Mark of the Devil
| Mark of the Devil | |
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| Directed by | Michael Armstrong |
| Produced by | Adrian Hoven |
| Screenplay by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | Michael Holm |
| Cinematography | Ernst W. Kalinke |
| Edited by | Siegrun Jäger |
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Production
company |
HIFI-Stereo-70 Filmvertrieb KG
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Release date
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Running time
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97 minutes |
| Country | West Germany |
Mark of the Devil (German: Hexen bis aufs Blut gequält, lit. Witches Tortured till They Bleed) is a West German horror film released in 1970. It is most remembered for US marketing slogans devised by Hallmark Releasing Corp. that included "Positively the most horrifying film ever made" and "Rated V for Violence", while sick bags were given free to the audience upon admission.
While not prosecuted for obscenity, the film was seized and confiscated in the UK under Section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 during the video nasty panic.
Count Christian von Meruh (Udo Kier) is a witch hunter and apprentice to Lord Cumberland (Herbert Lom) in early 18th-century Austria. He believes strongly in his mentor and the ways of the church but loses faith when he catches Cumberland strangling a man to death for calling him impotent. Von Meruh begins to see for himself that the witch trials are nothing but a scam of the church to rob people of their land, money, and other personal belongings of value and seduce beautiful women. Eventually, the townspeople revolt, and Cumberland escapes but von Meruh is captured by the townspeople. This film contains very strong graphic torture including a woman's tongue being ripped out of her head, nuns being raped, and multitudes of beatings.
The film is based upon Michael Armstrong's 1969 script. The original plans were led by producer Adrian Hoven, who intended to produce, direct and star in the film. Hoven's version was a completely different film rumoured to have been called The Witch Hunter - Dr. Dracula. The film was made to cash in on the success of the Michael Reeves's 1968 classic Witchfinder General.
The production was filmed during the summer of 1969 in Austria. From the beginning production was difficult, including that at least half a dozen languages were spoken on set, which caused problems for the cast and crew. Producer Adrian Hoven and director Michael Armstrong disliked each other intensely and often argued over the slightest of things. Hoven made sure a small number of the scripts were kept on set and even cut some of Armstrong's footage, so his own ideas could be inserted in the film. Because cinematographer Ernst W. Kalinke was a friend of Hoven's, they would both film scenes without Armstrong's permission. It has been debated how much of Mark of the Devil was filmed by Armstrong and what by Hoven. To give the film some historical accuracy, it was filmed in an Austrian castle where actual witchfinding interrogations had taken place. This castle also served as a museum with authentic torture tools that were used in the film.
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