Christopher Lee confronts a group of Satanists in Southern England within this story. Set in London and the south of England during 1929 or 1930, an occult specialist and his companion (played by Christopher Lee and Leon Greene) find themselves at odds with a cult devoted to Satan, headed by a man who possesses hypnotic abilities (Charles Gray). Nike Arrighi and Patrick Mower also appear in the film. "The Devil Rides Out," from 1968, sometimes called “The Devil’s Bride,” is a supernatural thriller produced by Hammer Films, based on Dennis Wheatley's novel from 1934. The movie business began to explore Satanism around the early 1960s with Roger Corman's "The Masque of the Red Death" and England’s “Devils of Darkness,” both filmed in 1963 and 1964. You could argue it goes back even further, considering "The City of the Dead," also known as "Horror Hotel," which was released in 1959. The direct depiction of Satanism was rather unexpected for films made at that time. Despite portraying Satanism negatively in each case, Anton LaVey took advantage of this emerging fascination and established his “church” of Satan in 1966. "The Devil Rides Out" and "Rosemary's Baby" both entered production the following year. Rob Zombie’s “The Lords of Salem” (2012) serves as a relevant contemporary example of films within this category. The film's atmosphere is well-done, including the vintage cars; the woodland Baphomet sequence stands out, along with several other impactful moments. Gray also looks appropriately sinister as the antagonist (and was later taken by Marvel Comics roughly five to six years afterward). However, I felt that the use of mesmerism became excessive and didn’t connect with the characters on an emotional level. While it is certainly one of the more significant films in its genre, the lack of depth regarding the people involved lessened my overall impression. The film's length is 1 hour and 35 minutes, and filming took place at Elstree Studios, located just northwest of London, as well as nearby locations such as Black Park Country Park, which sits about twelve miles southwest of the studio. GRADE: B-/B

Source on TMDB