Stevieboy666 Review of The Devonsville Terror

The Devonsville Terror (1983)

A good time-switching witchcraft movie from Ulli Lommel

[7/10 · 20 December 2020]

This movie kicks off in the small town of Devonsville, New England, USA in the year 1683. Three young, attractive women (it has to be said with 1980's hair and make-up) are arrested, accused of witchcraft, tortured and killed. Their deaths are pretty gruesome, one is eaten alive by at least one pig, another is tied around the edge of a large cart wheel, set alight and rolled down a hill. Quite an impressive and shocking start. Move on to 1983 and a young woman (Suzanna Love, director Ulli Lommel's real life wife and a very attractive actress) arrives in town as a teacher at the small school. The locals, men in particular, are not exactly a friendly bunch. In addition the town's doctor is played by horror legend Donald Pleasance, he puts locals into a hypnotic state whereby they can recall the killing of the witches - or the Devonsville Inquisition as he calls it. He also has to constantly keep pulling maggots out of his arms (which is pretty gross!) People start dying and the two time periods alternate, it does all make sense. I have only seen a few of Lommel's movies, I loved The Bogey Man, on the other hand his The Raven was bad beyond belief. Devonsville is a good, creepy film, it did remind me of TV movies from the 1970's and 80's with witchcraft themes but this one has more gore, violence and nudity than those made for TV. I have it on an old VTC label VHS but would certainly consider an upgraded to DVD or BR.