The Blood on Satan's Claw

The Blood on Satan's Claw, originally released as Satan's Skin, is a 1971 British period supernatural horror film directed by Piers Haggard and starring Patrick Wymark, Linda Hayden, and Barry Andrews. Set in early 18th-century England, it follows the residents of a rural village whose youth fall under the influence of a demonic presence after a local farmer unearths a mysterious deformed skull buried in a field. It is widely regarded as one of three films that introduced the folk horror aesthetic to British cinema, an "unholy trinity" whose other entries are Witchfinder General (1968) and The Wicker Man (1973).

The screenplay for the film was originally written by Robert Wynne-Simmons as an anthology of horror stories set in a small village, and had the working title of The Devil's Skin. After director Haggard was hired for the project, he and Wynne-Simmons reworked the screenplay into a singular cohesive narrative. Principal photography took place in 1970, mainly in the Chiltern Hills region of England, with some filming also taking place at Pinewood Studios.

The film was briefly released in the United Kingdom by Tigon Pictures under the title Satan's Skin in January 1971. It premiered in New York City in April 1971 under the title The Blood on Satan's Claw, distributed by Cannon Films, and became a regular feature through the remainder of the year at drive-in theaters in the United States, paired as a double feature with The Beast in the Cellar. Tigon Pictures re-released the film as The Blood on Satan's Claw on 16 July 1971 in London, where it screened at the New Victoria Theatre, though this engagement lasted only one week following underwhelming ticket sales. The film did, however, continue to screen throughout the United Kingdom.

The Blood on Satan's Claw was met with mixed reviews from critics, and underperformed at the box office, though it did receive praise for its performances, cinematography, and atmosphere. In the intervening years, the film has gained a cult following, and has been cited by several film scholars as a progenitor of the folk horror genre. A spoken-word adaptation of the film featuring Mark Gatiss and Hayden was released by Audible in 2018, followed by a 2023 novelisation written by Wynne-Simmons, its original screenwriter.