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Dennis Wheatley Visits Elstree Studios

100 Years of Elstree Studios - Part Five

We've mentioned before special visits to Elstree Studios by royalty and literary giants. This time we have a visit from a master storyteller of the black magic arts, who just happened to have two films in production from his books.  On Friday 15 September 1967 Dennis Wheatley visited the studios when The Devil Rides Out and The Lost Continent were being filmed.

The Devil Rides Out was published in 1934 and helped Wheatley become one of the most successful British authors through the 40s and into the 60s. A tale of the occult and dastardly satanic deeds introduced his character the Duke of Richleau, who was to appear in many more books. The Duke was played by Christopher Lee, and the baddie, Mocata, by Charles Gray. Lee said on a few occasions that this was his favourite film out of the many he made. Wheatley was so impressed by the adaptation that he gave Lee a first edition of the book. It is also reckoned to be director Terence Fisher's best film.

After meeting Lee, Fisher, and the producer Anthony Nelson Keys on the sets, Wheatley moved on to the other production, The Lost Continent. The book adapted was called Uncharted Seas on publication in 1938. Wheatley visited the workshops where Hollywood effects expert, Robert Mattey, was constructing giant sea creatures (he was later to create 'Jaws' for Steven Spielberg).  He  moved onto the set to meet the stars Eric Porter and Hildegard Knef and then to see the outdoor tanks being prepared - a 175,000 gallon tank was constructed for the sea scenes. The hosts were producer Michael Carreras and director Leslie Norman, and both films were being made for Hammer.