Arrow Video Presents The Brotherhood of Satan on Blu-ray

Arrow Video brings to Blu-ray the long-awaited special edition version of Bernard McEveety’s 1971 film, The Brotherhood of Satan.

The film follows the recently widowed Ben, his girlfriend Nicky, and his daughter K.T. on a road trip across the Southwest. During the trip they are witnesses to a horrific accident and head to the nearby isolated desert town of Hillsboro to report it to the Sheriff (played by L.Q. Jones). While there, they are met with a not-too-welcoming reaction from the locals, who are gripped by paranoia and fear due to a series of gruesome deaths and the mysterious disappearance of eleven of the community’s children. As more disappearances and deaths continue during their visit, Ben and his family find themselves joining the sheriff, a local priest and the town’s doctor, Doc Duncan (Strother Martin, Cool Hand Luke), but all clues lead to an evil satanic cult that is slowly gripping the town and its inhabitants.

The tone of this film is a mix of a spaghetti western and Rosemary’s Baby, giving the viewer a voyeuristic feel as an unseen observer to all the atrocities being committed in the town by the satanic cult.

The dreamlike quality of some of the scenes and the creepy narratives that circle the movie may seem too pretentious at times, and may lead viewers to have to watch a second time to pick up on what the filmmaker was trying to convey (other than making a cheap drive-in grindhouse movie). This quality made it a cult classic for repeat viewings, and will remedy any confusions you would have from the first-time around.

Arrow Video as always packs each release with an abundance of special features, including:

• High-Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original uncompressed mono audio
• Optional English subtitles
• Brand new audio commentary by writers Kim Newman and Sean Hogan
• Satanic Panic: How the 1970s Conjured the Brotherhood of Satan, a brand-new visual essay by David Flint
• The Children of Satan, exclusive new interview with actors Jonathan Erickson Eisley and Alyson Moore
• Original Trailers and TV and Radio Spots
• Image Gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Richard Wells
• FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated booklet featuring new writing by Johnny Mains and Brad Stevens

I very much enjoyed the set design, the tone, and overall look of the film. It kicks the drive-in grindhouse films up a notch from similar films produced at that time. While not an Oscar winning film by any means, the filmmakers tried their best to make a “smart” horror movie which fails in some aspects, but works exceedingly well in other places within the film.