The Devonsville Terror
| The Devonsville Terror | |
|---|---|
|
Cover art of 1984 VHS release | |
| Directed by | Ulli Lommel |
| Produced by |
Charles Aperia Jochen Breitenstein David Dubay Ulli Lommel Tim Nielsen Bill Rebane |
| Written by |
George T. Lindsey Ulli Lommel Suzanna Love |
| Starring |
Suzanna Love Donald Pleasence Robert Walker Jr. |
| Music by | Ray Colcord |
| Cinematography | Ulli Lommel |
| Edited by | Richard S. Brummer |
| Distributed by |
Motion Picture Marketing Embassy Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Devonsville Terror is a 1983 American horror film, directed by Ulli Lommel and starring Suzanna Love, Donald Pleasence, and Robert Walker. The plot focuses on three different women who arrive in a conservative New England town, one of whom is the reincarnation of a witch who was wrongfully executed along with two others by the town's founding fathers in 1683.[1]
The Devonsville Terror was filmed primarily in Lincoln County, Wisconsin in 1983, and was intended for a theatrical release[2] but instead hit the home video circuit in 1984 through Embassy Home Entertainment. The most recent home video release for the film was in 1999, released on both VHS as well as a double billing DVD paired with Lommel's The Boogeyman (1980).
Plot
The film opens in 1683 Massachusetts where three women in the town of Devonsville are kidnapped by the townsfolk and systematically tortured and executed. After the final woman's execution, her apparition appears in the sky and a thunderstorm begins.
Then, 300 years later, Dr. Warley (Pleasence) investigates the witch's purported curse on Devonsville. Three liberated, assertive women move into town, which angers the bigoted, male-dominated town fathers. One of the women is a reincarnation of the witch, who proceeds to exact revenge on the town males. Meanwhile, Dr. Warley fights a supernatural illness resulting from his lineage to the town's founding fathers who were responsible for the execution.
Main cast
- Suzanna Love as Jenny Scanlon
- Donald Pleasence as Dr. Warley
- Robert Walker Jr. (as Robert Walker) as Matthew Pendleton
- Paul Willson as Walter Gibbs
- Mary Walden as Chris
- Deanna Haas as Monica
- Michael Accardo as Ralph Pendleton
- Bill Dexter as Aaron Pendleton
- Priscilla Lowe as Myrtle Pendleton
- Angelica Rebane as Angel Pendleton
Production and release
The Devonsville Terror was written by Lommel and George T. Lindsey, and draws on numerous historical aspects of the witchcraft inquisition in the colonial era of the United States. Lommel stated that he had spent some time in Massachusetts and was inspired by the Salem Witch Trials.[2] Star Suzanna Love, Lommel's wife, also helped write the film. Filming primarily took place in Lincoln County, Wisconsin.[3]
The film was given theatrical marketing through Motion Picture Marketing company (MPM) in 1983, though it never made it into theaters.[2]
Home media
Embassy Pictures released the film the following year on VHS. Anchor Bay Entertainment re-released the film on VHS in 1999, along with a double-billing DVD paired with Lommel's The Boogeyman (1980), which is now out of print.[4]
References
Notes
- ↑ Sipos 2010, p. 256.
- 1 2 3 Bene, Jason (May 27, 2011). "Late Night Classics: The Devonsville Terror". Killer Film. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
- ↑ End credits, The Devonsville Terror: "Special thanks to The People of Lincoln County, WI)
- ↑ "The Boogeyman/The Devonsville Terror (1980)". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
Sources
- Sipos, Thomas M. (2010). Horror Film Aesthetics: Creating the Visual Language of Fear. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-44972-9.