He would like to take you on a strange journey...

This year in New York City has been excellent for catching horror films as they were meant to be seen: in a movie theater with an appreciative audience. Just since June, there have been three Hammer retrospectives and a Vincent Price retrospective, and before October is over there will be another 3-film Vincent Price series hosted by his daughter, as well as a series of lesbian vampire films. Plus the new John Carpenter-approved Halloween comes out later this week! So much goodness... but when will I sleep? Or shower?? Or eat anything other than popcorn?!?

I hadn't seen nearly enough Hammer films before this year began, but I am now well on the road to rectifying that shortcoming. Aside from the requisite Draculas and Frankensteins, I happily got acquainted with some of the non-series and usually lesser-known Hammer productions, like Taste of Fear, These Are the Damned, and Never Take Candy from a Stranger. Today's song comes from one of Hammer's stand alone horror films that wasn't part of series: 1968's The Devil Rides Out. It's based on a Dennis Wheatley novel about the occult, which was adapted for the screen by the great Richard "I Am Legend" Matheson. And although it stars Christopher Lee with very evil-looking facial hair, he actually gets to be the hero in this one. Charles Gray, of Rocky Horror and James Bond fame, is the nefarious leader of a Satanic cult who lures gullible youth into his evil ceremonies. 

"The Devil Rides Out" song is by a British prog rock band called Icarus. It came out at the same time as the movie, but nevertheless isn't actually in it. The group was inspired to write the song by publicity for the film, and got themselves invited to the film's premiere for their effort. Wonder if they got invited to one of those neat ceremonies with a guy wearing a goat head, too?

Check out the swinging, but oh so evil trailer! (The movie is also known as The Devil's Bride, by the way.)