''Devil's Partner'' is a 1958 American film starring

Ed Nelson Edwin Stafford Nelson (December 21, 1928 – August 9, 2014) was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Michael Rossi in the television series '' Peyton Place''. Nelson appeared in episodes of many TV programs, more than 50 mov ...

, directed by Charles R. Rondeau and produced by Hugh Hooker, an actor and stuntman who had previously made the 1958 film ''The Littlest Hobo''. However the film was not released until 1961 when it was acquired by

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and

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Corman's

Filmgroup The Filmgroup was a production and distribution company founded by filmmakers Roger Corman and Gene Corman in 1959. Corman used it to make and distribute his own movies, as opposed to ones he was making for American International Pictures. (The rea ...

as a

double feature The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera ho ...

with ''

Creature from the Haunted Sea ''Creature from the Haunted Sea'' is a 1961 horror comedy film directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the film is a parody of spy, gangster, and monster movies (mostly ''Creature from the Black Lagoon''), concerning a secret a ...

'' The film was co-written by actor

Stanley Clements Stanley Clements (born Stanislaw Klimowicz; July 16, 1926 – October 16, 1981) was an American actor and comedian, best known for portraying "Stash" in the East Side Kids film series, and group leader Stanislaus "Duke" Coveleskie in The Bowery ...

and Laura Jean Mathews.

Plot summary

Set in rural Furnace Flats, New Mexico, the film opens with a hunched old man, Pete Jensen, slaughtering a goat and daubing its blood within a

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drawn on the floor of his shack. Days later, a young man, Nick Richards, arrives in town, asking about Pete, claiming he is his uncle. The town's sheriff informs Nick that Pete is dead. Nick decides to set up residence in Pete's shack. While there, he engages in a series of demonic rituals designed to drive a wedge between pretty Nell Lucas and her fiancé, auto-mechanic David Simpson. One evening, after a date with Nell, David is mysteriously attacked and disfigured by his pet dog. Nick offers to substitute for David at his

gas station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoline ...

while he recovers. Those alerted to Nick's presence notice that even though it's incredibly hot, the immaculately dressed Nick fails to perspire. Yet with the exception of the sheriff's dog, the town's inhabitants feel comfortable in his presence. Meanwhile, further animal-related incidents occur. A local drunk is trampled by a horse. A plastic surgeon dies when a cow lays down in the road in front of his speeding car, causing him to crash. Later, a rattlesnake threatens David in his bedroom, but he shoots the varmint before it escapes. Eventually, the town doctor finally guesses that Nick, the victim of demonic possession, is behind the hostile animal incidents. He further theorizes (correctly) that the old man, Pete, and his nephew Nick are actually one and the same. In the film's climax, the doctor and the sheriff, along with Nell and David, witness Nick transforming into a stallion. As he gallops away, however, the sheriff brings him down with several gunshots. At this point, David's facial wound miraculously disappears and the film ends on a happy note with the townsfolk standing over Nick's body in a field.

Cast

as Nick Richards / Pete Jensen *

Edgar Buchanan William Edgar Buchanan II (March 20, 1903 – April 4, 1979) was an American actor with a long career in both film and television. He is most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the ''Petticoat Junction'', ''Green Acres'', and ''The ...

as Doc Lucas *

Jean Allison Jean Allison (born October 24, 1929) is an American actress. She appeared in numerous films and TV series throughout the 1950s to the 1980s. Biography Allison was born in New York City on October 24, 1929. She made her debut on television in th ...

as Nell Lucas * Richard Crane as David Simpson *Spencer Carlisle as Sheriff Tom Fuller *

Byron Foulger Byron Kay Foulger (August 27, 1898 – April 4, 1970) was an American character actor who over a 50-year career performed in hundreds of stage, film, and television productions. Early years Born in Ogden, Utah, Byron was the second of four ...

as Papers *Claire Carleton as Ida *Brian O'Hara as Harry Matthews *

Harry Fleer Harry Fleer (March 26, 1916 – October 14, 1994) was an American actor. He appeared in more than sixty films and television shows between 1955 and 1994. Fleer was cast six times from 1957 to 1960 on the syndicated television anthology ser ...

as John Winters *Joe Hooker as Deputy Joe *Hugh Hooker as Mr. Johnson *Riley Hill as Frank

Production note

While several characters in the film claim to have seen a

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, one never appears on-screen even though one appears on the poster advertising the movie.

Critical reaction

Author/critic Bryan Senn wrote that director Charles R. Rondeau "cuts through the bull to deliver an atmospheric, intimate little supernatural thriller." Praising the "earnest" cast members, including Jean Allison and Edgar Buchanan, Senn continues that even if the film is "perhaps predictable...you could do far worse than to shake hands with ''The Devil's Partner''. Horror-film scholar Eric Michael Mazur has identified ''Devil's Partner'' as part of a scary sub-genre that took advantage of the early 1960's obsession with "hysteria over juvenile delinquency and the accessibility of strange new religions." As a result of these social concerns, an environment resulted where "the Devil film became nearly ubiquitous." Commenting on ''Devil's Partner'', critic David Goldweber was delighted by the film's blending of "sweet 1950s small-town ambience with shape-shifting devil worship." While admitting that he "might be overrating it because I like this kind of thing...the acting, directing, script, and dialogue are all above average."Goldweber, David Elroy. ''Claws and Saucers: Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy Film 1902-1982: A Complete Guide''. Lulu.com (E-book), 2016.
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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Devil's Partner 1958 films 1961 horror films 1961 films American supernatural horror films Works based on the Faust legend American black-and-white films Films scored by Ronald Stein 1960s English-language films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films 1960s American films