Witchfinder General (1968)
AV Channel DVD (region 4)
d. Michael Reeves; pr. Louis M. Hayward, Arnold L. Miller, Philip Waddilove; scr. Tom Baker; novel. Ronald Bassett; ph. John Coquillon; m. Paul Ferris; ed. Howard Lanning; cast. Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy, Rupert Davies, Hilary Heath, Robert Russell (86 mins)
Witchfinder General is the crowning achievement of a British director who died tragically young, cutting short what was promising to be a truly provocative career. Sadly, Michael Reeves made only three movies before dying from a barbiturate overdose. All were horror films, of which this, his last, was the most controversial. Teamed with actor Vincent Price, then fresh from his roles in the classic series of American Edgar Allan Poe adaptations by Roger Corman, Reeves insisted that the actor play the role absolutely straight, resulting in Price’s most chilling and least mannered performance in the horror genre, as the murderous witch hunter and executioner Matthew Hopkins. The film was immediately notorious for its brutal violence and bleakly cynical tone and attracted the attention of censors, resulting in many cut prints being circulated. In America, the film was re-titled The Conqueror Worm to capitalize on the Price / Poe connection. In England though, at a time when Hammer films were proliferating and a more contemporary underground had yet to emerge in Pete Walker’s stern horror films of the early 1970s, Reeves explored the violent baseness of the human condition with a visual naturalism and downbeat energy that made his film truly stand apart as a genuine milestone in the development of English horror. It is still a revelation, even for the most ardent Hammer admirers.
Witchfinder General tells the vile story of Matthew Hopkins (Vincent Price). Circa 1645, England is in a Civil War between the Royalists and Cromwell’s Parliamentarians (known as the Roundheads). It was a time when superstition was still prevalent and lawlessness was widespread. Hopkins had powers by Parliamentary decree to ascertain and execute witches. With an assistant, he travelled the country investigating accusations of witchcraft, frequently summoned by the dubious invitation of an informant. By design, these investigations were usually against women, resulting in the torture and killing of the innocents too often falsely accused, before simply moving on. He comes to one such village to investigate an accused priest. The priest’s niece (Hilary Dwyer) agrees to sexual favours with Price if he spares her uncle. Price agrees, but eventually goes back on his word after the woman has been raped by his equally sadistic assistant. Soon Dwyer’s betrothed, a Roundhead soldier (Ian Ogilvy), returns to the village and vows vengeance against the murderers / rapists responsible, but they quickly evade his reach. He is ordered on a mission by Cromwell and in the process learns of Price’s whereabouts. Determined, he trails them to another town where they plan to torture Dwyer in front of Ogilvy’s eyes in order to get him to confess to witchcraft so that they can then execute them both. read more