# Stories of eldritch cults **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 11, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-of-eldritch-cults/841632 "2019-10-11T15:08:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-of-eldritch-cults/841632/1 "2019-10-11T15:08:43Z")
Let’s trace the satanic/pagan/eldritch cult/coven/conspiracy meme: 1911 short story “Casting the Runes by” M.R. James. 1931 novella _The Shadow over Innsmouth_ by H.P. Lovecraft. 1948 short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. Nothing supernatural here. The evil is entirely mundane. 1957 movie _Night of the Demon_ (titled _Curse of the Demon_ in the U.S.) based on “Casting the Runes”. 1964 novel _Day of the Arrow_ by Philip Loraine, which was made into the 1966 movie _Eye of the Devil_. Little known in the U.S., they were probably a strong influence on The Wicker Man. 1967 novel _Rosemary’s Baby_ by Ira Levin, which was made into the 1968 film _Rosemary’s Baby_. 1973 film _The Wicker Man_. Noteworthy because the villains are arguably more sympathetic than the hero. 1973 novel _Harvest home_ by Thomas Tryon, which was made into the 1978 TV mini-series _The Dark Secret of Harvest Home_. 1976 film _The Omen_. 1978 film _The Legacy_. This kind of subverts the trope. In this one, the coven’s victims deserve what they get. 1993 novel _The Club Dumas_ by Arturo Perez-Reverte Gutierrez, which was made into the 1999 film _The Ninth Gate_. Sort of deconstructs the trope. While individual people are powerful sorcerers, the cult itself is mostly a sham. The meme was used in a lot of low-budget horror flicks in the 1960s and 1970s, but most of them are deservedly forgotten. What are some good examples? What stories made significant contributions to the trope? ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-of-eldritch-cults/841632/2 "2019-10-11T22:20:00Z")
One could probably list these all day, but a few are: City of the Dead (1960) - overlooked British film about a village of devil worshippers, starring Christopher Lee, and set in New England! Looks like nothing special at first but stick with it, it actually turns damn good. A nice '60s companion piece to Psycho and Night of the Living Dead. Suspiria (1977) - a tad overrated but still a deserving cult (ha) favorite about witches in a girls’ boarding school Troll 2 - the infamous entertaining / terrible movie about a vegetarian coven (yes, that’s what I said!) ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-of-eldritch-cults/841632/3 "2019-10-12T00:18:59Z")
_The Black Cat_ (1934) – Devil cult action with great art direction and lighting. _The Seventh Victim_ (1943) – Beautifully lit, but generally senseless satanic cult action in Greenwich Village. _The Stranglers of Bombay_ (1959) – Thugees in 19th century India. _Kiss of the Vampire_ (1963) – Lost couple gets involved with vampire cult; features some surprising similarities to _Eyes Wide Shut_. _The Devil Rides Out_ (1968) – Above average devil cult shenanigans in England with Chris Lee as the good guy. _The Crimson Cult_ (1968) – Generally dreary except for Barbara Steele with green skin. [![](https://mikestakeonthemovies.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/steele-in-green.png) ](https://mikestakeonthemovies.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/steele-in-green.png) _Helter Skelter_ (1976) _Apocalypse Now_ (1979) _Galaxina_ (1980) – Post-apocalyptic motorcycle cult bent on worship of the great god, Harley-Davidson. _Conan the Barbarian_ (1982) – “Two or three years ago it was just another snake cult, now… they’re everywhere.” _Ticket to Heaven_ (1981)/_Split Image_ (1982) – The dangers of modern day cults and cult deprogramming. _Lair of the White Worm_ (1988) – Pagan snake cult ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-of-eldritch-cults/841632/4 "2019-10-12T00:51:01Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > _The Seventh Victim_ (1943) – Beautifully lit, but generally senseless satanic cult action in Greenwich Village. TCM showed this one just last night. (And also The Black Cat, which you mentioned, too.) I was struck by the similarities to _Rosemary’s Baby_. I haven’t read the 1967 Ira Levin novel, but from descriptions it does seem to feature the ‘banality of evil’ aspect of the coven as seen in the film. The idea that Satanists are not exciting or dramatic or particularly attractive, but merely unimpressive, average, boring people, can be seen in embryo in _The Seventh Victim_. As for the thread’s request: the 1996 move _The Craft_ might qualify. It’s one of those that do posit that magic is ‘real.’ ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-of-eldritch-cults/841632/5 "2019-10-12T01:06:58Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > TCM showed this one just last night. (And also The Black Cat, which you mentioned, too.) > > I was struck by the similarities to _Rosemary’s Baby_. I haven’t read the 1967 Ira Levin novel, but from descriptions it does seem to feature the ‘banality of evil’ aspect of the coven as seen in the film. The idea that Satanists are not exciting or dramatic or particularly attractive, but merely unimpressive, average, boring people, can be seen in embryo in _The Seventh Victim_. > > As for the thread’s request: the 1996 move _The Craft_ might qualify. It’s one of those that do posit that magic is ‘real.’ READ THE NOVEL. It will snap yer stix. The movie is great…but the novel! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-of-eldritch-cults/841632/6 "2019-10-12T01:15:35Z")
Then go back and read **A Kiss Before Dying,** Ira Levin’s first novel. Then forget him. Ira was a rare novelist whose first books were brilliant, and then turned into shit. **The Stepford Wives** and **The Boys from Brazil** were pretty much okay, but **Sliver** and **Son of Rosemary** were barely readable. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-of-eldritch-cults/841632/7 "2019-10-12T15:58:09Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > _The Stranglers of Bombay_ (1959) – Thugees in 19th century India. Cool! And that reminds me: _The Deceivers_ (1988). A Merchant Ivory production, in which Pierce Brosnan infiltrates the Thugs. > [@Dropo](#): > > _Galaxina_ (1980) – Post-apocalyptic motorcycle cult bent on worship of the great god, Harley-Davidson. Best scene in the whole movie: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZHcffZdd4Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZHcffZdd4Q) ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2019, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stories-of-eldritch-cults/841632/8 "2019-10-12T23:05:56Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > READ THE NOVEL. It will snap yer stix. > > The movie is great…but the novel! > [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Then go back and read **A Kiss Before Dying,** Ira Levin’s first novel. > Then forget him. Ira was a rare novelist whose first books were brilliant, and then turned into shit. **The Stepford Wives** and **The Boys from Brazil** were pretty much okay, but **Sliver** and **Son of Rosemary** were barely readable. I’ve read only _A Kiss Before Dying_, which I agree was superb. So I’ll probably take your advice on the rest. In re _Deathtrap_: I love how thoroughly meta that play is. I also notice its main plot device being reused more than perhaps any other that Levin created.