Devil's Partner

Last updated
Devil's Partner
Devil's Partner FilmPoster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCharles R. Rondeau
Written by Stanley Clements
Laura Jean Mathews
Produced byHugh Hooker
Starring Ed Nelson
Edgar Buchanan
Jean Allison
Richard Crane
Cinematography Edward Cronjager
Edited by Howard Epstein
Music by Ronald Stein
Distributed by Filmgroup
Running time
73 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Devil's Partner is a 1958 American film starring Ed Nelson, directed by Charles R. Rondeau and produced by Hugh Hooker, an actor and stuntman who had previously made the 1958 film The Littlest Hobo . However the film was not released until 1961 when it was acquired by Roger and Gene Corman's Filmgroup and released as a double feature with Creature from the Haunted Sea . [1] The film was co-written by actor Stanley Clements and Laura Jean Mathews.

Contents

Plot summary

Set in rural Furnace Flats, New Mexico, the film opens with a hunched old man, Pete Jensen, slaughtering a goat and daubing its blood within a hexagon drawn on the floor of his shack. Days later, a young man, Nick Richards, arrives in town, asking about Pete, claiming he was his uncle. The town's sheriff informs Nick that Pete is dead. Nick decides to set up residence in Pete's shack. While there, he engages in a series of demonic rituals designed to drive a wedge between pretty Nell Lucas and her fiancé, auto-mechanic David Simpson. One evening, after a date with Nell, David is mysteriously attacked and disfigured by his pet dog. Nick offers to substitute for David at his gas station while he recovers. Those alerted to Nick's presence notice that even though it's incredibly hot, the immaculately dressed Nick fails to perspire. Yet with the exception of the sheriff's dog, the town's inhabitants feel comfortable in his presence.

Meanwhile, further animal-related incidents occur. A local drunk is trampled by a horse. A plastic surgeon dies when a cow lies down in the road in front of his speeding car, causing him to crash. Later, a rattlesnake threatens David in his bedroom, but he shoots the varmint before it escapes. Eventually, the town doctor finally guesses that Nick, the victim of demonic possession, is behind the hostile animal incidents. He further theorizes (correctly) that the old man, Pete, and his nephew Nick are actually one and the same. In the film's climax, the doctor and the sheriff, along with Nell and David, witness Nick transforming into a stallion. As he gallops away, however, the sheriff brings him down with several gunshots. At this point, David's facial wound miraculously disappears and the film ends on a happy note with the townsfolk standing over Nick's body.

Cast

Critical reaction

Author/critic Bryan Senn wrote that director Charles R. Rondeau "cuts through the bull to deliver an atmospheric, intimate little supernatural thriller." Praising the "earnest" cast members, including Jean Allison and Edgar Buchanan, Senn continues that even if the film is "perhaps predictable...you could do far worse than to shake hands with The Devil's Partner. [2]

Horror-film scholar Eric Michael Mazur has identified Devil's Partner as part of a scary subgenre that took advantage of the early 1960s' obsession with "hysteria over juvenile delinquency and the accessibility of strange new religions." As a result of these social concerns, an environment resulted where "the Devil film became nearly ubiquitous." [3]

Commenting on Devil's Partner, critic David Goldweber was delighted by the film's blending of "sweet 1950s' small-town ambience with shape-shifting devil worship." While admitting that he "might be overrating it because I like this kind of thing...the acting, directing, script, and dialogue are all above average." [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Bostwick</span> American actor (born 1945)

Barry Knapp Bostwick is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Brad Majors in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and Mayor Randall Winston in the sitcom Spin City (1996–2002). Bostwick has also had considerable success in musical theatre, winning a Tony Award for his role in The Robber Bridegroom and performing the role of Danny Zuko in the original production of Grease.

<i>The Devils Advocate</i> (1997 film) 1997 film by Taylor Hackford

The Devil's Advocate is a 1997 American supernatural horror film directed by Taylor Hackford, written by Jonathan Lemkin and Tony Gilroy, and starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, and Charlize Theron. Based on Andrew Neiderman's 1990 novel of the same name, it is about a gifted young Florida lawyer invited to work for a major New York City law firm. As his wife becomes haunted by frightening visions, the lawyer slowly realizes the firm's owner, John Milton, is in fact, the Devil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sid Haig</span> American actor (1939–2019)

Sidney Eddie Mosesian, known professionally as Sid Haig, was an American actor. He was known for his appearances in horror films, most notably his role as Captain Spaulding in the Rob Zombie films House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects and 3 from Hell. Haig's Captain Spaulding, and Haig himself, have been called icons of horror cinema. Haig had a leading role on the television series Jason of Star Command as the villain Dragos. He appeared in many television programs, including The Untouchables, Batman, Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Star Trek, Get Smart, The Rockford Files, Charlie's Angels, Fantasy Island, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Dukes of Hazzard, The A-Team, MacGyver, and Emergency!. Haig also had roles in several of Jack Hill's blaxploitation films from the 1970s.

Stanley David Andrews is an American character actor who is particularly known for his role as Lieutenant General Robert Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

<i>The Devils Rain</i> (film) 1975 film directed by Robert Fuest

The Devil's Rain is a 1975 American supernatural horror film directed by Robert Fuest and starring Ernest Borgnine, Eddie Albert, William Shatner, Tom Skerritt, Ida Lupino and Keenan Wynn, along with John Travolta in his film debut. Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey is credited as the film's technical advisor and appeared in the film playing a minor role, as does his partner Diane Hegarty.

Martin Cummins is a Canadian actor known for his role as Ames White in Dark Angel and as Nick Boyle in Poltergeist: The Legacy.

<i>Blood Thirst</i> 1971 film by Newt Arnold

Blood Thirst is a 1971 Filipino-American black-and-white horror film produced and directed by Newt Arnold, and starring Robert Winston, Katherine Henryk and Yvonne Nielson. Shot on location in the Philippines in 1965, the film tells the story of an American detective investigating a series of murders linked to a Manila nightclub. The killings are carried out by a monster so that a beautiful blonde woman, who is actually hundreds of years old, can use the victim's blood to stay forever young.

<i>I Drink Your Blood</i> 1971 American exploitation horror film by David E. Durston

I Drink Your Blood is a 1971 American hippie exploitation horror film written and directed by David E. Durston, produced by Jerry Gross, and starring Bhaskar Roy Chowdhury, Jadine Wong, and Lynn Lowry. The film centers on a small town that is overrun by rabies-infected members of a Satanic hippie cult after a revenge plot goes horribly wrong.

<i>The California Kid</i> 1974 film by Richard T. Heffron

The California Kid is a 1974 American made-for-television action thriller film directed by Richard T. Heffron and starring Martin Sheen.

<i>Demonic Toys</i> 1992 American film

Demonic Toys is a 1992 American direct-to-video horror comedy film produced by Charles Band's Full Moon Entertainment and directed by Peter Manoogian. The film centers on a police officer who is terrorized by the title characters after a botched arrest. Like many other Full Moon releases, Demonic Toys never had a theatrical release and went straight-to-video in 1992. In the United States, the film was given an "R" rating for violence, language, and brief nudity. The franchise was created by Charles Band.

The Devil's Chair is a 2007 British horror film. It premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.

<i>The Brotherhood of Satan</i> 1971 film by Bernard McEveety

The Brotherhood of Satan is a 1971 American supernatural horror film directed by Bernard McEveety, produced by L. Q. Jones and Alvy Moore, and starring Jones, Strother Martin, and Ahna Capri. Its plot follows a widow, who, while traveling through the American Southwest with his young daughter and girlfriend (Capri), arrive in a small California town where a coven of Satanist witches are kidnapping the local children with the intent of transferring their own souls into the children's bodies as a means of achieving immortality.

<i>Walking Tall: The Payback</i> 2007 American film

Walking Tall: The Payback is a 2007 American action-thriller film, released direct-to-video as a stand-alone sequel to the 2004 film Walking Tall. Directed by Tripp Reed, it stars Kevin Sorbo, A.J. Buckley, Haley Ramm, Bentley Mitchum, Jennifer Sipes, Brad Leland, Charles Baker and Marc Macaulay.

<i>Buchanan Rides Alone</i> 1958 film by Budd Boetticher

Buchanan Rides Alone is a 1958 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, Craig Stevens, and Barry Kelley. Based on the 1956 novel The Name's Buchanan by Jonas Ward, the film is about a Texan returning home with enough money to start his own ranch. When he stops in the crooked town of Agry, he is robbed and framed for murder.

<i>Decision at Sundown</i> 1957 film by Budd Boetticher

Decision at Sundown is a 1957 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott. It is one of seven Boetticher/Scott western collaborations, including Seven Men from Now, The Tall T, Buchanan Rides Alone, Westbound, Ride Lonesome, and Comanche Station.

<i>Swamp Devil</i> 2008 Canadian film

Swamp Devil is a 2008 Canadian horror film directed by David Winning and starring Bruce Dern, Cindy Sampson and Nicolas Wright. It is the 13th film of the Maneater Series.

<i>Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal</i> 2001 film by Jorge Montesi

Turbulence 3: Heavy Metal is a 2001 thriller film directed by Jorge Montesi and starring John Mann, Monika Schnarre, Gabrielle Anwar and Joe Mantegna. The film was released direct-to-video, and is the third installment in the Turbulence trilogy, following Turbulence and Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying.

Gunpoint is a 1966 American Western film directed by Earl Bellamy and starring Audie Murphy. It was Murphy's final film for Universal Pictures.

<i>Orphan of the Pecos</i> 1937 American film

Orphan of the Pecos is a 1937 American Western film produced and directed by Sam Katzman and starring Tom Tyler, Jeanne Martel, Howard Bryant, and Forrest Taylor. Written by Basil Dickey, the film is about a cowboy who is falsely accused of murdering a rancher whose body he discovers. Before the sheriff arrives, he escapes and tries to find evidence to clear his name and help the rancher's daughter save her ranch. The film was released in the United States on December 30, 1937 by Victory Pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Allison</span> American actress (1929–2024)

Jean Allison was an American actress. She appeared in numerous films and television series throughout the 1950s to the 1980s.

References