Lady Elizabeth (Erika Blanc from The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave) looks on in horror as her husband is murdered while attempting to stop a witchfinder named Natas (Reggie Nalder) from drowning a woman accused of witchcraft in an icy lake. Natas is the right-hand man of the head witchfinder (Anton Diffring), and they conspire against Elizabeth to silence her. They even accuse her young son of consorting with witches and have her imprisoned.
Mark of the Devil Part II mixes in a bit of Nunsploitation into the old tried-and-true witch trials and torture scenes. If you’re into seeing bald horny nuns being whipped and raped, then this will rocket up your must-see list in a hurry.
Even though Reggie died in the first movie, he appears here playing a different but very similar character. The filmmakers knew his slimy performance was one of the best parts of the original, so they weren’t about to make a sequel without him. Similarly, Johannes Buzalski also returns as the witchfinder’s advocate, except his eye that gouged out in the first movie has miraculously grown back.
While Nalder cuts an imposing figure, sadly, Herbert Lom and Udo Kier’s absence is felt. Diffring’s prissy aristocratic demeanor is definitely lackluster when compared to Lom’s vile performance. At least Blanc is good in the lead.
Even though I’ve seen the original numerous times, I somehow never got around to seeing this one. It isn’t necessarily bad, but like most sequels, it’s a step down in quality from the first film in just about every department. I did like the scene where one of the burly executioners gets mad when he learns Diffring is torturing people who oppose him under falsified accusations because it gives the torture business “a bad name”!
Speaking of torture scenes, they still have a kick to them. The most memorable moment comes when a woman is lowered spread eagle onto a sharp stake. In another, a priest is fitted with what looks like a pair of flaming iron Crocs. Blanc is placed on the rack as well, and there’s a messy decapitation. Again, it’s not as good as Part I, but if you dug it the first time around, well… here it is again.
AKA: Witches: Violated and Tortured to Death.
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