The tarnished church is the focal point of the earthy and rural scenery. The adults worry about the dark forces in their town and its effect on their innocent children. Young girls like Margaret are accused of being witches for having sexual cravings, and Blake tempts Reverend Fallowfield with her naked body before accusing him of rape. The patches of furry skin and claws are cut off the victims like puzzle pieces put together to form the image of Satan. The abandoned church is where the teenage victims are tortured, raped, and killed in return for the furry skin. The cult’s actions signify the breakdown of values, and the growing madness in the secluded countryside as a result of the demonic possessions. Set in the early 18th century, this is a time when the beliefs and customs of folklore and old Paganism still held firm and Christian fears of witchcraft and Satanism were at the height of hysteria, beliefs combining and conflicting, with the English Civil War and England's witch trials still in living memory. Exploring the epidemic qualities of terror and hysteria, which we've witnessed so often throughout history and continue to this day, Wynne-Simmons crafts an atmospheric narrative of compelling and creeping dread. This book is a novelisation of the classic folk-horror film, 'The Blood on Satan's Claw' written fifty years later by the original screen play writer. If you've seen the film then you're probably the target audience for this and it's fun reading along waiting for all the bits you remember from the film to crop up and the novel does expand on the film in quite a few ways to give the reader a little more context.

This digital audio exclusive stars Mark Gatiss and Reece Shearsmith, alongside the original film's Angel Blake, Linda Hayden. Gatiss and Shearsmith are both huge fans of the original film, even recording a commentary for the DVD release. The Dragon: Angel Blake to Behemoth. She appears to have one herself in Margaret, who's loyal to her (or at least their cause) beyond all reason, although she's never shown to do much beyond read an invocation from a book. Too bad for her Angel is a very cruel taskmaster. Anthony Ainley, who plays a curate who Linda Hayden's character attempted to seduce, once said in an interview, "When it came to doing the nude scene where Angel comes into the rectory at night and disrobes this was done at least three times and Linda was spot on with every take...she was a total professional with a refined sense of the erotic unusual for her age...I believe she was only 17 at the time." [22] Musical score [ edit ]Hamilton, John (2005). Beasts in the Cellar: The Exploitation Film Career of Tony Tenser. London: FAB Press. ISBN 978-1-903-25426-4. Agent Scully: The judge is highly skeptical of Ralph’s claims to have discovered the bones of Behemoth, even after he comes to believe that witchcraft is, indeed, present in the village. When he's presented with physical evidence of such phenomena however, he fully comes around and leads the climactic witch hunt. Asshole Victim: Whether or not Angel Blake was an Unwitting Pawn to Behemoth and was just brainwashed or was operating of her own volition, she still led a group of teenagers into committing acts of ritual sacrifice and rape. So it’s not terribly sad to have to see her die. The story and its themes are stereotypical binary folklore: women are both more mystical and thus more prone to evil or darkness; men represent civilization, rational thinking and authority; Christianity must prevail against an ancient pre-Christian evil. It's still a weird and engaging story, just rooted in traditional tropes. The story is a rare example of diving headlong into the action done right. It spends little time establishing the status quo prior to its disruption, but instead gives a general impression of what it might have been prior to the supernatural horrors which stalk the land. While in many cases this could have been abrupt, the audio drama uses a strong cast and a building sense of dread to hook the listener very early on.

Evans-Powell, David (29 April 2021). "Reviving forgotten horrors: celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Blood on Satan's Claw". Liverpool University Press. Archived from the original on 29 April 2021.

Reverend Fallowfield’s Sunday school

The story is a simple one of the devil coming to the town of Hexbridge in the 1700s. The discovery of a grotesque relic begins corrupting the youth, and before long strange mutilations and hysteria break out among the townsfolk. Hot for Preacher: Angel Blake bares her naked body to the Reverend Fallowfield. She doesn't take kindly to him turning her down. Blood on Satan's Claw and the Devil films of the 1970s". www.acidemic.com . Retrieved 28 January 2022.