''Mark of the Devil Part II'', or in original German ''Hexen geschändet und zu Tode gequält'' (lit. "Witches Are Violated and Tortured to Death"), is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

released in

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

. It is a sequel to '' Mark of the Devil''.

Plot

Young noblewoman Elisabeth von Salmenau ( Erika Blanc) encounters a group of religious fanatics led by Balthasar von Ross (

Anton Diffring Anton Diffring (born Alfred Pollack, 20 October 1916 – 19 May 1989) was a German-born character actor who had an extensive career in the United Kingdom from the 1940s to the 1980s, latterly appearing in international films. He appeared in ove ...

) and his henchman Natas (

Reggie Nalder Reggie Nalder (born Alfred Reginald Natzler; 4 September 1907 – 19 November 1991) was a prolific Austrian film and television character actor from the late 1940s to the early 1990s. His distinctive features—partially the result of disfigurin ...

). Her husband (

Adrian Hoven Adrian Hoven (18 May 1922 – 28 April 1981) was an Austrian actor, producer and film director. He appeared in 100 films between 1947 and 1981. He was born in Wöllersdorf, Austria as ''Wilhelm Arpad Hofkirchner'' and died in Tegernsee, Ge ...

) is killed and her young son Alexander ( Percy Hoven) is deemed the devil's spawn. Elisabeth intends to plead the innocence of her son, but when she refuses Balthasar's advances, she is also deemed a

heretic Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

by the corrupt officials, and tortured.

Cast

* Erika Blanc - Elisabeth von Salmenau *

- Balthasar von Ross * Percy Hoven - Alexander von Salmenau *

- Natas *

Lukas Ammann Lukas Ammann (29 September 1912 – 3 May 2017) was a Swiss actor who appeared mainly in German and Swiss films and television shows. He continued to work steadily for over 60 years. He is best known for his title role in the German televi ...

- Eminence *Jean-Pierre Zola - Nicholas *Astrid Kilian - Clementine *Ellen Umlauf - Abbess *Rosemarie Heinikel - Pompanne (credited as Rosy Rosy) *Dietrich Kerky - Father Melchior *

Johannes Buzalski Johannes Buzalski (1918–1977) was a German film and television actor.Rentschler p.287 Selected filmography * ''Hello, Fraulein!'' (1949) * ''Jonny Saves Nebrador'' (1953) * ''The Confession of Ina Kahr'' (1954) * ''Heroism after Hours'' (1955) ...

- Advocate *

- Count Alexander von Salmenau

Production

Although sold as a sequel, the film has no real connection to the first film outside of a similar time period and instances of gratuitous torture.

, villain in the first film, co-stars here but plays a different character.

Release

The film was released theatrically in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

by Hallmark Releasing, distributor of the first film, in 1974. It has been available on VHS in a multitude of releases from different companies, all varying in terms of the violent content, and never been officially released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

in the

External links

* * 1973 films 1973 horror films Films about witchcraft Films directed by Adrian Hoven Films set in the 18th century German horror films 1970s German-language films German splatter films West German films Witch hunting in fiction 1970s German films {{1970s-horror-film-stub