The Devil Rides Out

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Diamondhairdan
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The Devil Rides Out

Post by Diamondhairdan »

Widely regarded as one of the finest occult thrillers ever written, and almost certainly his most famous work, the Devil Rides Out is a rollercoaster of an adventure, set in post WW1 England, and chronologically the third in sequence to feature "Those Modern Musketeers", De Richleau, Simon, Richard and Rex.
Concerned with their friend's absence, The Duc and Rex pay a visit to Simon's house in North London, where they come across a bizarre gathering of strangers. Suspecting foul play, the Duc ignores Simon's claims that he has joined an astrological society, and quickly discovers that he has in fact, joined a satanic sect, led by the powerful Mocata. What follows is a game of cat and mouse as Simon is pulled between the powers of light and darkness in a battle of the astral plane. Dinner at the Ritz, fine wines, brandy, cigars and vintage sports cars are all part of a rich backdrop in what amounts to a phenomenally well researched and gripping thriller. Stand out scenes include the sacrifice to Satan on Salisbury Plain, the car chase, the mesmeric words of De Richleau and of course, the infamous night in the Pentangle, where the friends encounter the Angel of Death himself.
The book was to inspire the sixties Hammer version, and though the film was not quite up to the quality of the original, it did feature a great performance from Christopher Lee, and of course, the most chilling line captured on film by the powerful Charles Gray: "I won't be back, but something will."
Jim
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The Devil Rides Out

Post by Jim »

Dan lists several of the great set pieces in TDRO, but my favorite is still in chapter 22, when Mocata visits Cardinals Folly, and tries to hypnotize Marie Lou. She nearly gives in, until the child Fleur interrupts them. Wheatley doesn't make a big deal of it, but what's crucial is that Mocata asks for a glass of water (and don't forget the glass of water at the end of FORBIDDEN TERRITORY). If the satanist is once made welcome, he can never again be refused entry. This is why, when Marie Lou realizes what's going on, she hurls the glass to the floor. That (I believe) is where Dan's favorite Charles Grey line comes in the film...
Jim
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Post by Jim »

I have to read it yet, but I recently won a fascinating item on eBay: a "young adult" version of TDRO, re-written for Hutchinson by one Alison Sage.

Apart from a huge amount of abridgement, there are other changes that just seem odd: Simon's last name becomes "Field"; the Duke's first name is changed to "Alex"; the finale takes place in New York City.

You have to hand it to the publishers, though, for getting some additional mileage out of one of their best properties.
Jim
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Re: The Devil Rides Out - Rebecca Booth

Post by Jim »

Has anyone heard/read any further news about Rebecca Booth's book-length study of the film version, originally announced for December 2018 publication?
Darren
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Re: The Devil Rides Out

Post by Darren »

Hi Jim - I have been waiting for that as well. It was going to be part of the Devil's Advokate's series which have published some great film studies of some of my favourite films so was looking forward to it. I know it was subsequently rescheduled for December 2019 but that date passed without release as well.

I think I have found Rebecca on Twitter - I'll try and make contact.

Thanks for the reminder.
Regards,

Darren.
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