Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

The Devil's Rain (1975) movie poster

Plot Summary

The Devil's Rain (1975) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
1975 · 86 min · English
JustWatch #18,501 10
Directed by
Robert Fuest
Starring
Ernest Borgnine, John Travolta, Tom Skerritt, Ida Lupino, Eddie Albert, Keenan Wynn

A satanist cult leader meets a fiery end at the hands of the local church, but not before cursing their descendants. He vows revenge, intending to enslave them all through the power of ancient blood contracts—agreements that bound them to the devil. The descendants must now face a terrifying supernatural threat and fight to break free from the pact made generations ago.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like The Devil's Rain
  6. 6 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch The Devil's Rain (1975)

Where can you watch The Devil's Rain? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on AMC+, Artiflix and Eternal Family: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

Streaming availability powered by JustWatch

Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in The Devil's Rain: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of The Devil's Rain (1975) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

As a centuries-old curse continues to exact its sinister vengeance on the Preston family, an ominous atmosphere envelops their ancestral home in colonial New England. This dark force originates from Jonathan Corbis, a Satanic priest whose relentless pursuit of a treasured tome has been driven by generations of betrayal from the Prestons. This cursed book, bound to the souls of Corbis's followers through ritualistic signatures, contains the key to his infernal power.

When family patriarch Steve Preston](/actor/ernest-borgnine) falls victim to Corbis's clutches, he seizes a fleeting opportunity to escape and urgently warns his wife Emma and son Mark. In his desperate attempt to protect them, Steve implores them to surrender the book, sealing his fate as he melts away like wax in a crucible of despair.

As the family's world begins to splinter, Mark seeks advice from their family friend [John, urging Emma to hide the book and entrust it to a trusted ally. However, just as Mark prepares to confront Corbis, disaster strikes when they find themselves ambushed by the very cultists they had desperately tried to escape. In the ensuing chaos, Emma is kidnapped, leaving John terrified and bound.

In a stark desert wasteland, Mark musters the courage to challenge Corbis to a battle of faith, only to be drawn deeper into darkness. There, he encounters Emma's horrifically transformed visage—her vacant eyes stand as a testament to her surrender to evil forces. Resolute in his refusal to succumb, Mark finds himself surrounded and overpowered by Corbis's devoted minions.

As the authorities ignore John's cries for help, Mark’s older brother Tom](/actor/tom-skerritt) and his wife Julie take matters into their own hands, venturing into an abandoned town to search for their missing family. Their journey leads them into violence when they are ambushed by Corbis's followers, with Julie tragically falling into the hands of a sinister cultist lurking in wait.

Meanwhile, Tom disguises himself as a defeated Satanist to infiltrate Corbis's lair. There, he witnesses the twisted ritual aimed at converting Mark into a soulless minion. Just as Tom narrowly escapes discovery, he reunites with Dr. Sam Richards, a psychic researcher familiar with dark arts. Together, they delve into the mysteries of the cursed book, discovering the source of Corbis's power: an intricately crafted glass bottle known as "The Devil's Rain," said to contain the very souls of his followers.

This revelation uncovers Mark's unwitting signature, a mark he never knew he possessed. Tom and Richards then infiltrate Corbis's church, executing a daring plan to reclaim The Devil's Rain from its ominous resting place. However, their stealth is quickly thwarted as Corbis's cult descends upon them like a dark storm cloud. Overwhelmed, Tom and Richards hastily retreat with The Devil's Rain, abandoning the ancient tome that once held its sinister power. Yet, Corbis takes the opportunity to claim the forsaken book, initiating a dark ritual to transform Julie into an otherworldly being stripped of mortal vision.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Tom boldly interrupts the macabre ceremony, only to find himself captured by Corbis's minions. At the same time, Richards is overpowered and loses control of The Devil's Rain, which Mark seizes with unholy delight. As Mark gazes upon the cursed vessel, Richards urgently warns him to destroy it, cautioning that failure to do so would damn Mark eternally, forcing him to wander a barren expanse devoid of divine mercy or infernal judgment.

Undeterred by the threat of Mark's soul being lost to nothingness, Corbis persists in his wicked intent, proclaiming that destroying The Devil's Rain will unleash its malevolent essence on the world. Driven by a morbid curiosity, Mark ultimately decides to shatter the bottle, releasing a cataclysm of hellish energy that obliterates Corbis and his followers like wax in a fiery furnace, reduces the church to ashes, and sends Tom and Julie fleeing for their lives.

As Tom embraces Julie, he is horrified to realize that he has unwittingly clasped Corbis, whose soul has become ensnared within the new vessel of The Devil's Rain.

Last updated: November 17, 2024 at 18:17

Was this helpful?

Plot questions answered

The Devil's Rain Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about The Devil's Rain (1975): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Why did Steve Preston melt away in the movie?

Steve Preston melted away because he was captured by Jonathan Corbis and subjected to his dark powers. When Steve escaped to warn his family, Corbis's curse had already taken hold. The melting effect is a manifestation of Corbis's supernatural ability to destroy those who defy him, reducing victims to wax-like substances as a warning to others who might interfere.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, the curse is established as a centuries-old dark force targeting the Preston family.

  • steve preston
  • melting
  • cross
  • corpse
  • curse
Q2

What is The Devil's Rain and how does it work?

The Devil's Rain is a glass bottle that contains the souls of Jonathan Corbis's followers. It is the source of Corbis's infernal power, every soul trapped within the bottle fuels his dark abilities. The bottle acts as both a vessel for stolen souls and a weapon; destroying it releases the souls but also unleashes devastating hellish energy.

Foreshadowing: Tom and Dr. Richards discover the bottle's true nature while researching the cursed book.

  • devils rain
  • bottle
  • souls
  • vessel
  • corbis power
Q3

What happened to Emma after Corbis kidnapped her?

Emma Preston was transformed into a horrifically altered being by Corbis's dark ritual. When Mark confronted Corbis in the desert wasteland, he encountered Emma with vacant, empty eyes, a clear indication she had surrendered to evil and lost her free will. She became one of Corbis's soulless minions, serving his supernatural agenda.

Foreshadowing: Emma's kidnapping occurs during the ambush at Mark and John's location.

  • emma preston
  • kidnapped
  • transformed
  • soulless
  • corbis cult
Q4

How did Mark sign the cursed book without knowing?

Mark possessed an unwitting signature in the cursed book, a mark he never knew he had. This likely occurred through his family lineage, as the Prestons had been bound to the blood contracts for generations. The signatures were obtained through ancestral agreements with Corbis, meaning Mark inherited the binding from his family line without any conscious participation.

Foreshadowing: The Prestons' history of betrayal against Corbis is established early in the film.

  • mark preston
  • cursed book
  • signature
  • blood contract
  • ancestral
Q5

Why did Mark decide to destroy The Devil's Rain despite the warnings?

Mark chose to shatter The Devil's Rain because he believed destroying it would end Corbis's threat permanently. Dr. Richards warned him that breaking the bottle would force him to wander a barren void without divine mercy or infernal judgment. However, Mark was driven by desperation and likely believed destroying the source of Corbis's power was the only way to save his family, even at the cost of his own soul.

Foreshadowing: Richards explicitly warns Mark about the consequences before the destruction.

  • mark
  • destroy bottle
  • devils rain
  • choice
  • soul damnation
Q6

Did Tom become the new Corbis at the end of the movie?

Yes, Tom Preston inadvertently became the new vessel for Corbis's soul. After Mark destroyed The Devil's Rain, Corbis's soul sought a new host. When Tom embraced Julie in the chaos, he found himself clasping Corbis himself, the demonic priest's soul had transferred into Tom as the new vessel for The Devil's Rain. This creates a bleak ending where the apparent victory actually perpetuates the evil cycle.

Foreshadowing: The bottle is established as a soul-vessel that can transfer between hosts.

  • tom preston
  • corbis soul
  • vessel
  • ending twist
  • new host
Q7

Why was the Preston family cursed by Corbis?

The Preston family was cursed because of generations of betrayal against Jonathan Corbis. Corbis, a Satanic priest, had entrusted his treasured tome to the Prestons, but they betrayed him. The cursed book contained the key to his infernal power and was bound to the souls of his followers through ritualistic signatures. Centuries later, Corbis pursued revenge, intending to reclaim the book and enslave the Preston descendants through ancient blood contracts.

Foreshadowing: The curse is introduced in the opening as a centuries-old force targeting the Prestons.

  • preston family
  • curse
  • betrayal
  • blood contract
  • revenge
Q8

How does Jonathan Corbis's supernatural power work?

Jonathan Corbis derives his infernal power from the cursed book and The Devil's Rain bottle. The book contains the souls of his followers through ritualistic signatures, and The Devil's Rain serves as the primary vessel storing these captured souls. Each soul within the bottle amplifies his dark abilities. When Corbis dies, his soul can transfer to a new host within the bottle, allowing him to persist indefinitely as long as the vessel remains intact.

Foreshadowing: The mechanics of Corbis's power are revealed when Tom and Richards research the book.

  • jonathan corbis
  • power source
  • cursed book
  • souls
  • dark magic
Q9

Why didn't the authorities help John when he tried to get help?

The authorities ignored John's cries for help because they either did not believe him or were unable to respond in time. The film shows John desperately calling for help while bound, but the authorities dismiss or fail to reach him before the cult's supernatural activities escalate. This helplessness forces Tom and Julie to take matters into their own hands, driving the narrative forward without police intervention.

Foreshadowing: John's failed attempt to get help occurs during the ambush sequence.

  • john
  • authorities
  • police
  • help
  • ignored
Q10

What was Corbis trying to do to Julie with the dark ritual?

Corbis used a dark ritual to transform Julie into a monstrous being stripped of mortal vision. After reclaiming the ancient tome left behind by Tom and Richards, Corbis initiated the ritual to convert Julie into an otherworldly creature. Tom interrupted the ceremony but was captured, allowing Corbis to proceed with transforming Julie before the ritual was stopped.

Foreshadowing: Julie was previously captured during the ambush in the abandoned town.

  • julie
  • ritual
  • transformation
  • corbis
  • monster

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Devil's Rain, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Devil's Rain tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Bleak occult horror movies like The Devil's Rain

Stories where ancient pacts and satanic evils lead to devastating, fiery conclusions. If you enjoyed the satanic dread and inescapable curse of The Devil's Rain, explore other movies with a similar feel. This selection features horror stories centered around demonic pacts, family legacies of evil, and bleak confrontations with ancient occult forces where victory is pyrrhic at best.

  • sinister
  • oppressive
  • nightmarish
  • desperate
  • cataclysmic
  • uncanny
  • Tone: dark, bleak, sinister
  • Pacing: steady, escalating dread
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread typically involve a protagonist or family discovering they are bound by a generational curse or satanic pact. The central conflict is a desperate struggle against a powerful, often organized, occult enemy. The journey is one of escalating supernatural threats, grotesque transformations, and a final confrontation that rarely results in a clean, happy victory, instead leaving characters scarred or the evil merely contained for another cycle.

Why they belong together: Movies are grouped here for their shared commitment to a dark, hopeless tone, their focus on the tangible power of occult rituals and curses, and their tendency to deliver bleak or ambiguous endings that underscore the enduring nature of the evil faced.

Movies with a steady supernatural nightmare vibe like The Devil's Rain

A methodical build of dread where reality unravels into body horror and cosmic evil. For fans of the methodical, nightmarish dread in The Devil's Rain, this list collects horror films with a similar steady pacing and oppressive atmosphere. These stories feature a gradual unraveling of reality, building tension through supernatural threats and body horror until a cataclysmic finale.

  • nightmarish
  • desperate
  • uncanny
  • oppressive
  • body horror
  • sinister
  • Tone: dark, nightmarish, uncanny
  • Pacing: steady, methodical build
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern is one of inevitable decline. It begins with a seemingly manageable supernatural problem that progressively worsens, revealing its true, overwhelming scale. The pacing is deliberate, avoiding major lulls or frantic speed, allowing the dread to saturate every scene. The journey is characterized by a loss of control, psychological disintegration, and physical transformation, culminating in a confrontation that highlights the fragility of the human spirit against demonic forces.

Why they belong together: These films are connected by their shared steady pacing, which creates a suffocating atmosphere, their high intensity derived from disturbing themes and body horror, and their consistently dark tone that offers no levity, making the descent into nightmare feel all the more real and inescapable.

If you liked this

Movies Like The Devil's Rain

Similar movies to The Devil's Rain: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

Browse all movie summaries

Every angle

The Devil's Rain (1975) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Devil's Rain in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app