Witchfinder General (1968)

I love this movie so much

Such a frustrating disappointment

Absolutely Fantastic

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

What a great film. I watched the "Director's Cut" which had grainy segments of additional footage added back in. These were originally cut by BBC censors because they contained graphic images of women getting manhandled and tortured by a bunch of raging misogynists. Some of the shots are pretty nuts too! Like the one where they have an actress (or stunt double, maybe?) tied to that scaffolding which they are lowering over a real fire!!! The sad part is that this is supposed to be more of a historical drama than a typical horror genre film. And the first half speaks to that. It starts off pretty slow, but the pace really picks up by the end when everything starts to get graphic and extreme. In this sense the film is really effectively constructed because you almost let your guard down a little.Overall the acting is a bit cheesy, but Vincent Price has a genuinely creepy factor to him. And you have got to give them credit for doing an excellent job capturing the lustful misogyny in the facial expressions of the characters who were driving the witch-hunts and carrying out the torture. That's something that really stood out for me.As far as story goes, we start off with a couple young lovers: the daughter of the local preacher and her soldier fiancée. He must leave for the war, just as the Witchfinder General and his underlings move into their town- in search of witches to burn (so they can extract payment from the local magistrate).The Priest is accused...so his daughter tries to make a deal with the Witchfinder (who was forcing himself upon her) in order to save his life: she'll sleep with him (and betray her beloved) if he will spare her father's life. He f*cks her, then hangs dude anyways. DOUCHEBAG! Oh, she's also raped by his grimy partner. SCUMF*CK! Anyways...he finds this out and gets hellbent on vigilante justice.When they all cross paths again, the young couple find themselves bound and on about to be tortured by the Witchfinder and his crew. And of course, he tortures her and makes him watch- in an attempt to extract a confession from him, so that he can justifiably murder him, legally speaking.One thing leads to another, ultimately culminating with the explosive conclusion- which acts as both the climax and end of the film.And all of this is going down in what is effectively a period piece, remember.Really intriguing film with some really beautiful shots and really wild scenes (especially in the director's cut). This is among the first of the great Inquisition era Witchfinder films, alongside other greats like Inquisicion, Witch's Hammer, and of course Ken Russel's The Devils. Definitely check it out.8 out of 10.

I think I may have seen it with the wrong expectations since I have an interest in old style British atmospheric horror. But what I got was a bleak historical movie which is not visually very impressive. But as a depiction of the witch huntings and the general mood at that time, this movie does have an impact. But still, now could it be considered a masterpiece? I am not so sure. Vincent price is good as the cruel witchfinder. Hilary heath is gorgeous and is pretty good as the tragic heroine of the movie. There are some torture sequences but I guess in the current day, they are mostly tame but they got the vibe right. There is a sad depressing vibe throughout the movie and that resonates in the torture sequences as well. Gore lovers might want to look elsewhere though. The movie moves in predictable directions but still it was interesting to watch the various detailed signs and frankly, excuses to kill the women. Maybe the witchfinder himself was a highly religious man who had issues with his own desires. Vincent price portrays him as an opportunist but maybe in reality he was just a highly religious man who still had his weaknesses. And he hated being weak and that would the source of his hatred for women. It is mostly a regular revenge torture film and a wholly bleak look at the times. The ending is good as well I thought and there couldn't be any justice or happiness anyway. Since too much blood had been shed and too many lives were lost. But maybe that was the cathartic release necessary for the lead characters. I thought it was OK. 6/10

Well, that was disappointing... I learned about this movie through doom metal bands like Witchfinder General and Cathedral, so my expectations were somewhat different than what I saw. I don't really know what I expected (maybe something more in the lines of A Field in England), but in any case something far less conventional than what I saw. It surprises me that this movie was so heavily cut in censorship. Maybe I underestimated the conservative sentiments in 1960s Britain... In any case, apart from Vincent Price, nothing about Witchfinder General makes me feel like I'm watching a horror movie. Some imagery certainly gives away director Michael Reeves' sentiment to the genre, but I thought he would've added more of an occult sensation in the picture. If Reeves didn't die an unfortunate young death a few months after this was released, I don't think it would've become such a cult hit...

I've seen bits and pieces of this film before - vague memories of seeing it years ago. Tonight I was able to re-view the uncut version of the film... I have to say it is one of Vincent Prices best films - in fact, maybe for the entire cast! Richard and Sara's romance is the stuff fairy-tales are made of - the kind of romantic relationship I dream of having. Although the movie is not a romance film - Richard and Sara's relationship is one if the focuses of the movie.Price portrays Matthew Hopkins very well - he's vicious, wicked and down right nasty.The story is well written and easy to follow. Some of the scenes in the movie are hard to watch: realistic rape, torture and general brutality so well filmed that it's hard not to take your eyes off the screen.Impeccable costuming, settings and scenery. This is yet another movie I felt I was drawn back to medieval times.9.5/10