During the 1600s, a farmer finds some odd remains while he plows a field. From there, it seems that the devil - or something - starts to influence locals, starting an odd cult focused on reviving the devil.
This was the movie that was mentioned when I watched A History of Horror. It's just as important as that documentary suggested. There are a lot of movies I can see that I think were influenced by this. Children of the Corn, The Wicker Man, in particular.
It's shot well. And for a period piece, it's very good. The script is a little awkward, with lots of dressing up the language. But the locations, the sets, are all really wonderful.
The story itself is strange. We don't get too many answers about exactly what happens, and what causes it to happen, or even what the purpose is. But it all feels like there was a sensibility informing things. There are some unusual moments that push this story a bit further beyond what was expected. First, there's a rape scene that isn't especially explicit, but it plays out in front of an audience, which makes for a really dark feeling. Second, there's a brief scene that has some surgical work done - a doctor is removing a patch of corrupted skin. The effects aren't too spectacular, but they aren't lingered on enough for them to look fake.
There's a pretty big cast. While most of the characters look pretty unique, it still feels a little you only get to see short vignettes from a bunch of different villagers.
Ultimately, it's really pretty good. It's memorable, too.
Looking around for the cover art, I found several stills from the movie, which suggest that the copy I saw wasn't great quality.
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