Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Witchfinder General

If you had ever faith in humanity, this film might help you. Witchfinder General from 1968 sports one of Vincent Price strongest and most serious performances in a dark and depressing movie. Absent is his typical overacting style which makes his evil characters kind of likeable or at least enjoyable, this is the real deal, playing the sadistic witch hunting general abusing his power. Prices not getting along with the director Michael Reeves might helped. Its amazing how a movie set in 1600s times during the witch hunt times can be still disturbing, after watching it I was terrified and depressed (well before watching it I was just depressed), its a good party stopping movie and belongs in the list we discussed here a while ago of the movies you should bring your first date, when you want to stay on your own. Very close to the Theatre Of Cruelty. Director Reeves died just some months after the release, some say it was suicide.
Its success created a short lived hype of witch hunt movies, also because they are good excuse to show scantily clad women and violence, most notorious the German coproduced Mark Of The Devil with Herbert Lom, Udo Kier and Herbert Fux!