Sunday, January 3, 2021

The Devil's Hand, Romance and a Satanic Cult

Let us say you are a milquetoast loser. You believe there is no means of employment good enough for you. Even worse, you are kind of engaged to a frumpy spinster to be. Is there any hope? Sure! As long as Satanic cults prowl the landscape, there is always hope. Remember, though! Hope is merely delayed disappointment, and if you are a loser...you probably will always be one. Hence 1961's "The Devil's Hand" directed by William J. Hole, Jr.

Rick (Robert Alda) is the aforementioned loser. His girlfriend, Donna (Ariadne Welter) criticizes him a lot but she is probably the best he'll ever end up with. Then a vixen beckons him in his dreams and Rick is summoned to a mysterious doll shop. The shop is owned by Francis (Neil Hamilton)...who just happens to run a Satanic cult in the shop's backroom. Remember that beckoning vixen? She is Bianca Milan (Linda Christian). She's a vision of extreme beauty and allure and begins to romance Rick. Francis uses a voodoo doll of Donna to get her out of the picture. Now Donna is confined to a hospital as there is a pin shoved through her heart.

The cult sings praises to the evil deity Gamba. They chant and sit on the floor a lot. More importantly, Bianca and Rick get quite close. Rick turns into a success at work as Donna wastes away in the cardiac unit. Rick seems to be a loyal member of the cult except he still has feelings for Donna. Francis is not happy about this and neither is Bianca. Bianca's ego just won't accept that Rick may choose a frumpy spinster over her. Now Donna is in more danger and we begin to see the homicidal nature of Gamba and the cult.

Does the spinster Donna have any shot at Rick now that a Satanic goddess has set her sights on him? If Gamba was so great and powerful why doesn't he do something worthwhile instead of making his devotees sit on the floor and chant? Linda Christian and her allure is the highlight of this film and we wonder why she is plying the wares of a third rate cult instead of some super cult seeking world domination. For a good Saturday afternoon 'Creature Feature' type of entertainment, see "The Devil's Hand."


1 comment:

  1. Stunning photos, black and white, very exiting times, did you ever see our reviewer in Oz, Ivan Hutchison, there's another one, a real fat geek, he was brilliant too, loved how they'd introduce these golden oldies, they were snake coil salesmen, 20 years after the movie was released or even more!!

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