Exhumed: John Travolta in "The Devil's Rain'" [1975]

by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden

In their “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike normally give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. However, “Exhumed” will focus on the first (or very early) credits of established actors, giving their roles the GBV treatment. For this installment, it’s John Travolta in The Devil’s Rain.

Intro

A cinematic masterpiece, if your definition of "masterpiece" involves copious amounts of melting flesh, Ernest Borgnine in truly unsettling goat makeup, and a young John Travolta apparently auditioning for a future role as "Mannequin Head #3"

The Details

Yes, our Johnny Boy graces this sulfurous spectacle as Danny, a character whose primary function seems to be looking vaguely bewildered and occasionally shouting things with the dramatic intensity of someone who's just realized they left the milk out. His performance is a study in understated… well, something. Perhaps it's understated terror? Understated confusion? Or maybe just understated acting. One can only speculate.

He navigates the demonic cult shenanigans with the wide-eyed innocence of a newborn lamb who's wandered onto a particularly poorly lit heavy metal concert stage. He manages to convey a range of emotions, mostly falling somewhere between mild concern and the dawning realization that his agent might not have had his best interests at heart with this particular project.

The Verdict

John Travolta in The Devil's Rain is a performance that truly must be… seen? Endured? Possibly just politely acknowledged before moving swiftly on to his later, less… melty work. Travolta's presence adds a certain… je ne sais quoi to the film. Perhaps that quoi is "a reminder that even future Oscar nominees have to start somewhere," and sometimes that somewhere is a film where the devil literally rains down a viscous, skin-dissolving goo.

A true testament to the resilience of a young actor in the face of truly bizarre cinematic choices.

The Devil’s Rain