Ever since "folk horror" became part of the genre lexicon, three British films stand out as its "unholy trinity": Witchfinder General (1968), The Wicker Man (1973), and The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971). But while the first two critique religious hypocrisy and draw decidedly sharp lines between their heroes and villains, The Blood on Satan's Claw (released in the U.S. 55 years ago this week) occupies a more surreal, morally gray area: no one in the rustic, tranquil village where the film takes place is safe from the influence of the demonic — especially the children, whose corruption prefigured the onslaught of "evil children" movies that began shortly thereafter.
