The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971)

A quality early 1970s horror. In the 17th century farmer Ralph (Barry Andrews) is minding his own business when his plough unearths a fiendish creature's remains. Thus begins a dark tale of Satanic possession and witchcraft. Young local girl Angel (Linda Hayden) becomes the servant of the Dark One and lures other youngsters into her coven, giving them the (hairy) demonic skin and in some cases leading them to their doom...

The Judge (Patrick Wymark) is at first sceptical but soon he learns of the real dark power of Satan and only he can save the village from destruction...

A dark, sordid and sexy tale of evil (well you certainly see plenty of young female flesh). Although the story isn't highly original (early 70s British horror was full of Satanic witchcraft) this is a very well made example of the genre with excellent performances. The only real criticism is that the final showdown is rather underwhelming but that doesn't stop the film being one of the best British horror films of the period.