The Day of the Devil

A quite original episode of Morse. Not a set-piece murder investigation but a manhunt for a satan-worshipping rapist. The villain proves to be quite the formidable adversary for Morse, edluding him on several occasions through the use of clever disguises and escape plans.

It all threatened to unravel at the end though. Many of the Morse episode fall short of greatness simply because the writers overegg the pudding and throw in a few twists too many. This makes the plot more complex than it needs to be and reduces the plausibility of it.

This episode comes close to that, but doesn't quite undo all the good work. In the end, while complex, it's quite plausible and understandable. Very ingenious, even poetic, in fact.

My all-time favourite episode has always been Masonic Mysteries, but Day of the Devil is so brilliant, it almost surpasses it in terms of tension, suspense and terror. This time, Morse and Lewis hunt for a psychotic escapist, who challenges them to a cat-and-mouse game that could end in deadly consequences. John Thaw and Kevin Whately are both excellent, but they are out shadowed by an outstanding performance from Keith Allen as John Peter Barrie, a performance that riddles with terror and tension. The scene when he dressed up as the devil was so terrifying, I was beginning to wonder, whether the fright on the supporting characters' faces was actually genuine. The music, script and camera-work are all brilliant. The performances from Harriet Walter, Richard Griffiths, Gilly Coman and James Grout are all impressive, but at the end of the day, it is Allen that walks away with the acting honours. Outstanding! 10/10 Bethany Cox.

Keith Allen, brilliant best, no waste of talent on display in this episode. Sadly, whilst about the occult, the script is pretty good, the acting standard very high, the plot with various twists and turns would put this one in the top 3 of the best of Morse. He does, as always get there in the end, which may come as a surprise to some watching. Great casting especially Keith Allen

This stands out for me as one of the best episodes in the Morse collection. Very much darker and more harrowing then the usual Morse stories, this one contains some very dark and sinister moments, and is without doubt the creepiest episode of Morse. So much subject matter, Domestic violence, Devil Worship, deceit, religion, and plain old good versus evil.

The story itself is wonderfully complex and intricate, as the episode moves along the plot is untangled in a hugely effective way. The principle characters are all fantastically realised, none more so then the lead villain John Peter Barrie, incredibly well performed by Keith Allen.

Some hugely powerful scenes, the emotional one between WPC Curtis and Esther Martin where she discusses her childhood memories of her brothers and the motorbike. The encounter between Barrie and Canon Appleton, the fear Richard Griffiths realistically portrayed was fantastic. The terrifying appearance at the ceremony, and of course the final showdown.

Superb characters, a fabulous story, all you can say is that 'they don't make 'um like this any more.' Brilliance 10/10

A truly engrossing, edge-of-the-seat, unnerving detective episode as you may ever see. The acting by Morse, Lewis, Barrie, and Dr. Martin, is excellent, especially the latent violence in Barrie. The music adds a nice touch to the anticipation of upcoming events.

Keith Allen as Barrie shines as a psychopath who is out for his own form of revenge. Harriet Walker as Dr. Martin clearly has more to her than she lets on. John Thaw and Kevin Whately excel as Morse and Lewis with ever increasing pace of worry as things progress. Add in the excellent acting of Richard Graham and Richard Griffiths as PC Cobbs and Canon Appleton, and the all-star cast delivers in every scene.

One of the best Morse episodes produced with its nail-biting tension and excellent acting. Be sure to use the loo first as you will not want to miss a second.