Rainey Dawn Set in the 17th century. Ralph Gower is out plowing the fields one day when he accidentally uncovers the earthly bones of Satan. Angel Blake will find Satan's Claw and begins to lead a coven of children into devil worshiping. People are turning up dead but the Judge needs proof of that witchcraft is involved - but some feel it's more sinister than witchcraft.The film is well acted out - bravo to the actors. I also felt it was beautifully filmed and a well written story. It feels and looks like a high dollar production although made on a fairly modest budget.This film does get violent, there is rape, murder and some blood splattered but it is done in a way that is (somewhat) watchable. If any of this offends you then I do suggest that you look for a milder film on the subjects of Satan and witchcraft.8/10

Claudio Carvalho In the XVIII Century, in the countryside of England, the landsman Ralph Gower (Barry Andrews) finds a skull with one eye and fur on the field. He summons the local judge (Patrick Wymark) to see his finding but it has disappeared. Meanwhile the local Peter Edmonton (Simon Williams) brings his fiancée Rosalind Barton (Tamara Ustinov) to his aunt's house to marry her on the next day. However during the night Rosalind becomes insane and in the morning she is sent to an asylum and Peter sees a claw that has replaced her hand. Then Peter wakes up with a claw attacking him and he cuts it out, but he finds that he has hacked down his own hand. The local children have a strange behavior under the command of Angel Blake (Linda Hayden) and they rape and kill others. In common, they have a strange fur on their skin. The judge returns from London and concludes that evil has possessed the children. What will he and his search party do?"The Blood on Satan's Claw" is a weird and cult British horror film. The plot is very strange and original but some scenes are sort of disconnected. The beauty of Linda Hayden tempting the reverend is worthwhile watching. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "O Estigma de Satanás" ("The Stigma of Satan")

Michael_Elliott The Blood of Satan's Claws (1971) *** (out of 4) Effective horror film set in 17th century England as the children and teenagers of a small village are turning themselves over to Angel (Linda Hayden), a beautiful girl who is teaching them witchcraft. THE BLOOD OF SATAN'S CLAWS is one of the most respected horror films from Britain and it's easy to see why. While the story itself isn't anything to write home about, I've always thought that you could take an unoriginal idea and turn it into something special as long as it was well-made. There's no question that the entire witchcraft sub-genre was overused during this period as drive-ins were full of pictures dealing with Satan but this one here ranks as one of the best because on a technical level it's nearly brilliant. Director Piers Haggard does a terrific job in his duties and he really manages to make this an eerie, creepy and at times disturbing film. There's some minor use of violence but the majority of the eeriness comes from the style of the film and how Haggard manages to milk every scene for all its atmosphere. The entire movie really does feel as if you're in the 17th century and the scenes with the beast were quite effective. The first hour of the movie really manages to feature some creepy material and especially the killings and the scenes that simply feature the claws. Another major plus is Hayden who is simply terrific in her role as the seductive leader. Patrick Wymark is also very good in his part as the judge. Editor Richard Best, cinematographer Dick Bush and the music by Marc Wilkinson are all extremely effective and help make the movie what it is. THE BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW could have benefited from a better or at least more original story but there's still no doubt that this is a prime example of how good the genre could be.

Dagon Tigon British Film Productions was a small company based out of London that was created in the middle of the 1960's, finding itself thrown into the mix of other established low-budget horror contributors like Hammer, Amicus, and American International Pictures. The collection of films produced by Tigon is not an extensive one - the most well-known film that exists in their filmography is 1968's Witchfinder General starring Vincent Price in a role many consider to be his best. This was made possible by a temporary collaboration between Tigon and AIP. Aside from this, Tigon's contribution to the genre only lasted a short time and eventually came to a halt in the early 1970's. Their efforts in the industry did not cease, however, continuing to act as a distribution company until 1983.The story takes place in 17th Century England where a farmhand uncovers a few skeletal fragments. He reports his findings to the local Judge who ignores the disturbing discovery, chalking it up to foolish superstition. Meanwhile the Judge's son, Ralph, introduces his potential wife Angel Blake (played by Linda Hayden who was featured in 1974's Madhouse alongside Vincent Price), who later becomes possessed during her overnight stay in the attic. As a result, the village's youth are slowly corrupted by the influence of the devil with Angel leading the coven.You really have to love a film like this. Even if the formula may be too predictable and the effects kept simple, the atmosphere usually brings everything together nicely; that's why I love Amicus and AIP so much...they all have a familiar air about them and Tigon is no stranger to recreating this effect. There are contrived moments of female topelessness but I mostly blame the era in which the film was created in - after all, the '70's were a time of ex/sexploitation in the genre and lower budget films fell victim to certain pressures enacted by corporate figure-heads. Featuring senseless nudity became part of a marketing strategy that would later develop into a full-fledged stereotype within the genre that still has a firm grip in modern times. Thankfully Blood on Satan's Claw contains rare glimpses of this and the moments are kept brief; not that I don't appreciate the female form, but if it's primary inclusion is to goad small-brained Neanderthals into watching a film they normally wouldn't't...then that is where I draw the line.Viewers should expect period costumes, the occult, and interesting set design. The majority of the film seems to have been shot outside while the sets used to portray the innards of each building the characters wind up in are constructed fabulously. Fans of the genre liken the plot to Witchfinder General but there are several differences; don't be easily mislead by their false rhetoric. This is yet another wonderful addition to any fan's collection - if you enjoy the material that was coming from the UK during the 60's and 70's, you'll love this one.