Satan's Slave (1976)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1976
Running Times: 86 mins
Format: Fujicolor     Techniscope
Ratio:
Sound:

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Monumental Pictures
Producers: Les Young, Richard Crafter
Associate Producer: Moira Young

SCRIPT
Script: David McGillivray

DIRECTION
Director: Norman J. Warren
Assistant Director: Bryan Hirst
2nd Assistant Director: Paul Elliott

PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography: Les Young, John Metcalfe, John Simmons, Steve Haskett, Denis Balkin
Chief Electrician: John Moore
Electrician: Tony Barber
Technicolor Contact: Tony Lewis
Camera Equipment: Cine-Europe Ltd
Lighting Equipment: Interlighting Ltd
Processing: Technicolor

MUSIC
Music: John Scott
Music Recordists: Greg Cutler, Gerry Kitchingham

SOUND
Sound Recordist: Richard Laughton
Boom Operator: Adam Alexander
Dubbing Mixer: Ken Scrivener
Recorded At: Anvil Recording Studios

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up Supervisor: Robin Grantham
Make Up: Nick Maley

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Effects Associates

VISUAL EFFECTS
Titles: Hotline
Rostrum: National Screen Services Ltd

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Hayden Pearce
Set Dresser: Jane Saker

MISCELLANEOUS
Other Facilities: Crystal Film Prods.

CAST
Michael Gough (Alexander Yorke)
Martin Potter (Stephen Yorke)
Candace Glendenning (Catherine Yorke)
Barbara Kellerman (Frances)
Michael Grace (John)
Gloria Walker (Janice)
James Bree (Malcolm Yorke)
Celia Hewitt (Elizabeth Yorke)
Michael Craze (John)
Monika Ringwald (tortured girl)
Richard Crafter, Nick Maley, Moira Young (mad monks – all uncredited)

PLOT SUMMARY

Catherine Yorke finds herself embroiled in a satanic plot at the country mansion of her devil-worshipping uncle Alexander Yorke. With the help of his sinister son Stephen, Yorke is planning to resurrect an ancestor burnt at the stake as a witch in the 17th century. Having initially managed to evade the clutches of the rural coven, Catherine is tricked into believing that her ordeal had all been a dream and she is unwittingly 'adopted' into the sect. But there's an even more shocking twist to come.

Despite a rather convoluted and talky screenplay from the prolific McGillivray (the same year he made a complete pig's ear of Pete Walker's Schizo), Satan's Slave isn't at all bad and has certainly come to look better with age. All of McGillivray's hallmarks are in present and correct, though there is that tendency towards talkiness that even the author has admitted to. Warren does well to translate this over-chatty script into something that is never less than watchable and Satan's Slave emerges as a modest but very enjoyable genre debut.

Canada
Theatrical Distributor: Astral Films
Video Distributor: CIC Video

UK
Theatrical Distributor: Brent Walker Film Distributing

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Crown International Pictures

France
Rating: -12

USA
Rating: R

1976
December
Day Unknown: UK - theatrical release

1978
May
3: France – theatrical release

Esclave de Satan – French title
Evil Heritage – US title

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Continental Film Review vol.24 no.3 (January 1977) pp.46-47 (UK)
illustrated review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.44 no.516 (January 1977) p.10 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

altars, covens, eye gouging, the occult, satanism, the supernatural, tarot, whipping, witches, witchfinders, zombies

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009