As far as villains go, Niall MacGinnis is certainly no clown, although as Doctor Karswell, head of a large Satanist Cult in England, he dresses as one called Dr. Bobo: The Magnificent, performing magic tricks for children while trying to keep Dana Andrews from publishing a disparaging article he was sent from America to write, replacing ingenue Peggy Cummins' uncle, who began the film being lethally plowed-down by the titular CURSE OF THE DEMON.
The seventies' Western TAKE A HARD RIDE seemed to have several sub-genres at play, and yet, despite a small yet important role, Dana Andrews is the best representation since it's not a Blaxploitation despite stars Jim Brown (as Dana's friend), Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly, nor a Spaghetti Western with Lee Van Cleef on their trial, but more a modernized version of the kind of classic rough-and-tumble cowboy picture that Dana himself was a veteran of, from CANYON PASSAGE to THREE HOURS TO KILL, and before and beyond, including his last starring roles, TOWN TAMER and JOHNNY RENO.
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