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A psychiatrist investigates the death of one of his patients, a young heiress.

If the result of the ritual is to put the viewer to sleep, then it worked.

Due to the ratings success of the TV-movie &quot;Fear No Evil&quot; a year earlier, Universal decided to bring back demon-fighting David Sorell (Louis Jourdan) and have him deal with a sinister cult of devil-worshippers among the &quot;beautiful people&quot; of southern California. Chief among those are Academy Award winner Anne Baxter, John McMartin, and Diana Hyland (the beloved older paramour of the then twenty-something John Travolta). Wilfred Hyde-White, Jourdan&#39;s friend from the first film, returns in this one, while &quot;The Rookies&quot; Georg Stanford Brown is on hand as an artist with connections to the cult. I recall that there was much uproar when the film aired because its conclusion left many viewers confused and disappointed in the resolution of the storyline. This was especially disappointing for those of us that thought the first film was so well done. Perhaps, this is the reason why there wasn&#39;t a third in the series.

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Ritual of Evil

As ridiculous as I found most of the TV movies of the week about the occult to be, I found them enjoyable in a harmless camp way, but this one seems to be taking itself way too seriously and ends up eye rolling and disgustingly manipulative. It is the second film to feature Louis Jourdan&#39;s character of an anti-occult fighter investigating the death of the young niece of faded movie star Anne Baxter who spends more time passed out than before the camera. Georg Stanford Brown is the young black folk singer who is questioned after finding her body and running away, and this leads to revelations about a cult of young women involved in devil worshiping and human sacrifice. Diana Hyland, Belinda Montgomery and Carla Borelli play foolish young girls on a path of evil, and they are cursed with a stupid teleplay that is equally pretentious. Such great veteran actors as John McMartin, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Dehl Berti try to maintain their dignity along with Jourdan who seems to be reciting every line as if he was asleep and the breathy Baxter, desperately waiting for her chance to play Margo Channing on Broadway and get away from stuff offered to her like this. McMartin had the big Broadway musical &quot;Follies&quot; right after this, and ironically had a folly with this one. I wasn&#39;t creeped out by the occult theme, but it was obvious to me that this wasn&#39;t exactly written to be anti-occult with the subtle hints within the pages of the script. Or maybe it was a subtle warning to girls outside of California to stay away. I can&#39;t decide which.

I really enjoyed this film and wish there had been more in the series. It was interesting and the ending was left open, probably so that Diana Hyland--whose chemistry with Jourdan was perfect--could come back. She was one of the best female &quot;villains&quot; I have ever seen on TV, because she was complex. It would have been great to see this as a series of movies. Louis Jourdan is one of the all-time great &quot;smooth&quot; actors. He was eminently watchable--sort of an Alain Delon without all the private &quot;drama&quot; going on. I miss him as an actor--miss Hyland, too--and Jourdan&#39;s &quot;Dracula&quot; is the best rendition ever of the roll imho. Let&#39;s agitate to bring this series back--fx or one of the premium cable channels would be a natural to sponsor, don&#39;t you think?

Psychiatrist and occult expert Dr. David Sorell (smoothly played with topmost suave aplomb by Louis Jourdan) runs afoul of both black magic and a deadly satanic cult while investigating the death of a young heiress. Director Robert Day relates the enjoyable and engrossing story at a steady pace, adroitly crafts a supremely spooky mood, and makes nice use of various lovely coastal locations. The sturdy acting by the able cast helps a lot: Anne Baxter as drunken faded actress Jolene Wiley, Diana Hyland as enticing photographer Leila Barton, John McMartin as greedy and smarmy playboy Edward Bolander, Belinda Montgomery as the sweet, but willful Loey, Wilfrid Hyde-White as wise mentor Harry Snowden, Georg Stanford Brown as hip ex-junkie singer Larry Richmond, Carla Borelli as the ill-fated Aline, Regis Cordic as a hard-nosed sheriff, and Dehl Berti as concerned servant Mora. Lionel Linden&#39;s crisp cinematography makes neat use of a constantly moving camera and boasts some groovy stylistic flourishes. Billy Goldenberg&#39;s spirited shivery score hits the spine-tingling spot. A most worthwhile terror telefilm.

User reviews

Ritual of Evil

Psychiatrist battles a cult of satanists

If the result of the ritual is to put the viewer to sleep, then it worked.

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