SATAN'S SLAVE {1976}

Norman J. Warren's first foray into horror features, SATAN'S SLAVE is a slow-burn entry into that 1970's favourite horror subgenre "satanic panic" films. 

Candace Glendenning (TOWER OF EVIL, THE FLESH AND BLOOD SHOW) makes her final film appearance (she only made these 3 films) as Catherine Yorke who takes leave of her boyfriend (DOCTOR WHO'S Michael Craze) to go with her parents to visit her mysterious never-seen and never-spoken-of Uncle Alexander (Michael Gough).  As their car approaches Alexander's country estate, Dad clutches his head in pain and crashes the car into a tree.  Mom appears to have bashed her head on the dashboard and deaded herself while Dad tells Catherine to go call for help.  As she runs to the mansion, the car suddenly bursts into flames!  This is the first of many bizarrely inexplicable events.  Alexander, a retired doctor, puts Catherine to bed with some sedatives and promises that she can stay as long as she likes in order to recover.  

We also meet Alexander's odd son Stephen (a perfectly-cast Martin Potter from Fellini's SATYRICON and DOCTOR WHO:  TERMINUS) and Alexander's . . . .um . . . . I don't know WHAT she's supposed to be really . . . . assistant (?) Frances (Barbara Kellerman of THE OBLONG BOX and THE MONSTER CLUB).  Earlier in the film, we saw Stephen brutally . . . and I mean BRUTALLY . . . attack a kill a woman; so he's someone to keep an eye on!  Catherine's staying in a house full of oh-so-nice people, it seems.  But you know a film with a title like SATAN'S SLAVE won't keep things pleasant for long.


SATAN'S SLAVE is semi-successful in establishing some sort of mood and does have a few quite successful kills including a tumble off a high rise building and some eye trauma. 

However, the pace is leisurely to say the least and even though many cuts were made of scenes heavy with dialogue, there's still tons of scenes heavy with dialogue left in the movie.  Warren, at this point in his career making his first horror feature, doesn't quite manage to create much in the way of suspense but the cast is mostly good (Glendenning was never much of an actress, sadly) and the real country mansion location is beautiful inside and out with rooms full of antique furnishings and grounds of expansive autumnal woods.  The film looks much older than it's 1976 release date; it looks and feels  like a film from 1971 or 1972!  The opening scene featuring a satanic blood sacrifice even features the producer's wife getting her kit off because the original actress ended up in prison on the day of her first scene!  SATAN'S SLAVE is nothing much but does have a certain charm which makes it a worthwhile watch if you're not expecting too much.