Right Hand of the Devil Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Right Hand of the Devil Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 20, 2024

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Film Masters' Door-to-Door Maniac double feature release.

Film Masters is a newish label that has been curating some pretty, um, niche stuff with a number of their "double feature" releases in particular. Some of those releases, like Common Law Wife and Jennie, Wife/Child, seem to have a kind of "through line" uniting the two features, but I think many would be hard pressed to find a connective thread between Door to Door Maniac (originally released as Five Minutes to Live) and Right Hand of the Devil, other than that both feature focal criminals intent on some kind of rampage, and also that you're probably unlikely to see either of these films anywhere else unless you actually go out there hunting for them. Door to Door Maniac has the cult appeal of offering just one of two big screen featured performances by Johnny Cash (with an early turn by Ronnie Howard), while Right Hand of the Devil is a kind of wacky attempt by Los Angeles hairdresser and bit player Aram Katcher to go full "Ed Wood" (perhaps unintentionally in more ways than one) as a quasi-auteur.

As mentioned above, Right Hand of the Devil is the handiwork (?) of one Aram Katcher, who, if you're a really devoted bit player aficionado, actually managed to chalk up a few notable if brief screen credits in both (probably lower grade) feature films and episodic television series . He actually made his day to day living running a Hollywood hair salon, and in fact one of many credits Katcher grants himself in this film's opening onslaught is for his "hair designs", a credit he somewhat hilariously offers with one of the stylish "signature" fonts that would occasionally show up in vintage films. Speaking of style, as gonzo as Right Hand of the Devil just unabashedly is, you kind of have to give mad props to Katcher for absolutely wild presentational proclivities, which seem to suggest that Katcher was a big fan of Orson Welles, if not actually able to muster Welles' genius for framings, let alone narrative cohesion.

Right Hand of the Devil evidently advertised itself as the "next" Diabolique, but it probably goes without saying that Katcher's screenplay is barely comprehensible at times, with hilariously named evil mastermind Pepe Lusara (Aram Katcher) hatching a mad plan to rob the local sports arena, which Pepe hopes to facilitate by going all gigolo with the arena's cashier, elderly lonely heart Elizabeth Sutherland (Lisa McDonald), in a subplot that will probably have a lot of people squirming for a variety of reasons. Pepe also enlists a cohort that turns out to be The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, and the film suddenly kind of veers off into a riff on the Faust legend, with Pepe getting some serious comeuppance.

If the story here is downright bat guano crazy, it's the shall we say references to various Welles films that kept standing out to me, including a bald cap for Pepe that seemed to mimic late era Charles Foster Kane, and another sequence with mirrors that has a The Lady from Shanghai vibe. The film was shot by Fouad Said, who either on his own or at Katcher's direction frames things absolutely hilariously at times, albeit again in a quasi-Wellesian manner, in such memorable moments as Pepe watching Elizabeth frolic at the beach, which is framed from the rear through Pepe's armpit.

Right Hand of the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Right Hand of the Devil is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Masters with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in either 1.66:1 or 1.33:1. I've offered five screenshots in each aspect ratio from more or less the same frames, so that those interested can see the differences, but I didn't see anything overly problematic, at least generally in terms of things like too much / too little headspace and the like. Film Masters tends not to provide a ton of technical information on its releases, and includes only a front cover statement that this is a "new 4K transfer for original 35 mm archival elements", albeit without specifying what those archival elements might be. This is a bit less consistent transfer than its package mate, perhaps due at least in part to inherited deficiencies from a very low budget shoot. That said, contrast is a little iffy, at times relatively strong and well delineated if arguably a bit too dark, at others more milky and wan, leading alternately to some occasional crush in blacks and, especially in some late beachside material, blooming whites. There is some absolutely hilarious ill suited stock footage inserted (notice how the years of the cars magically morph between decades), and a lot of that recycled material looks pretty ragged. For whatever reason, some of the best looking material comes in what would have been the final reels. Minor age related wear and tear can be spotted. While grain is observable, this has a somewhat filtered appearance.

Right Hand of the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Right Hand of the Devil features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono that is certainly listenable, but which has some recurrent distortion that's quite noticeable throughout the sound effects and bombastic scoring in particular. There's an overall somewhat muffled sound that tends to tamp down highs, but that at least means there is not the same kind of high frequency hiss that is noticeable on Door to Door Maniac. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available, and Film Masters also provides optional subtitles for the commentary track.

Right Hand of the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Player Piano: The Passion of Aram Katcher (HD; 10:52) is a video essay on the would be auteur.


• Original 1963 Right Hand of the Devil Trailer (HD; 1:36)


• Commentary with the Monster Party Podcast is accessible under the Setup Menu.

Right Hand of the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Right Hand of the Devil is actually kind of surprisingly "ept" (as opposed to inept), and it has a number of really rather stylish moments (including a Saul Bass inspired title sequence), but it is still generally a mess and an obvious vanity project. Technical merits encounter some hurdles, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.