Tam Lin (film)

Lore & Background

Production took place over twelve weeks in the summer of 1969 at Traquair House and other locations in Peeblesshire, Scotland, as well as Edinburgh and Queensferry. Interiors were shot at Pinewood Studios. The film had working titles including Games and Toys, Toys and Games, and Toys. Commonwealth United Entertainment, which produced the film, went bankrupt during editing, leading to the film being shelved until its rights were acquired by National Telefilm Associates and American International Pictures.

Reader's Guide

Tam Lin is significant as the sole directorial effort of actor Roddy McDowall and as a late entry in the British folk horror cycle. Its release history is complex: initially submitted to the BBFC in March 1970 with an 'X' classification, it was later re-submitted under the title The Ballad of Tam Lin and received an 'AA' certificate. A recut version titled The Devil's Widow finally received a full UK and US release in 1977. In 1998, Martin Scorsese helped restore the film, and McDowall supervised a recut closer to his original intention, released on VHS. A Blu-ray release in 2022 featured McDowall's recut with special features including interviews and a short film. Critical reception has been mixed, with The Monthly Film Bulletin noting its 'broodingly enigmatic sense of menace' while The Radio Times Guide to Film described it as 'interminably slow and hilariously pretentious at times' but with an 'aura of faded Swinging Sixties decadence.'

Did You Know?

• The film was the only one directed by Roddy McDowall.
• The climax was shot on infrared film to create LSD-like sequences.
• The film had three different titles: Tam Lin, The Ballad of Tam Lin, and The Devil's Widow.
• Martin Scorsese helped locate rights and film elements to restore the picture for a 1998 VHS release.