In the Devil's Garden

1971

Crime / Drama / Horror / Mystery

3
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 19% · 2 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 19% · 100 ratings
IMDb Rating 5.5/10 10 1081 1.1K

rape police exploitation stalker woods rape victim

Plot summary

After a schoolgirl is raped while taking a short cut through the local woods, and another murdered a few days later, the police are baffled. With the help of a reporter, and against the wishes of a local psychologist, a young schoolteacher uses herself as bait to lure the perpetrator out.

Director

Sidney Hayers Photo
Sidney Hayers

Top cast

James Cosmo Photo
James Cosmo as Det. Sgt. Beale
Patrick Jordan Photo
Patrick Jordan as Sgt. Milton
Pat Gorman Photo
Pat Gorman as Final scene pc
Suzy Kendall Photo
Suzy Kendall as Julie West
720p.BluRay
837.56 MB
1280*690
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 31 min
Seeds 6

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by biggee 7 / 10

Good period chiller reminds me of the forgotten "I start counting".

The film is typical of its time, with the lighting, camera work and fashion giving a clear indication of 1969 to 1971 British cinema.It is not scary, but there is reasonable suspense and enjoyment.My main reason for commenting is has anyone else noticed the very strong similarities with the brilliant (but sadly never shown) "I start counting"?There is the same fashion, the similar colour technique which is surprising given this is Eastman and "I start" is De Luxe, an emphasis on short skirts, an unknown serial assailant who is revealed at the end but throughout most of the film the viewers attention is diverted to other suspects. There is also the woods where the events take place; the atmosphere in the woodland scenes is very similar. Finally, there is a young and good looking central character in both, Lesley-Anne Down and Jenny AgutterWatch the film if you enjoy late 60's, early 70's Britain and a bit of suspense.
Reviewed by RodrigAndrisan 7 / 10

Very alert, very dynamic!

Suzy Kendall, another love of my youth and always! Admired in "To Sir, with Love" (1967), "The Penthouse" (1967), "Up the Junction" (1968), and especially in the fascinating role in "Fraulein Doktor" (1969) and in "Fear Is the Key"(1972). One of the most beautiful women ever and extraordinary actress in "The Penthouse", her best and most complex role in a movie. This "Devil's Garden"(1971)Assault (original title) is not bad but not great either. Frank Finlay is good as a cop, and Freddie Jones is even better as a journalist. Lesley-Anne Down, the later beauty from movies like "Brannigan" (1975), "Sphinx" (1981) and especially "Hanover Street" (1979), here very very young, just a teenager, is full of sexuality already.
Reviewed by The_Void 6 / 10

Interesting British attempt at making a Giallo

Assault is apparently a British attempt at emulating the popular Italian Giallo sub-genre. If that is indeed what the filmmakers were aiming for, it has to be said that they've done a rather good job, as Assault incorporates many of the common Giallo trademarks. We've got a killer on the loose, a number of victims, a police investigation, an eyewitness, lots of red herrings and an unknown assailant, among other things. I'd even go as far as to say that if I didn't know better, I might have thought this was an Italian production, set in the UK. It's unfortunate, then, that director Sidney Hayers wasn't able to take the script and craft an exciting mystery out of it, as the film features far too much talking and not enough action, leaving it caught up in boredom for most of the running time. The plot follows the murder of a young girl in the woods outside of her school. When another is found dead in the same way shortly after, the police are brought in. Their only witness is a young teacher, who says the killer looks like the devil and puts herself on the line to catch the psychopath.One common element of the Italian Giallo is a silly plot, and that has been copied for this film also. The idea regarding the capture of the killer is preposterous, and the murderer would have to be a complete and utter fool to fall for it. The film doesn't seem too keen on keeping itself away from complete farce either, as the climax is very silly and it's often hard to keep a straight face while watching the film unfold, and that's not what you want from a thriller that handles themes of murder and rape. The cast is distinctly British, and Derbyshire-born Giallo star Suzy Kendall, who has also worked with the likes of Dario Argento, Sergio Martino and Umberto Lenzi on Giallo thrillers, takes the lead role and is joined by a host of tea-drinking co-stars. Sidney Hayers' direction is a little turgid at times, although scenes such as the one in which we get an early glimpse of the murderer are well shot. The conclusion to the mystery is disappointing, as the identity of the killer just sort of comes out of nowhere. Overall, this film isn't all that good; but it may appeal to Giallo fans for the fact that it's a Giallo, but it's not Italian.
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