Eye of the Devil (1966)

Eye of the Devil (1966)

Director: J Lee Thompson
Starring: David Niven, Sharon Tate, Deborah Kerr

Synopsis:
A nobleman returns to his ancestral home, warning his wife and children to stay away, but when they ignore his warning, they become entangled in the manor's dark secrets.

Impressions:
The premise of a crypto-pagan cult hiding under superficial Christianity intrigues me. I've seen it a few other places and given the syncretism that came with Christianity's adoption in the Continent, it's little surprise. This is a fairly tense and suspenseful film with some good atmosphere. David Niven's haunted detachment in early part of the film and the creepiness of David Hemmings and Sharon Tate as the de Caray siblings was quite effective. Donald Pleasance was also quite good as Pere Dominic. It's not an outstanding film but it is a good one and I'd recommend giving it a watch.

Rating:
Watch It