The Devil’s Messenger (1961)

Directed by: Herbert L. Strock, Curt Siodmak | 71 minutes | horror | Actors: Lon Chaney Jr., Karen Kadler, Michael Hinn, Ralph Brown, John Crawford, Bert Johnson, Chalmers Goodlin, Gunnel Broström, Tammy Newmara, Jan Blomberg, Ingrid Bedoya, Eve Hossner

In this ‘The Devil’s Messenger’ three stories are told as part of a comprehensive story. The encompassing story portrays the devil, portrayed by Lon Chaney Jr, known in horror circles in particular for his Wolf Man renditions.

The photographer Don has trouble keeping his hands off his models and goes on holiday. He meets a young woman and kills her when she refuses to pose for him. He disposes of the corpse, but when he returns home, the woman appears in photos he has taken and to his dismay she comes closer and closer. A creditably designed story, also the best in this film. Succeeded by the atmosphere of approaching doom due to the approaching apparition in the photos and by the increasing unrest and panic that takes over Don when this seems unavoidable. In addition, the necessary (unintentional?) humor can be recognized when Don starts to reject well-intentioned advice in an increasingly literal and heavy-handed way. The disadvantages are somewhat lousy special effects and the limited possibilities of identification with Don due to his unsympathetic character and the misdeeds he has committed.

The mad scientist Dr. Sistrum is part of an expedition that finds a woman frozen thousands of years ago. He falls in love with her and convinces himself that they were lovers in another time. Sistrum takes care of her frozen body with the intention of thawing it. When he notices that the expedition leader has other plans for the find, Sistrum turns to corpses so as not to be thwarted. This is the weakest story in the movie. It is true that the starting points are interesting, and the design is meritorious in several respects, but the outcome is of little consequence. This raises question marks and has an undermining effect on the structure of the story. Furthermore, no explanations are given about the way of thinking of the disturbed Sistrum, although this is adequately portrayed in his obsessive and disturbed behavior.

Wandering John enters a building that features in his nightmares and encounters a fortune teller. She makes him various predictions, including that he will soon die because of her. John doesn’t take it very seriously, but then notices that what has been predicted does come true. John decides to go back to the fortune teller and kill her before he dies at her hands. Qualitatively, this is the second story in the film. The darkness that hangs around the house from John’s nightmares makes it successful, as does the mystical atmosphere that surrounds the fortune teller. Also creditable acting due to the anxiety and desperation that contribute to the slightly dark atmosphere that extends over John. Disadvantages are again a not too sympathetic main character and a somewhat vague, although nice ending of the story.

In the comprehensive story we see the devil who in the three stories uses the soul of a suicide woman to fill up hell. It’s a nice idea, but the content doesn’t have much to do with the stories themselves. Reportedly, it was not intended that way. The three stories were originally filmed as parts of a television series called ’13 Demon Street’ in which an antique dealer would tell an unexciting story from his shop. The series, however, did not come to much and the three stories have been combined in a somewhat nonsensical story to arrive at this ‘The Devil’s Messenger’. Featuring as the devil ‘Wolf Man’ interpreter Lon Chaney Jr. Chaney Jr. Although it comes across as charismatic as usual, its light-hearted and at various moments clearly humorous approach does not contribute too much to the effective horror content in this film. The hollow, satanic and sinister laughter that can be heard in hell or the atomic explosions falling from the sky can’t change this too much either.

Not that the three passing stories are too chillingly scary in themselves. But, supported by the black and white images in which things have been filmed, there is a generally dominantly successful dark atmosphere present, as well as the necessary repeatedly successful moments within the three stories themselves. It doesn’t make this ‘The Devil’s Messenger’ the best horror trilogy ever made, but despite the low-budget impression it makes, it does make it one for fans of old-fashioned horror and fans of Chaney Jr. enough entertainment is available.