Is The Devil’s Rain a Hidden Treasure or Dumpster Fire?
Blu-ray Distributed By: Severin Films / October 31, 2017
Take an all-star cast – including William Shatner, Ernest Borgnine, Eddie Albert, Keenan Wynn, Tom Skerritt, Ida Lupino and even John Travolta in his movie debut – at their most hellishly over-the-top. Add one of the most visually inventive filmmakers of the era – director Robert Fuest, of THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES fame – and thrust them into an insane tale of rural occult carnage, featuring Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey as Technical Advisor. Watch in infernal awe as it all hurtles towards the most eye-popping, flesh-melting finale in grindhouse history. Now experience this devilishly infamous classic as you’ve never seen or heard it before, restored in HD for the first time ever and oozing with all-new Extras approved by Lucifer himself!
Jamie’s Take 
(4 / 5)
My earliest memory of The Devil’s Rain was when I was a young child and I remember asking my mother at the dinner table, “What movie do you hate the most?” I remember instantly she answered, “The Devil’s Rain.” When I asked her what the movie was about she just said it didn’t make sense and most of the movie was just people’s faces melting off. She wasn’t far off the mark.
Of course, being a young kid, I knew I had to see this movie somehow just to see some face melting (I had already seen Raiders of the Lost Ark by then). Knowing it was rated R, I knew there was no way I was going to be able to see it unless I could convince a friend to have his care free parents rent it for him. But the ones who could rent anything were the ones that were mostly interested in T&A movies (As was I. Who am I kidding?) and so it took me years to finally see The Devil’s Rain.
Upon first viewing of The Devil’s Rain, I may have been 17 years old and rented it on my own. I remember thinking the movie didn’t make much sense but I liked seeing some of the practical effects. It was the early 90’s so CGI was already corrupting cinemas and killing the careers of many make up artists. For some reason, The Devil’s Rain didn’t have a lasting effect on me and there was no way this was the worst film my Mom had ever seen. If memory serves, she changed her answer at one point to The Last Tango in Paris which I always thought hilarious. Imagining her and my conservative father watching a movie where Marlon Brando shoves butter up a woman’s crapper.
Upon re-watching The Devil’s Rain, there is no doubt that this strange, peculiar horror film makes absolutely zero sense. For those that prefer linear, traditional storytelling I suggest you look elsewhere. The Devil’s Rain is camp. But good camp. It doesn’t wink at its audience, knowing it’s on the joke. It takes itself seriously for the most part but when William Shatner is screaming and howling, and Borgnine is in devil make up (he looks like a goat), one can’t help but find some humor and enjoyment.
Director William Fuest is no stranger to tongue-in-cheek horror. He directed the supremely underrated The Abominable Dr. Phibes and its sequel of which both films had a great subtle sense of humor. The Devil’s Rain is pure horror amped to the extreme.
What is the movie about? Christ, I don’t know.
It starts off as if we, the audience, are missing a good piece of the storyline. It’s as if a reel was missing. William Shatner plays Mark Preston, a man out looking for his father in the rain. His father eventually stumbles home, melting in front of his son’s eyes. But not before advising Mark to take “the book” to Corbis (Ernest Borgnine). After Mark’s mother is kidnapped, he tries to confront Corbis and tells him that the book is hidden. Mark himself is then kidnapped.
Mark’s brother Tom (Tom Skerritt) gets word from his psychic wife (Joan Prather, a known scientologist in real life) that his brother is kidnapped. So they, along with Dr. Sam Richards (Eddie Albert from Dreamscape), attempt to put an end to Corbis as they have “the book” which holds the names of all of Corbis’s congregation, written in blood. Why he needs it, I am unsure. There’s also a subplot about a bunch of souls trapped inside this glass case that could destroy Corbis.
Listening to interviews from the blu ray and audio commentary by the now late director, it seems like no one knew what the hell this story was about. Nevertheless, the film is highly entertaining wth some beautiful shots and great camera work, along with gruesomely amazing special effects by Tom Burman (he also did work on The Exterminator and My Bloody Valentine). Not to mention The Devil’s Rain has an all-star cast that includes Ida Lupino, Keenan Wynn, and a young John Travolta.
Severin’s blu ray looks and sounds pretty damn good with a very crisp picture and bright colors, especially in the daylight sequences. The 2.0 mono soundtrack works just fine although I would have loved to have heard the sounds of the rain in my rear speakers. As Severin always provides extensive special features, they go all out with The Devil’s Rain: audio commentary by Fuest (it’s pretty dry though) interviews with Skerritt, Burman, and the script supervisor who had some interesting stories to tell on how she got involved on this film.
There is a great, old interview with Shatner on the set as he’s trying to eat in between takes, mentioning he isn’t sure if a Star Trek movie would ever happen. An odd interview with Peter H. Gilmore and Peggy Nadramia, actual satanists who even admit the film makes no sense was a strange inclusion, along with Anton LaVey biographer Blanche Barto discussing the film. Finally, actor/superfan Daniel Roebuck on his love and first impression upon seeing The Devil’s Rain. There are trailers, TV spots, radio spots…this blu ray is chock full for fans to drool over.
Raise the devil horn’s and chant with me: Oh dark one, The Devil’s Rain may not be a masterpiece or even very good but it is a fun movie with plenty to enjoy and worth checking out.
Jimbo’s Take (4 / 5)
I have a birthday tradtion. I share my birthdate with the great William Shatner. Every year I celebrate by watching a Shatner film. In years past I’ve watched the usual – one of the many Star Trek films or episodes. This year I changed gears and decided to watch the good stuff. It was a toss up between Kingdom of Spiders, Impulse, and The Devil’s Rain. You currently see which of these three won in the end.
I’m in some agreement and in some disagreement with Jamie’s film assessment. Where I disagree is that “the film doesn’t make any sense.” It does make sense, but you have to be patient. And the film isn’t going to spell everything out for you. Things are left generally vague, but this allows the viewer to fill in gaps with your own theories and conclusions.
The film drops you into the narrative without any soft lead-ins, back-story, or explanation and immediately assaults you with information. There’s a book, and a protective religious amulet hidden under the floor. A guy named Corbis is after everyone. And Mark Preston’s (Shatner) father melts in the rain as Mrs. Preston (Ida Lupino) screams, “That’s not your father!” What the f— is going on?!
I suspect this editing style was by design to intentionally put the viewer off balance. The filmmakers could have chosen to start the film with a flashback scene that appears at the midpoint of the film. This flashback will eventually answer some of the film’s opening questions, but again, only vaguely.
Another strange editing choice is the late introduction of Tom Preston (Tom Skerritt) who is arguably the real protagonist of the film. Tom and his wife Julie (Joan Prather) aren’t introduced until 28 minutes of the film have already expired. Again, an editing choice to create non-tradional flow and keep us off-balance? Or simply poor filmmaking?
Whether by design or a happy accident, by presenting half-information and introducing key players to the game late does create a sense of lopsided discomfort. Our brains are used to a certain kind of storytelling structure, and The Devil’s Rain shatters those expectations. It’s what makes the film intesting and worthwhile. But again, I don’t know if this is purposeful or accidental.
I own the DVD version of The Devil’s Rain previously released by Dark Sky Films. Severin Films new blu-ray is leaps and bounds improved for those looking to upgrade. The source print is not perfect. There are a few scratches and imperfections, but that’s not a complaint. In this digital age, I prefer these imperfections that remind us of film prints. And another backhanded compliment: the image is at time too good. The HD presentation will betray the quality of the make-up effects that standard definition would hide.
And as Jamie points out, the disc extras are amazing. I especially enjoyed the Tom Skerritt interview. He speaks of the cast and crew spending some of the production making the film more light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek, and funny. Even on set, they had a hard time taking Borgnine serious in his red devil costume. But upon the producers screening dailies of the “funny” footage, they put an immediate cabash on the proceedings. The men with money wanted a frightening experience.
Missing from Severin’s blu-ray is an old newsreel that showcased Satanist Anton LaVey. Completists will want to hang on to their Dark Sky DVDs for this one, mostly forgettable featurette. It’s not really missed from the Severin set, but still absent if you should care.
The intent by producers may have been to produce something truly frightening, but I’d say they largely failed. The Devil’s Rain experience is more strange and otherworldly. Even still, I suspect the filmmaker’s were smart enough to see what they had on their hands and attempted to make the best film possible through unorthodox editing techniques.
All in all, I highly recommend the film and a Severin’s blu-ray for serious collectors.
Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?
| Jamie: |  (4 / 5) |
| Jimbo: | (4 / 5) |
| Average: | (4 / 5) |
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Special Features
- Audio Commentary With Director Robert Fuest
- Confessions Of Tom – Interview With Actor Tom Skerritt
- The Devil’s Makeup – Interview With Special FX Artist Tom Burman
- 1975 Archive Interview With Actor William Shatner
- First Stop Durango – Interview With Script Supervisor Ana Maria Quintana
- Consulting with the Devil – A Conversation with the High Priest & High Priestess of the Church of Satan
- Hail Satan! – Interview With Anton LaVey Biographer Blanche Barton
- Filmmaker / Horror Collector Daniel Roebuck On The Devil’s Rain
- On Set Polaroid Gallery Of Script Supervisor Ana Maria Quintana
- Radio Spots
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spots
- Poster/Still Gallery
