During the 1700s, a witchfinder and his student—played by Herbert Lom and Udo Kier—arrive in an Austrian village to replace a crooked local witch hunter (Reggie Nalder). The pupil begins to question his teacher's methods when a woman he cares for is wrongly accused of witchcraft (Olivera Katarina). “Mark of the Devil” (1970) originated in West Germany, drawing inspiration from the popularity of “Witchfinder General,” also known as “Conqueror Worm.” The filmmakers initially hoped to secure Michael Reeves as director, but he died unexpectedly at 25 from an accidental drug overdose. The film’s beginning significantly overstates the number of people put to death between 1300 and 1800 on witchcraft charges; it claims 8 million deaths, while historians estimate the figure closer to 40,000. Regardless of accuracy, these kinds of wrongs occurred in the name of God—a scheme used to seize land, money, and other possessions from innocent people, along with assaulting women. The film’s historical grounding is enhanced by being filmed at an Austrian castle where actual witch-finding interrogations took place. Other films from that period influenced by “Witchfinder General” include “The Bloody Judge” starring Christopher Lee, “The Blood on Satan’s Claw,” and “Twins of Evil.” Although "Mark of the Devil" achieved greater box office success thanks to a promotional campaign distributing vomit bags to audiences, I find “Witchfinder General” more appealing. The dubbing in this film is subpar, sounding like something from an Italian Western. Still, “Mark” does have some interesting aspects; it combines elements of "Witchfinder" and the later "The Last Valley." While notorious for its torture scenes, they aren’t as shocking now as they once were, given the rise of so-called torture porn—though they remain disturbing and revealing. What I value most is the use of authentic locations and the exploration of questionable individuals who seek positions of authority to exploit innocent people, satisfy their desires, and prop up a corrupt political system that perpetuates injustice. Fortunately, there are honorable characters who recognize this corruption and fight against it. However, even those striving for justice can make serious errors. The film’s length is 1 hour, 37 minutes, and filming occurred at Castle Moosham in Salzburg, Austria, along with nearby Mauterndorf, which is five miles to the east. Krems in Lower Austria is also listed, located almost a four-hour drive northeast of there. GRADE: B-

Source on TMDB