Movie Review: The Devil’s Rain is One Hell of a Great Fright Flick!

 
The Shat hits the fan after Mark Preston (William…Shat…ner) sees his father melt in the rain while delivering a dire warning that someone or something named Corbis is up to some sort of deviltry…literally. So, Shatner heads out across the desert to a ghost town occupied by  the centuries old Corbis and his eyeless followers; a bad ass Satanic cult that can call down a cursed rain to melt their victims, but he is soon captured when he thinks his magic medallion is a snake (sometimes I have to read this shit back like four times to believe it…). Well, it’s up to Mark’s brother, his wife, and a psychic researcher to take on the Corbis Cult and hopefully end the curse placed upon the Preston family (invoked hundreds of years ago when the Preston family stole an evil tome from Corbis). Also, Ernest Borgnine turns into a goat man and John Travolta…well, he melts.
Filled to the brim with genre favs (Shatner, Borgnine, Tom Skerritt) as well as fantastic character actors (Eddie Albert, Keenan Wynn), and Travolta, gobs of gooey practical effects, ’70’s comic book style occultism, and great sets (the Satanic church of Corbis’ cult is a real stand out) and locations (the stark desert environs add heaps to the eerie and secluded ambiance), The Devil’s Rain is a fantastic fright flick, and a true classic of Drive-In cinema and regional television spookshow viewings. I’ve loved it for ages, chances are you have too, and it’s never looked better than on this Blu-ray from Severin!
Speaking of Severin; those devilish demons have saw fit to include a veritable arcane ass load of eerie extras on this release! First up we have an audio commentary with the film’s director Robert Fuest that covers the production of The Devil’s Rain, as well as his career in general. Following that we get a slew of interviews featuring Skerritt, Special FX Artist Tom Burman (loved this one as the FX in ol’ Rain were well and truly the shit…), Shatner (this is archival footage from ’75, and that mother F’er just chows down on a salad while wearing a fire engine red sweater and makes the whole thing simply magic), script supervisor Ana Maria Quintana, Peter H. Gilmore and Peggy Nadramia; the current High Priest and Priestess of the Church of Satan, Anton LaVey Biographer Blanche Barton, and filmmaker /horror collector/actor Daniel Roebuck. Bringing up the rear we have an on set Polaroid gallery by Quintana accompanied by multiple radio spots, a theatrical trailer, TV spots, and a poster and still gallery.
Simply put, The Devil’s Rain is one of the finest examples of comic book style ’70’s occultism ever produced; it’s gory, garish, and acted to the hilt by a cadre of familiar faces…and with the unholy host of eerie extras included, this is a can’t miss release!