The Devil's Rain may be about the denizens of Hell, but the cast seems to be made up of actors who seemed to be drifting in Hollywood Purgatory. William Shatner would seem not to recapture the glory days of his Star Trek television series, while Tom Skerritt was left behind when M*A*S*H elevated the careers of his co-stars. The two appeared with Joan Prather the previous year in Big Bad Mama. Meanwhile, Borgnine and Eddie Albert, the two top billed actors here, would also be in Aldrich's Hustle in December. Keenan Wynn appears as a small town sheriff, while Ida Lupino plays mom to Skerritt and Shatner. The Devil's Rain is almost worth watching just for the cast.

The best part of the film has no special effects or make-up. Dressed in western gear, we first see Borgnine flashing that famous gap toothed smile, offering Skerritt a drink of water from the pump in dusty ghost town. Borgnine introduces himself and explains his mission of recovering his book, a list of names of people who have signed their names in blood. The seemingly friendly smile takes a malevolent twist. It's a familiar theological discussion, God versus The Devil. Where most of the other cast members overact, Borgnine knows how perform is role with just the right level of gravitas. The threat is always hinted at but never fully advertised. It may be within the context of The Devil's Rain that the performance indicates a greater modulation than seen in other films. Or perhaps Ernest Borgnine is giving the devil his due.