Ooooooo boy, people sure deride this one. So I guess I'm left with the dubious task of trying to make the case for it. Ludicrous, weird and benefiting from the participation of two Horror icons, I found this to be a flaky good time."Oh yes...yes. We'll go back. We'll go back with the sort of weapons we need to fight them!"Two undeniable greats...Peter Cushing and Donald Pleasence...star in this film about a satanic cult's grip over a village in Greece, whose members worship the Minotaur of Greek Mythology. That includes Cushing (playing the villain in this one) leading sacrificial get-togethers within a cave containing a giant bronze statue of the titular creature. The statue bellows smoke and fire from its nostrils and occasionally gives orders in an over modulated, villainous voice (demanding more sacrifices). Right on cue, a group of American students/tourists show up on the grounds to check out the nearby ruins, despite the warnings of a concerned Irish priest (a wonderful turn from Pleasence). After some abductions and subsequent sacrifices, Pleasence teams up with an American detective and the man's girlfriend to try and bring the cult down.A few bullet point highlights for me:- The discovery of a couple's sacrificed bodies tied to stone slabs within a ring of fire in the woods.- The spare, synth-driven score composed by none-other-than Brian Eno!- The use of a young girl to carry out the sacrificial killings (with a ceremonial dagger).- The cult members literally exploding during the finale.- The cool, proto-metal tune by Paul Williams (not the famous American composer/actor) entitled "The Devil's Men" that plays over the final credits. I want an official release of it!I should point out that I watched the uncensored U.K. cut with its original title "The Devil's Men", which means this one has bits of nudity and gore. Those moments (and others) were removed for the U.S. retitled rollout of the movie a year later.A fun, undemanding ride...and better than its rep. Recommended.
