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Opera singer turned actor who made his mark in stage and screen versions of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Leon Greene, who has died of cancer aged 89, was a Sadler’s Wells opera singer who took his bass baritone voice to the West End stage to play the self-important Roman soldier Miles Gloriosus in the original London production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Following its hugely popular two-year run at the Shaftesbury theatre (1963-65), Greene reprised his role in the 1966 film version, directed by Richard Lester, alongside an international cast led by two stars of the initial Broadway show, Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford, plus Phil Silvers, Buster Keaton and Michael Crawford.

Hammer’s key Satanic Mass epic comes to Blu-ray in a terrific improved transfer. Christopher Lee’s pitched battle with Charles Gray’s necromancer Mocata has long been a favorite of fans of symbolist rituals with candles, magic circles, Christian icons, etc. We’re happy to report that after all the monstrous demons and human sacrifices, good prevails through the agency of an ordinary housewife, who can sling a Latin incantation faster than you can say ‘The Goat of Mendes.’ This is yet another big-deal Hammer disc for 2019 — we also get a look at the earlier Blu-ray with its revised special effects.

The Devil Rides Out

Blu-ray

Scream Factory

1968 / Color / 1:66 widescreen / 95 min. / The Devil’s Bride / Street Date October 29, 2019 / Available from Scream Factory / 27.99

Starring: Christopher Lee, Charles Gray, Nike Arrighi, Leon Greene, Patrick Mower, Gwen Ffrangcon Davies, Sarah Lawson, Paul Eddington, Rosalyn Landor.

Cinematography: Arthur Grant

Film Editors: James Needs,...

In addition to their recently announced The Omen Blu-ray collection, Scream Factory is bringing more fire and brimstone to Blu-ray with their new release of the Hammer horror film The Devil Rides Out (starring Christopher Lee), and before it hits shelves as a Halloween treat on October 29th, we've been provided with the full list of special features:

Press Release: All the demons of hell are summoned to Earth to claim “The Devil’s Bride”! Based on the celebrated novel by Dennis Wheatley, The Devil Rides Out is one of Hammer’s most accomplished and thrilling mystery horrors. On October 29, 2019, Scream Factory™ is proud to present Hammer horror cult classic The Devil Rides Out on Blu-ray. Directed by Terence Fisher (Frankenstein Created Woman), this 1968 shocker stars Christopher Lee, Charles Gray (Diamonds Are Forever), Nike Arrighi (Day for Night), Leon Green (Flash Gordon), Patrick Mower (Marco Polo), Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies (The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes...

It certainly took the movies awhile to warm up to the idea of The Behooved One stepping across our screens. Looking to America, Hammer Films waited until Ira Levin’s novel Rosemary’s Baby (1967) was published (and purchased for filming) before going forth with their first satanic foray on film, The Devil Rides Out (1968). Based on Dennis Wheatley’s novel of the same name from 1934, it was Hammer’s chance to move away from Gothic horror and prove that they could compete in an ever changing market. But The Devil Rides Out did more than that – it provided Hammer with one of their very finest films, a chilling thrillride that still delivers the devil drenched goods.

Released in the U.K. in July of ’68 by Warner – Pathe (a month after Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby) and December of the same year by Twentieth Century Fox in the U.S., the film was commercially successful and,...

The Horror Channel has announced the return of the Hammer double features.

The season, which runs on Saturday nights from February 1 to 22 at 9pm, promises "vampire vixens, creepy castles, mouldy mummies, satanic sadists and Lee & Cushing on top show".

Hammer recently unveiled the trailer for The Quiet Ones, the studio's follow-up to its successful critical and commercial return with The Woman in Black.

The full schedule is below, complete with synopses from the Horror Channel (Sat 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138).

February 1 9pm - Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

This sequel to the 1958 The Horror of Dracula sees the supposedly dead Count Dracula back in bloody business once his trusty servant Klove entices the English Kents - Charles (Francis Matthews), brother Alan (Charles Tingwell) and their wives Diana (Suzan Farmer) and Helen (Barbara Shelley) - inside his welcoming castle. Directed by Terence Fisher, this is seen as the "quintessential Hammer horror".

February 1 10.45pm -...

The Horror Channel has announced the return of the Hammer double features.

The season, which runs on Saturday nights from February 1 to 22 at 9pm, promises "vampire vixens, creepy castles, mouldy mummies, satanic sadists and Lee & Cushing on top show".

Hammer recently unveiled the trailer for The Quiet Ones, the studio's follow-up to its successful critical and commercial return with The Woman in Black.

The full schedule is below, complete with synopses from the Horror Channel (Sat 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138).

February 1 9pm - Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

This sequel to the 1958 The Horror of Dracula sees the supposedly dead Count Dracula back in bloody business once his trusty servant Klove entices the English Kents - Charles (Francis Matthews), brother Alan (Charles Tingwell) and their wives Diana (Suzan Farmer) and Helen (Barbara Shelley) - inside his welcoming castle. Directed by Terence Fisher, this is seen as the "quintessential Hammer horror".

February 1 10.45pm -...

The Devil Rides Out

Directed by Terence Fisher

Written by Richard Matheson

1968, UK

Often cited as the best film that Terence Fisher and Hammer ever made together, The Devil Rides Out has grown its cult status over the years. Christopher Lee stars as Nicholas, the Duc de Richleau, a nobleman who attempts to save the soul of Simon (Patrick Mower), the offspring of an old friend who before passing away, requested he watched over his son. Turns out Simon has become involved in a satanic cult, but lucky for him, Nicholas is proficient in black magic. Along with his pal Rex (Leon Greene), Nicholas kidnaps Simon and his girlfriend Tanith in hopes of saving their souls. Only the evil leader of the cult, a man named Mocata (Charles Gray), summons the Angel of Death and the Goat of Mendes to help in his battle.

Released in the same year as...

Hammer Blu-rays The Devil Rides Out (1968, dir. Terence Fisher)

Hammer applies its trademark Gothic veneer with considerably greater care than usual in this, the second and best of the company's three stabs at the satanic stylings of author Dennis Wheatley. Christopher Lee comes over to the light for a rare foray as central hero the Duc de Richleau, teaming up with friend Rex van Rijn (Leon Greene) to prevent the evil Satanist Mocata (Charles Gray) from enmeshing the son of his old friend (Patrick Mower) into a devil-worshipping cult.

The Devil Rides Out is perhaps best remembered for what Lee argues in his commentary to be Hammer's most enduring image, that of our heroes fighting a series of spectral and psychological nemeses from within the protective confines of a ritual circle. And yet the most chilling scene contains no special effects, but is instead a simple conversation between the wife...

We've updated our Film4 Fright Fest line-up story with tons of images. Read on to see what you may have missed and what's brand spanking new! Dig it!

Programme - Screen 1

Thursday Aug 23

Opening Film - The Seasoning House (World Premiere)

Special make-up prosthetics and splatter genius Paul Hyett makes his directorial debut with a harrowing exploration into tense claustrophobia, hard-hitting action and rollercoaster suspense. In a Balkan brothel, where girls kidnapped by soldiers in war-torn zones are prostituted to the military and civilians alike, Angel (Robin Day) is the deaf mute orphan enslaved to care for the inmates. But unbeknownst to her captors, she moves between the walls and crawlspaces of the seasoning house planning her escape. Psychological horror in the nerve-shredding Alfred Hitchcock and Roman Polanski style but with an ultra-modern twist.

89 mins Director: Paul Hyett UK 2012

Rosie Day – Angel

Sean Pertwee – Goran

Kevin Howarth – Viktor

David Lemberg...

With the release of M. Night Shayamalan’s Devil on DVD and Blu-ray yesterday, Owf was challenged with chronicling the ten greatest performances by an actor/actress as the lord of the underworld!

Shayamalan’s horror/thriller – which sees a group of people trapped in an elevator begin to realise that the Devil is amongst them… – is one of the haphazard director’s better offerings of late and engages an interesting narrative.

However, the Devil, Lucifer, Satan, Mephistopheles (or whatever you want to call the epitome of evil!) have featured in film from as early as 1896 and a variety of talent has portrayed the character. Whether it has been for comedic effect or to generate fear in an audience, there have been some fantastic performances within the role. Below are, in my opinion, the ten best. Of course, as there have been no less than 725 known productions featuring the Prince of Darkness,...

If we can start Christmas in September, we can damn well start Halloween now...

The Devil Rides Out is undoubtedly one of Hammer Horror’s greatest films, and an oft-forgotten gem of British cinema. Made in 1968 and based on a novel by Dennis Wheatley, it sees Christopher Lee in a rare heroic role where he is pitted against the forces of darkness.

Lee plays the Duc de Richleau, who, along with his friend Rex (Leon Greene), has been charged with watching over the son of one of their comrades who died during Wwi. However, the young man in question, Simon (Patrick Mower), has become seduced by an occult group led by Mocata (Charles Gray), and it is left to the Duke to save and defend the boy from Mocata and the dark powers he can summon.

In his autobiography, Christopher Lee has stated that he would like to see The Devil Rides Out...