin Potter), who -- unbeknownst to her -- are disciples of Satan.

Michael Gough is here pre-"Batman", Michael Craze, who plays John, also appeared in other films by director Norman Warren. The cast in general is pretty good.

The picture a little shaky on the Mill Creek copy, and the sound is somewhat muffled, but there are plenty of hairy nude women getting sacrificed, if that's your thing. And decent kills, like a head slammed in a door.

Apparently, there exists a version with an audio commentary. I know nothing about that, but it would be an improvement. If the sound and picture are cleaned up on there, too, it might actually be a decent film.

This is not as bad as it seems, but it could have been a lot better. The story is intriguing and could have been made something interesting out of, but as it is, the insufficient acting and script get muddled up in a confused cinematography that puts more effort on effects, sex and bloody gore than on making the story and its characters understandable. The film lacks clarity and gets lost in its efforts to express the inexpressible in a manner not to activate censorship. The only real actor here is Michael Gough, who appeared in many films like this, mostly absurd ones, and always made a more comical impression than what his characters was supposed to be, as if he as an evil inhuman freak rather actually should have been a clown.

This is actually quite a bright spot in the late 70's Brit Horror Film Industry breathing its last few gasps. It comes in a few different versions, some bloodier and sexier than others. It actually works in either the softer or hotter versions. The grue-- including a nude woman threatened with scissors, a head crushed in a door, a gory fall of a ledge, a woman slashed with a jagged piece of glass, and a nail driven into an eye-- is lively, but the central story about the traumatized heroine being cared for by her malevolent uncle and his murderous son is strong enough to stand on its own. There are also the expected scenes of black mass and nude female worshipers. The film plays nicely on our expectations and manages to surprise. With all the garish colors and hazy turn of events, we're never quite certain if everyone is off their rocker, the heroine especially possibly going off on some flight of fantasy triggered by the accident and exacerbated by the legend of the ancestress witch. Plus, characters you expect to play a pivotal role die suddenly, it's hard to tell who is trustworthy and who isn't, and Martin Potter as the cousin vacillates so perfectly between being a morose companion to the girl and a frenzied monster to everyone else that I found myself just as lulled in by him. The violent scenes are shocking and unpredictable, while the talkier sequences have a weirdly cold atmosphere to them. For me, this one gets unfairly written off far too often.

"Satan's Slave" sure was a pleasant surprise, since I went into it with not a lot of expectations (back in 2007, on a first time DVD viewing). Before this one, I had previously seen one other Norman J. Warren effort, namely "Inseminoid" (what I would describe as a dubious "Alien" rip-off with a bit of an early Cronenberg-vibe to it). But never mind that one.

"Satan's Slave" moves at a rather slow pace, but I didn't hold that against it (movies from different eras usually have a different pace to them anyway). A gorgeous leading lady witnesses her parents dying in a car crash. She is kept at her uncle's mansion to recuperate. Uncle and nephew have rather sinister plans with her.

"Satan's Slave" is not exactly a 'satanic worshiping cult' movie, but more a macabre tale of reincarnation. Lots of 70's female nudity, some torture, some sacrifices, some nice atmospheric looking scenery surrounding the mansion and a few nasty & gory make-up effects. The make-up was handled rather well also, given the budget available. And we have a nice twist at the end, wrapping things up.

By now I have seen all of Norman J. Warren's horror films - even became a bit of a fan of the man - and I think his "Satan's Slave" still ranks up there as my favorite. Followed by the aforementioned "Inseminoid" (something most people can't really grasp, since it's usually to be found at the bottom of their list with Norman J. Warren favorites).

I'm really puzzled about one thing…HOW is it possible to take such an intriguing and exciting topic like Satanism and make such a BORING movie out of it??? Because that's exactly what happened with this `Satan's Slave'! Bad writer-director combination, I guess. Norman J. Warren already annoyed the hell out of me with `Inseminoid' (a.k.a. Horror Planet), while author David McGillivray previously was responsible for stinkers like `House of Whipcord' and `Schizo'. Although I have to admit his `Frightmare' was quite enjoyable! The premise of `Satan's Slave' contains more than enough potential but it completely lacks feeling and it's so damn sloooooooow! It's about a young, beautiful girl (Candy Glendanning from `Tower of Evil') who goes to stay at her uncle's mansion, along with her parents. Before they even arrive there properly, her parents are killed in the lamest car-accident ever. The girl stays to recover from a shock at her uncle's, only to discover he actually is the leader of a satanic cult, out to achieve the rebirth of Camilla – an ancient priestess (or something, I don't really cared). Candace Glendanning is a beauty to look at, as well as Barbara Kellerman who plays the mansion's secretary. Uncle Alexander is played by Michael Gough who's known best for his on-going role of the annoying butler Alfred Pennyworth in the Batman films. The last 20 minutes of Satan's Slave are fairly entertaining, with some gruesome horror effects (even though they're still very cheap) and enough nudity to let this film pass for a softcore sleaze gem. Too bad you already categorized this film as `awful' by then.

Seems I'm not the only person who stays up late watching horror movies judging by the comments on this page . It is very reassuring to know that I'm not alone in doing this and it's not surprise at all that I'm not alone in thinking SATAN'S SLAVE is a really crap horror movie

After the not unimpressive credit sequence we're shown a human sacrifice where the satanic worshippers wear animal heads which instantly reminded me of a Goldfrapp music video and there's another problem : Since the actor playing the satanic priest carrying out the sacrifice is fairly well known and has a distinctive voice you'll know instantly when his character appears sans goat head who he is and what he's up to therefore there's no real surprises where the story is going and where he fits into it . The story itself is one of those boring tales of a disturbed young woman going to live in a country mansion where things aren't what they seem . Now where have I seen that plot before ?

Everyone else has noticed a problem in the directing and it's very difficult not to notice how bad it is . Much of the camera work seems to have been carried out by a bunch of not very talented film students straight out of film school . To give you an idea how bad the directing is there's a lot of T&A which makes absolutely no impression which is always a very bad sign . The cast aren't up to much either with one male character more camp than a row of pink tents . Again another bad sign for a horror movie

Talking of the cast leads me to Michael Gough . Can there be any British character actor alive today with a more inconsistent resume ? He's appeared in some of the most highly regarded British television productions of the last 40 years but has also appeared in some really bad movies : KONGA , THEY CAME FROM BEYOND SPACE and TROG . Add SATAN'S SLAVE to the list

The works of Norman J Warren and David McGillivray can be likened to the little girl with the little curl - when they're good (FRIGHTMARE, TERROR) they're very very good, and when they're bad, they're horrid. SATAN'S SLAVE completely lacks the edgy, tense, paranoid atmosphere of foreboding doom that marked Warren's later work (including the unfairly maligned INSEMINOID) and the gleeful nastiness that made McGillivray's collaborations with Pete Walker memorable, and the result is a tedious experience indeed, with a sub-standard Michael Gough performance, several sequences that make little sense (though the version I saw was probably hacked to pieces by the sensitive souls at the BBC - good of them to leave the eyeball gouging intact though!) and a central premise that just seems corny to our modern sensibilities. The opening credits should give you your first warning that something's amiss, because no fewer than FIVE directors of photography are credited, which is probably why the overall look of the film is so muddled - for every sequence that musters a degree of low-budget atmosphere, there are several that have the over-lit, barrel-scraping feel of a cheap public information film. Warren seemed remarkably unconcerned about coaxing decent performances from the cast at this stage, and the number of alternate versions suggests he wasn't too bothered about creating a definitive director's cut either. In all, a sad disappointment and a missed opportunity - I much prefer Warren as an unsubtle misanthropist to his mantle here as a bargain basement Roman Polanski.

One other thing - the ident at the beginning for the film's distributors Brent Walker is pretty good, with a great synthesizer fanfare, like the old Cannon movies ident from the eighties, only cheap-looking. Catch it if you can!

Satan's Slave is a cult film, a horror pic for those with a bent for occult based euro trash made on a small budget. Plot has a young woman played by Candace Glendenning caught up in a devil worshipping cult run by her uncle Alexander Yorke (Michael Gough).

It's full of the familiar tropes of such movies, plenty of nudity, violence and blood, and of course some interesting attire - gotta love those goat head masks! But it's all so tediously ridiculous and acted accordingly. Yes the violence is cold and nasty, and there's shock value here, including attempted rape, making this one that for sure would have had the censors of the time looking nervously through the print. But the interim passages of dialogue, of which the pic is predominately built, are borderline yawn inducing. Director Norman J. Warren is guilty of overdoing the horror cliche's, and the garish luridness of it all wears thin by the midpoint, but in the plus column is Les Young's intense colour photography.

Cult fan base for it does exist, understandably so since there is a big call for this type of cinema, but with that comes the fact that it's an acquired taste and obviously not for all horror buffs. 4/10

A woman becomes trapped in the home of her Satanic worshiping uncle and cousin. Things seem fine to her in the beginning yet a bit odd. Later on she discovers that she really is trapped in the home - unable to leave - and soon learns as to why.

This is one of those Euro-trash occult films on Satanic worshipers - but it's pretty good. I find this one above average in Euro-horror. The reviews are split from boring to entertaining - I found this one entertaining. You would have to watch the film (or a clip of it) to know if you would enjoy or might enjoy this one or not.

Not to bad of movie - I enjoyed this one.

7/10

The strange atmosphere of this film seems to lead many to find it boring, but I disagree and in fact find it unsettling and, well, really absorbing. Some of the over the top T and A (I wonder if the rest of the cast was there at the same time as the nudie cuties, these scenes feel like awkward inserts) but at any rate the acting is very good overall. I like the sicko relationship between Francis and the brother. The fact that the mystery has been given away before the final double reverse is actually quite interesting, and puts you in the place of Candice. I wish they had done a final reversal at the end and had Gough get it, but still, I like this sick little film quite a bit.

Enjoyable British horror garbage about a girl who is to be use as a vessel for the return of an evil witch by a band of satanists that are lead by her uncle and cousin.

Violent in a very graphic way (one character has a nasty thing happen to his eye) this is the sort of British horror film that seemed to be popping up on double feature bills in the late 70's before turning around and having a occasional screenings on late night TV. They were violent and uncomfortable affairs that made you squirm at the unpleasant things going on (the cousin is a sadist who abuses women). They were a bit more intelligent than many American horror films and got you in the head as well as in the viscera. Here the film is constantly disorienting you since we are like our heroine not sure of what is and what isn't real, though to be honest we do have a good sense that all is not well.

I've seen this film a couple of times over the years and I've enjoyed it for the most part though its not something I've ever really sought to see the second third or fourth time, it was just something that happened. To be honest one one memory of the film is Michael Grough's mustache which is this big fluff affair and every time I see the film again I remember I saw it because of facial hair. Not a ringing endorsement I know but I should add that I do end up watching the film to the end.

Worth a look

Satan's Slave (1976)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

A young and naïve Catherine (Candace Glendenning) travels with her parents to the countryside to visit her Uncle's house. As soon as they arrive, the parents are killed in a strange accident, which leaves Catherine in the care of her uncle who she believes is a doctor but the truth is that he runs a sect for Satan worshipers. A cousin tries to warn Catherine that she's in danger because the sect is looking for a new victim to sacrifice.

Director Norman J. Warren (Terror) tries to make a U.K. exploitation and from what I've read, the BBFC cut this to shreds before allowing it to be released. Apparently these cuts were done without the director knowing but it still hampers the film since it's apparent that the director was going for a more violent spin on the witchcraft genre. Even without the gore however, there's really not much to recommend in this film, which like many others, does nothing but talk and talk.

The screenplay is very weak and it's one of those where everything has to be explained by one of the characters. We get long scenes where nothing happens and the viewer doesn't know what's happening and then we get a dialogue scene that tries to tell us what was going on. This gets very boring and tedious quickly. Another problem is that the film was shot in a deliberate slow pace, which doesn't benefit anyone. Glendenning is decent in the lead but isn't oo interesting but we do have Michael Gould (Alfred in the Batman films) to keep some interest going.