#194. The Devil's Rain (1975)

Directed By: Robert Fuest

Starring: Ernest Borgnine, Eddie Albert, Ida Lupino



Tag line: "Absolutely the most incredible ending of any motion picture"

Trivia:  The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films awarded Ida Lupino it's Golden Scroll Award as Best Supporting Actress for her work in this film







The "technical adviser" on 1975's The Devil's Rain was none other than Anton LaVey, Founder of the Church of Satan, the first official Satanic church in the United States. Listed in the credits as Anton Szandor LaVey, which also grant him the exalted title of 'High Priest of the Church of Satan'. I mention this solely on the off-chance you're not quite sure what to expect from a film titled The Devil's Rain!

Satanic High Priest John Corbis (Ernest Borgnine) is searching for a book that holds the key to unlocking great power, a power he longs to control. For centuries, this book has been guarded by the Preston family, who are determined to keep it from falling into Corbis' hands.

Corbis manages to kill Steve Preston (George Sawaya), the current patriarch of the family, and kidnap his wife (Ida Lupino) in the process.  But Preston's son, Mark (William Shatner), escapes with the book, vowing to avenge his father's death by destroying Corbis and all of his followers.

The Devil's Rain boasts an impressive cast. Ida Lupino is solid as the eternally worried wife and mother who eventually falls under Corbis' spell, and even though he was years removed from the command deck of the Starship Enterprise, William Shatner is in full 'Captain Kirk' mode as Steve Preston, delivering his lines as if every single one were a matter of life or death. Steve Corbett's brother, Tom, who is also pulled into the fight with Corbis, is played by Tom Skerritt (like Shatner, Skerritt would leave his mark on the world of Sci-Fi as the captain of a spaceship, playing Dallas in Ridley Scott's Alien). There's even an appearance by a very young John Travolta (in his feature film debut) as one of Corbis' minions.

Then we have the man himself, Mr. Ernest Borgnine. Just seeing Borgnine's name in the credits is usually enough to pique my interest, and in The Devil's Rain, he does not disappoint. As Corbis, Borgnine is at times reserved, yet you sense he can unleash chaos at any given moment. He even gets to wear some pretty sharp make-up in a couple of scenes, donning devil's horns and a goatee. Having tackled a variety of supporting roles throughout his career, Borgnine was rarely afforded the opportunity to take center-stage, so it was nice to see him play what was essentially the lead in The Devil's Rain.

Unfortunately, and despite such a talented group of performers, The Devil's Rain is only partially successful. It does have it's moments; the opening 20 to 30 minutes that lead up to Steve Preston's showdown with Corbis are action-packed, and the final scene is one you'll remember for a long time. The problem is what lies in-between, where the story gets bogged down with flashbacks, rituals and a handful of plot twists that never really click. While certainly not a bad movie, The Devil's Rain does occasionally falter, and no higher power, or indeed high-powered cast, was strong enough to save it entirely from the throes of mediocrity.