Eye of the Devil
| Eye of the Devil | |
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Original film poster
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| Directed by | J. Lee Thompson |
| Produced by |
John Calley Martin Ransohoff |
| Screenplay by |
Robin Estridge Dennis Murphy |
| Based on |
Day of the Arrow by Philip Loraine |
| Starring |
Deborah Kerr David Niven Donald Pleasence David Hemmings Sharon Tate |
| Music by | Gary McFarland |
| Cinematography | Erwin Hillier |
| Edited by | Ernest Walter |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1966,original) Warner Bros. (2011, DVD) |
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Release date
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Running time
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96 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3 million |
Eye of the Devil is a 1966 British crime/horror film with occult and supernatural themes directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Deborah Kerr, David Niven and Sharon Tate. The film is set in rural France and was filmed at the Château de Hautefort and in England.Eye of the Devil is based on the novel Day of the Arrow by Robin Estridge and was initially titled Thirteen.
David Niven plays the owner of a vineyard, who is called back to the estate when it falls on hard times. Accompanied by his wife (Deborah Kerr), the couple are confronted by a beautiful witch (Sharon Tate), who also lives on the estate with her brother (David Hemmings). As time passes it becomes clear that a blood sacrifice is expected to return the vineyard to its former glory.
The Day of the Arrow was published in 1964. The New York Times praised it for telling the story from a male point of view although said the ending would not surprise anyone who had read The Golden Bough. Film rights were bought by Martin Ransohoff of Filmways, who had a multi-picture deal with MGM.
The script was written by Robin Estridge, author of the novel. Terry Southern was brought in to do an uncredited "tighting and brightning" of the screenplay.
Kim Novak was signed to play the lead. (Novak had signed a three-picture deal with Ransohoff in 1961.) David Niven joined her as co-star. It was the first feature film for Sharon Tate who had been discovered by Ransohoff when she went to audition for Petticoat Junction; he was impressed put her under a seven-year contract. Tate had spent months studying and playing small roles at Ransohoff's expense before making her debut. "Everybody should make an effort to show a new face in every major picture," said Ransohoff.
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