10 December 2024
The Touch of Satan (1971)
90 min.
Directed by Tom Laughlin.
With Michael Berry, Emby Mellay, Lee Amber, Yvonne Winslow, Jeanne Gerson, Robert Easton.
This under-the-radar horror musters a lowkey efficiency and an occasionally haunting mood.

Drifter Jodie (Berry) wanders into a rural walnut ranch where he meets soft spoken Melissa (Mellay).

The two are attracted to each other and so Jodie decides to stay a spell.

But he soon discovers that strange things are afoot here: a crazed murderer stalks the area, the locals believe Melissa is a witch, and she has a creepy great grandmother with burned skin and hag white hair.

Unless he hits the road again pronto, Jodie's travelling days may be at an end...permanently.

Often, low budget drive-in terrors can either be unmitigated stinkers - or interesting oddities. And Touch is one of the latter.

Well directed by Tom Laughlin (the star and director of the cult classic Billy Jack), this has some good makeup effects and competent performances from Berry and Mellay.

Known alternately as either Night of the Demon or as Curse of Melissa.

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