Witchcraft (1964)

From my favorite movies..

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Well-filmed, well-scripted and mostly well-acted, this supernatural mystery thriller action film by Tasmanian director Don Sharp tells the story of the culmination of a family feud which appears to date back to Medieval times in s small English town. The film starts out with a front end loader demolishing a cemetary while members of the Whitlock family, led by Lon Chaney Jr., protest. The demolition opens the grave of a powerful witch (Vanessa Whitlock - Yvette Rees) who had been buried alive 300 years ago. And guess what, she's not quite dead, and she's decided to gather her descendants into a new coven to finally carry out the extermination of their mortal enemies, the Laniers. Rees and Chaney, though their roles are fairly modest in terms of screen time, drive most of the tension in this creepy little story. Chaney is menacing, Rees is just plain cold evil. Most of the action focuses on their would-be victims, the Laniers. The sets, decent - if simple - characterization, and the clever use of plot devices to retain an element of mystery and to grow suspense are what sustained my interest throughout the first 3/4ths of this film. I don't write spoilers, so suffice to say that the last 1/4 of the film, as it transforms into an action-oriented thriller, is where I started to lose interest. Still, the film was worthwhile enough to affect my dreams. I watched it in two sittings and slept between them. I dreamt an ending for this film which would have, I am convinced, been much better - though a lot more disturbing - than the one the film settled for. Bottom line - a fun one, but don't expect too much!

Aged fifteen, I first watched this film on late-night television in the autumn of 1970 and, like several other reviewers, found it both entertaining and frightening, especially with regard to Vanessa Whitlock's two appearances in the Lanier house! Having seen the film only once or twice since, I recently acquired the DVD and, in common with the majority of the film's previous reviewers, was very pleased to see how well the production stands up more than fifty years after first being released. Several of your previous reviewers have recorded succinct and lucid synopses of the plot of 'Witchcraft', and my purpose in adding this review is to point out a small way in which I feel the production could be improved. 'Witchcraft' depicts, a little clumsily to my mind, THREE generations of Laniers and I feel that, in the interests of taut and precise characterisation and plotting, these could profitably have been reduced to TWO. Given the ages of the actors and actresses involved, Malvina Lanier could quite easily have become Bill's and Todd's MOTHER rather than grandmother and Helen Lanier could almost as easily have become an older, unmarried sister to the two sons. Such an adjustment of relationships would also, I feel, have given more dramatic impact to the stated suicide of Bill's and Todd's father, as such a device could logically and sequentially have been employed as the reason for the reclusiveness of Malvina Lanier. As the film stands, Helen's father and Bill's and Todd's mother are somewhat airbrushed out of the proceedings. However, 'Witchcraft' remains a film that I would thoroughly recommend.

Seven might be a little generous, but this film represents the end of the line for quality black and white British horror of it's time, a sub genre for "witch" I have great affection. From "Curse Of The Demon" to "City Of The Dead" and "Night Of The Eagle" it's brought me much pleasure- even "The Haunting" (which had a small role for "Witchcraft's Diane Clare) was shot if not set in England. Something of a rarity, "Witchcraft" never turned up much on TV and I don't think was ever on video, the "Midnight Movie" DVD series has rescued many titles this way. I doubt Lon Chaney Jr, (who's drinking problem gave them a very hard time on the set) was the first choice for American Star worked in to give the film overseas distribution potential. His performance is not great but get's the job done and offers some distraction from the too talky plot. What makes the film well worth seeing is some of the visual touches director Don Sharp applies in place of expensive special effects. Indeed, these work better than the big fire at the end of the films rather clumsy climax. All in all, if you enjoy this sort of thing, you are likely to like it.

When I finally caught up with it, this turned out to be a nice little mid-1960s thriller, made very much in the style of a Hammer Films production (indeed, as such it makes a suitable double-feature with the film it's paired with on DVD, DEVILS OF DARKNESS)- it makes good use of settings, has a decent script and quite adequate acting (especially a typically hammy late-career performance from Lon Chaney Jr), and evokes a very effective atmosphere of evil. What I was most surprised about (and impressed with) was the striking black-and-white photography and lighting, which really contributed to that atmosphere, particularly in its use of the reawakened witch. Definitely a fun, creepy movie for a rainy Saturday afternoon!