The Brotherhood of Satan
Encyclopedia
The Brotherhood of Satan is a 1971 low-budget horror film
written, produced and starring L. Q. Jones
It was directed by Bernard McEveety
and also stars Strother Martin
.
), and Ben's young daughter K.T. (Geri Reischl
) are driving through the American Southwest to K.T.'s grandmother's house for a birthday celebration. They come upon an automobile accident in the town of Hillsboro, and when they attempt to report it, they meet the local sheriff
, (L. Q. Jones
), his assistant Tobey (Alvy Moore
), Doc Duncan (Strother Martin
), and a priest (Charles Robinson
). These locals explain the unusual events in the town which involve several murders, the inability of the people to leave the town, and that many of the local children have gone missing.
A local coven
of elderly witches have been taking the children and leading them to worship Satan
in a plot to use their bodies as receptacles for their own soul
s. They use their supernatural
abilities to kill anyone who interferes by turning the children's toys into instruments of murder.
The priest figures out that the coven is taking the children, and tells people, including Ben and Nicky, because K.T. has gone missing. However, he sees the murder of a man trying to find his son, Joey. He goes crazy, turning into a blubbering mess.
The people searching for the children, Sheriff, Tobey, Nicky and Ben, can't find Doc Duncan, (who is either Satan or the ringleader of the ceremonies. It is never said directly.) and search his house. They find the toy that came to life and killed Joey's father, Mike. It is a knight on horseback, and there is blood on the tiny sword.
They show the priest the toy and he starts to scream. They take the toy away and try to open a locked door.
On the other side of the door, a bloody ceremony, in which the coven members kill themselves to take over the bodies of the now zombie-like children, is taking place. The camera flashes from the searchers struggling to open the door and the covern members killing themselves.
When they finally open the door, they see the children staring back at them. They are in a practically empty room, with the children, a table, dolls that resemble some of the black-cloaked coven members and a music box. The children continue to stare at the people and the camera slowly pans to an empty, black hole in a corner. The screen goes dark, and bright pink gothic words show up, saying, "Come in, children."
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
written, produced and starring L. Q. Jones
L. Q. Jones
L.Q. Jones is an American character actor and film director, known for his work in the films of Sam Peckinpah.-Life and career:...
It was directed by Bernard McEveety
Bernard McEveety
Bernard E. McEveety, Jr. was an American director.-Family:Born in New Rochelle, New York; his brothers, Vincent McEveety and Joseph McEveety were also Hollywood directors and producers...
and also stars Strother Martin
Strother Martin
Strother Martin was an American actor in numerous films and television programs. Martin is perhaps best known as the prison "captain" in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, where he uttered the line, "What we've got here is...failure to communicate."-Early life:Strother Martin Jr. was born in Kokomo,...
.
Plot
Ben (Charles Bateman), his girlfriend Nicky (Ahna CapriAhna Capri
Anna Marie Nanasi, better known by her professional name Ahna Capri was Budapest, Hungary-born American film and television actress best known for her role as Tania in the classic martial-arts movie Enter the Dragon.Capri started her career as a child actress, appearing on such series as Father...
), and Ben's young daughter K.T. (Geri Reischl
Geri Reischl
Geri Lee Reischl is an American actress and singer, known for her work as a child actor in the 1970s, most notably on the variety show The Brady Bunch Hour and various television commercials.-Acting:...
) are driving through the American Southwest to K.T.'s grandmother's house for a birthday celebration. They come upon an automobile accident in the town of Hillsboro, and when they attempt to report it, they meet the local sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
, (L. Q. Jones
L. Q. Jones
L.Q. Jones is an American character actor and film director, known for his work in the films of Sam Peckinpah.-Life and career:...
), his assistant Tobey (Alvy Moore
Alvy Moore
Jack Alvin "Alvy" Moore was an American light comic actor best known for his role as scatterbrained county agricultural agent "Hank Kimball" on the television series Green Acres....
), Doc Duncan (Strother Martin
Strother Martin
Strother Martin was an American actor in numerous films and television programs. Martin is perhaps best known as the prison "captain" in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, where he uttered the line, "What we've got here is...failure to communicate."-Early life:Strother Martin Jr. was born in Kokomo,...
), and a priest (Charles Robinson
Charles Robinson (actor)
Charles "Charlie" Robinson is a critically acclaimed American theater and television actor. He is best known for his role as Mac Robinson in the NBC sitcom Night Court...
). These locals explain the unusual events in the town which involve several murders, the inability of the people to leave the town, and that many of the local children have gone missing.
A local coven
Coven
A coven or covan is a name used to describe a gathering of witches or in some cases vampires. Due to the word's association with witches, a gathering of Wiccans, followers of the witchcraft-based neopagan religion of Wicca, is also described as a coven....
of elderly witches have been taking the children and leading them to worship Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
in a plot to use their bodies as receptacles for their own soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
s. They use their supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
abilities to kill anyone who interferes by turning the children's toys into instruments of murder.
The priest figures out that the coven is taking the children, and tells people, including Ben and Nicky, because K.T. has gone missing. However, he sees the murder of a man trying to find his son, Joey. He goes crazy, turning into a blubbering mess.
The people searching for the children, Sheriff, Tobey, Nicky and Ben, can't find Doc Duncan, (who is either Satan or the ringleader of the ceremonies. It is never said directly.) and search his house. They find the toy that came to life and killed Joey's father, Mike. It is a knight on horseback, and there is blood on the tiny sword.
They show the priest the toy and he starts to scream. They take the toy away and try to open a locked door.
On the other side of the door, a bloody ceremony, in which the coven members kill themselves to take over the bodies of the now zombie-like children, is taking place. The camera flashes from the searchers struggling to open the door and the covern members killing themselves.
When they finally open the door, they see the children staring back at them. They are in a practically empty room, with the children, a table, dolls that resemble some of the black-cloaked coven members and a music box. The children continue to stare at the people and the camera slowly pans to an empty, black hole in a corner. The screen goes dark, and bright pink gothic words show up, saying, "Come in, children."
Cast
- Strother MartinStrother MartinStrother Martin was an American actor in numerous films and television programs. Martin is perhaps best known as the prison "captain" in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, where he uttered the line, "What we've got here is...failure to communicate."-Early life:Strother Martin Jr. was born in Kokomo,...
as Doc Duncan - L. Q. JonesL. Q. JonesL.Q. Jones is an American character actor and film director, known for his work in the films of Sam Peckinpah.-Life and career:...
as Sheriff - Charles BatemanCharles BatemanCharles Edward Bateman FRIBA was an English architect, known for his Arts and Crafts and Queen Anne-style houses and commercial buildings in the Birmingham area and for his sensitive vernacular restoration and extension work in the Cotswolds.- Life and career :Bateman was born in Castle Bromwich,...
as Ben - Ahna CapriAhna CapriAnna Marie Nanasi, better known by her professional name Ahna Capri was Budapest, Hungary-born American film and television actress best known for her role as Tania in the classic martial-arts movie Enter the Dragon.Capri started her career as a child actress, appearing on such series as Father...
as Nicky - Charles RobinsonCharles RobinsonCharles Robinson may refer to:*Charles Robinson , English politician, MP for Canterbury*Charles Robinson , physician and politician in Ontario, Canada*Charles Robinson , British book illustrator...
as Priest - Alvy MooreAlvy MooreJack Alvin "Alvy" Moore was an American light comic actor best known for his role as scatterbrained county agricultural agent "Hank Kimball" on the television series Green Acres....
as Tobey - Geri ReischlGeri ReischlGeri Lee Reischl is an American actress and singer, known for her work as a child actor in the 1970s, most notably on the variety show The Brady Bunch Hour and various television commercials.-Acting:...
as KT
Additional information
- The Brotherhood of Satan was filmed in Albuquerque, New MexicoAlbuquerque, New MexicoAlbuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
.
- A book adaptation, titled The Brotherhood of Satan, by L. Q. JonesL. Q. JonesL.Q. Jones is an American character actor and film director, known for his work in the films of Sam Peckinpah.-Life and career:...
was published by Universal-Award in 1980 (ISBN 0441083013).
- The Brotherhood of Satan was released on VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
in 1983 by RCARCARCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
/Columbia PicturesColumbia PicturesColumbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
Home Video . A DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
version was released in 2002 by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment ISBN 0767882539).