The Devil's Hand (1962)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

William J. Hole Jr.

Writer:

Jo Heims (writer)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

The men she loved lived to love no others!

Plot:

A man is haunted by visions of a beautiful woman. When he finally meets her, he winds up involved in a satanic cult.

Plot Keywords:

Devil Worship | Satanism | Voodoo | Cult | Doll

Cast

Linda Christian	...	Bianca Milan
Robert Alda	...	Rick Turner
Ariadna Welter	...	Donna Trent
Neil Hamilton	...	Francis 'Frank' Lamont
Gene Craft		(as Gere Craft)
Jeanne Carmen	...	The Blonde Cultist (as Jeannie Carman)
Julie Scott
Diana Spears
Gertrude Astor	...	The Elderly Cultist
Bruno VeSota	...	Lindell's Sponsor (as Bruno Ve-Sota)
Dick Lee
Jim Knight
Coleen Vico
Roy Wright	...	Doctor
Romona Ravez

Also Known As:

Devil's Doll
Live to Love
The Naked Goddess
Witchcraft (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG (re-rating) (2005) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Unrated

Company:

Rex Carlton Productions

Movie Connections:

Featured in Shiver & Shudder Show (2002) (V)

The Satanic Cult of Hypnotizing Dolls and Blond Spinsters!

"The Devil's Hand" is a truly bizarre little horror movie. It's very short and to the point… But what a point! Supernatural themes, romantic love triangles and voodoo! That's all pretty courageous and ambitious for a low-budget horror effort from that time. Too bad it eventually didn't turn out to be a very good movie… Rick Turner is an ordinary man, with loads of appeal to the ladies, whose dreams are disturbed by the reoccurring image of a beautiful blond girl. The odd thing is that his soon-to-be wife supports him without the slightest bit of jealousy. I wonder how my girlfriend would react when telling her I repeatedly dream of a hot blond calling out to me from the skies? Rick's uncomfortable situation grows even weirder when he's led to a toy store where they sell a doll with a face identical to the woman of his dreams. It all turns out to be a conspiracy of a satanic cult, ruled by the shop owner, and the blond uses voodoo and hypnosis to conquer Rick's heart. How's that for seduction techniques? Despite the silly and utterly implausible storyline, "The Devil's Hand" is occasionally atmospheric and several sequences are quite suspenseful, notably the ones set in the cult's headquarters where the members' loyalty to Gamba (the evil God) is tested. Still, there's way too much talking and confusion going on and only the climax contains horrific action. William Hole's directing is very neutral and the only real good performance is given by Neil "Commissioner Gordon" Hamilton. Linda Christian is a beauty, but her acting skills are rather forgettable. Worth a look if you run out of other options.