======================================================================
= Witchfinder General (film) =
======================================================================
Introduction
======================================================================
'Witchfinder General' (titled onscreen as 'Matthew Hopkins:
Witchfinder General') is a 1968 British period folk horror film
directed by Michael Reeves and starring Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy,
Hilary Dwyer, Robert Russell and Rupert Davies. The screenplay, by
Reeves and Tom Baker, was based on Ronald Bassett's 1966 novel
'Witchfinder General'. The film is a heavily fictionalised account of
the murderous witch-hunting exploits of Matthew Hopkins (Price), a
lawyer who falsely claimed to have been appointed as a "Witch Finder
by Parliament during the English Civil War to root out sorcery and
witchcraft. The plot follows Roundhead soldier Richard Marshall
(Ogilvy), who relentlessly pursues Hopkins and his assistant John
Stearne (Russell) after they prey on his fiancée Sara (Dwyer) and
execute her priestly uncle John Lowes (Davies).
Made on a low budget of under £100,000, the film was produced by Tigon
British Film Productions. In the United States, where it was
distributed by American International Pictures (AIP), 'Witchfinder
General' was retitled 'The Conqueror Worm' (titled onscreen as
'Matthew Hopkins: Conqueror Worm') by AIP to link it with their
earlier series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations directed by Roger Corman
and starring Price; because its narrative bears no relation to any of
Poe's stories, American prints book-end the film with his poem "The
Conqueror Worm" being read through Price's narration.
'Witchfinder General' eventually became a cult film, a development
partially attributable to Reeves's death nine months after its
release. Several prominent critics have championed the film, including
Tim Lucas, J. Hoberman, Danny Peary, Robin Wood and Derek Malcolm;
their praise has highlighted its direction, performances, and musical
score by Paul Ferris.
Plot
======================================================================
In 1645, during the English Civil War, Matthew Hopkins, an
opportunistic witch hunter, takes advantage of the breakdown in social
order to impose a reign of terror in East Anglia. Hopkins and his
assistant, John Stearne, visit various villages to torture confessions
out of suspected witches. They charge the local magistrates for the
work they carry out.
Richard Marshall is a young Roundhead. After surviving a brief
skirmish and killing his first enemy soldier (and thus saving the life
of his Captain), he rides home to Brandeston, Suffolk, to visit his
lover Sara, the niece of John Lowes, the village priest. Lowes gives
his permission to Marshall to marry Sara, telling him there is trouble
coming to the village, and he wants Sara far away before it arrives.
Sara tells Marshall that they have been threatened and have become
outcasts in their own village, and Marshall vows to protect her. At
the end of his army leave, Marshall rides back to join his regiment
and chances upon Hopkins and Stearne on the path. Marshall gives the
two men directions to Brandeston, then rides on.
In Brandeston, Hopkins and Stearne immediately begin rounding up
suspects. Lowes is accused at his home and tortured. He has needles
stuck into his back (in an attempt to locate the so-called "Devil's
Mark") and is about to be killed when Sara stops Hopkins by offering
him sexual favours in exchange for her uncle's safety. Hopkins is
called away to another village, and Stearne takes advantage of
Hopkins's absence by raping Sara. Hopkins returns, discovers what
Stearne has done, and refuses to interact with Sara. He instructs
Stearne to begin torturing Lowes again. Shortly before departing the
village, Hopkins and Stearne execute Lowes and two women.
Marshall returns to Brandeston and is horrified by what has happened
to Sara, vowing to kill both Hopkins and Stearne. After "marrying"
Sara in a ceremony of his own devising and instructing her to flee to
Lavenham, he rides off by himself. In the meantime, Hopkins and
Stearne have become separated after a Roundhead patrol attempts to
commandeer their horses. Marshall locates Stearne, but after a brutal
fight, Stearne is able to escape. He reunites with Hopkins and informs
him of Marshall's desire for revenge.
Hopkins and Stearne enter the village of Lavenham. On a patrol to
locate the King, Marshall learns they are there and quickly rides to
the village with a group of his soldier friends; however, having
earlier learned that Sara was in Lavenham, Hopkins has set a trap to
capture Marshall. Hopkins and Stearne frame Marshall and Sara as
witches and take them to the castle to be interrogated. Marshall
watches as needles are repeatedly jabbed into Sara's back, but he
refuses to confess to witchcraft, instead vowing again to kill
Hopkins. He breaks free from his bonds and stamps on Stearne's face
while his army comrades approach the castle dungeon. Marshall grabs an
axe and repeatedly strikes Hopkins. The soldiers enter the room and
are horrified to see what their friend has done. One of them,
Marshall's friend Trooper Swallow, puts the mutilated but living
Hopkins out of his misery by shooting him dead. Marshall's mind snaps,
and he shouts, "You took him from me! You took him from me!" Sara,
also apparently on the brink of insanity, screams uncontrollably over
and over again.
Background
============
From 1645 to 1647, Matthew Hopkins and John Stearne travelled the east
of England as witch hunters. They harshly interrogated suspected
witches (using methods such as sleep deprivation), examined them by
pricking for a witch's mark, or sometimes threw an accused witch into
water for a "swimming test". Local authorities paid for these
services, plus expenses. Shortly before his death from consumption in
1647, Hopkins published 'The Discovery of Witches', his treatise on
witch hunting. In one of its illustrations, he was labelled the "Witch
Finder Generall".
Ronald Bassett's 'Witchfinder General', a novel loosely based on the
historical Hopkins and Stearne, was published in 1966. Tony Tenser,
the founder and chief executive of Tigon British Film Productions,
read Bassett's book while it was still in galley form and purchased
the film rights on impulse before publication. Tenser felt it "had
some scope, had some breadth to it; there was canvas for a film".
Writing
=========
Michael Reeves, who had just completed Tigon's 'The Sorcerers' (1967)
starring Boris Karloff, provided a story outline which met with
Tenser's enthusiastic approval. Tenser immediately began putting
together a preliminary budget, and requested that Reeves quickly
complete a full film script, stressing to Reeves that the production
would need to commence by September of that year to avoid shooting
during cold weather. Reeves called in his childhood friend Tom Baker
(who had co-written 'The Sorcerers' with Reeves) to assist him with
the script. Reeves and Baker began drafting a screenplay with Donald
Pleasence firmly in mind as the film's star; however, once American
International Pictures became involved in the production, they
insisted that their contract star, Vincent Price, be given the lead,
and Pleasence was dropped from the film. With the abrupt change of
star, Reeves and Baker had to rethink their original concept of
presenting Hopkins as "ineffective and inadequate ... a ridiculous
authority figure", which they had believed Pleasence could perform
effectively. They knew the tall, imposing Price, with his long history
of horror roles, would have to be more of a straightforward villain,
and they made changes to their script accordingly.
As was required by law for British film productions of that time, the
completed first draft of the screenplay was presented by Tenser to the
British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) on 4 August to determine if any
possible censorship issues could be anticipated. On the same day, a
preliminary report was issued by a BBFC examiner, who, commenting that
Tenser was an "ape", referred to the screenplay as "perfectly beastly"
and "ghoulish". The script was returned to Tenser a few days later,
with a more detailed report from the same examiner, which described
the screenplay as "a study in sadism in which every detail of cruelty
and suffering is lovingly dwelt on". After a second draft was written
and sent to the BBFC only eleven days after the first draft, the
reaction was nearly the same. It was returned to Tenser with a long
list of requirements to reduce the film's possible offensiveness.
Reeves and Baker completed a third and final draft that was
"substantially toned down" in content from the previous attempts. This
version of the screenplay, which was further revised during
production, was missing many of the more explicit moments of violence
described in the first submitted drafts: the death spasms of the
pre-credits hanging victim, Lowes getting stabbed fifteen times with a
steel spike, and a sniper's victim somersaulting through the air and
slamming into a tree. A sequence depicting the Battle of Naseby was to
be filmed, during which a soldier's head was to be cut off on screen.
Most significantly, the film's finale was completely altered. In the
original ending, Stearne falls in with a group of gypsies and attempts
to rape one of their women, who successfully fights off her attacker
by plunging her thumbs into his eyes, blinding him. The gypsies then
stake him to death. Marshall arrives and convinces the gypsies to
assist him in ambushing Hopkins. Hopkins is viciously beaten by
Marshall, who forces a "confession" out of the bloodied man. Marshall
partially drowns Hopkins (whose thumbs have been tied to his feet),
then finally hangs him. Tenser had previously expressed concerns
regarding the scope of the Battle of Naseby sequence as well as the
gypsy-ending, as these scenes would both require the employment of
additional groups of extras. He asked Reeves and Baker to remove the
battle sequence and simplify the ending for the final draft.
Casting
=========
Price was not Reeves' choice to play Hopkins; this was the veteran
horror star's 75th film and his 17th for American International
Pictures. The role was a great challenge for Price, as his frequent
clashes with Reeves left him unsure as to what the director wanted.
Despite this, Price felt he delivered "one of the best performances
I've ever given".
Ogilvy and Reeves had been friends since they were teenagers, and the
actor had appeared in many of the director's amateur short films.
Ogilvy had also starred in both of Reeves' two previous feature films,
'The She Beast' and 'The Sorcerers', and was the first choice for the
role of 'Witchfinder's' lead. Describing his working relationship with
Reeves, Ogilvy observed that "his mastery of the technical aspects was
absolute", but added "Mike never directed the actors. He always said
he knew nothing about acting, and preferred to leave it up to us."
Ogilvy enjoyed working with Price, finding him to be "very funny, in a
'queeny' sort of way."
'Witchfinder' was Dwyer's debut feature film. With three years of
television work behind her, she had been noticed by Tenser and put
under contract with Tigon at the age of 21. She felt Reeves was "just
wonderful ... He was really inspiring to work with. And because it was
my first film I didn't know how lucky I was." She would go on to make
several more horror films for AIP, most of them co-starring Price,
before leaving acting in the late 1970s to become a producer.
Appearing as Dwyer's uncle, 'Witchfinder' was one of several horror
films the British character actor Rupert Davies performed in during
the later stage of his career. Davies was not pleased when he
discovered that the filming of his torture scenes was to be augmented
with live rats placed on his body. The actor recalled Reeves
instructing him, "Don't move! Wait until one of them starts nibbling
your jaw then you might move your head a little."
An often-reported anecdote states that Reeves found Russell's
high-pitched voice unsuitable for such a rough character, and had all
of his dialogue dubbed by Bernard Kay (who also played the fisherman);
however, Bill Kelley doubts this story, noting that Russell's voice in
'Inspector Clouseau' is similar to that which appears in
'Witchfinder'.
Filming
=========
Production began on 18 September 1967 with a budget of £83,000. AIP
contributed £32,000, with £12,000 for Price's expenditures and fees,
and £20,000 for production costs. Philip Waddilove, a former BBC radio
and record producer, contributed £5,000 in return for associate
producer billing. Although the film would be the biggest-budgeted
title in Tigon's history, AIP's costs represented a relatively small
expenditure. AIP heads Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson did not
expect a high quality result; the movie was intended to be a tax
write-off.
The interiors were filmed in two specially converted aircraft hangars
near Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, which were leased for £1,500; this
cost-measure resulted in much of the dialogue having to be re-recorded
later, because the tin roofs of the hangars caused an echo. The
exterior shots range from the Dunwich Coast (for the scene with the
fisherman) to Langley Park outside London (for the scene where Stearne
escapes capture). The tracking shot of the ambush after the opening
credits was filmed at Black Park in southeast Buckinghamshire, a
location frequently used by Hammer Film Productions. Lavenham Square
(in Lavenham, Suffolk), site of the witch-burning scene, was the real
Lavenham Market Square; the crew lowered TV antennas and telephone
wires and Waddilove hired a cherry picker from a local utility company
for £10, because the unit could not afford a camera crane. The
countryside vistas seen in the chase scenes on horseback were shot on
the Stanford Battle Area near Thetford, Norfolk—the producer, through
connections with the government, was able to lease parts of the area.
The church used in the film is St John The Evangelist in Rushford,
Norfolk. The moat drowning and hanging scenes were filmed at Kentwell
Hall, in Long Melford. The climax of the film was shot at Orford
Castle, on the coast of East Anglia. Filming wrapped as scheduled on
13 November 1967.
The production went relatively smoothly except for the unrelentingly
antagonistic relationship that developed between Reeves and Price.
Reeves told everyone associated with the production that the American
actor was not his choice for the role, and the director's comments had
reached the actor back in the US. Reeves refused the courtesy of
meeting Price at Heathrow Airport when he arrived in England, a
"deliberate snub calculated to offend both Price and AIP". "Take me to
your goddamn young genius", Price reportedly said to co-producer
Philip Waddilove, who greeted the actor at the airport instead of
Reeves. When Price went on location and met Reeves for the first time,
the young director told the actor, "I didn't want you, and I 'still'
don't want you, but I'm stuck with you!"
According to Kim Newman in his book, 'Nightmare Movies', when Reeves
made a suggestion on the set, Price objected and told the director:
"I've made 87 films. What have 'you' done?" And Reeves responded:
"I've made three good ones." Price later recalled that this was one of
the first movies where he clashed with the director. Price felt that
all the actors on the set had a difficult time with the director, who
Price believed did not understand how to give instructions to actors.
In one scene, Reeves needed Price to shoot his flintlock between the
ears of the horse he was riding. When Price realised that Reeves had
ordered that an actual blank charge was to be used so the weapon's
puff of smoke would be visible, he shouted, "What? You want the gun to
go bang between the ears of this fucking nag? How do you think he's
going to react?"; however, Reeves insisted and, when the gun went off,
the horse reared and sent Price tumbling onto the ground. Price was
not hurt but he was extremely angered by the incident.
On the final day of shooting, Price showed up on the set visibly
intoxicated. Reeves seethed to Waddilove, "He's drunk—how dare he be
drunk on my set! I'll kill the bastard." Waddilove soon discovered
that Reeves planned to inflict painful revenge on the actor. During
preparations for Price's violent death scene, the director was
overheard instructing Ogilvy to "really lay into Vincent" with the
stage axe. When the scene was filmed, Ogilvy responded with blows that
were not faked, but Waddilove had fitted Price's costume with padding,
protecting the actor from injury.
Despite the tension between the two men during the production, when
Price saw the film the following year, he admitted that he understood
Reeves's artistic vision and wrote the young director a ten-page
letter praising the film. Reeves wrote Price back, "I knew you would
think so." Years after Reeves's death, Price said, "I realised what he
wanted was a low-key, very laid-back, menacing performance. He did get
it, but I was fighting him almost every step of the way. Had I known
what he wanted, I would have cooperated."
Reeves also had to deal with other problems during the shooting. On
the first day, Price was thrown from his horse and sent back to his
hotel to recover. The actor returned to work the following day.
Towards the end of filming, a strike was called when the British
technicians union learned the production company was not hiring a
large enough crew as required by union rules. After an extra man was
hired, the crew resumed working. On two occasions, Reeves was short of
actors. Waddilove replaced an absent actor as a Roundhead officer
during Wymark's one-day scene. Waddilove's wife, Susi, played one of
the women in the animal enclosure during the witch-burning sequence.
The film's violent ending deviated from the script due to a continuity
problem. In the scene as written, Trooper Swallow was supposed to use
both his and Harcourt's flintlock pistols to shoot both Hopkins and
Richard dead; however, only Harcourt was depicted in previous scenes
as carrying a pistol, and therefore only one person could be shot.
When this plot hole was discovered, Reeves immediately told actor
Nicky Henson, "All right, just shoot Vincent and I'll get Ian to
scream and shout and go mad and freeze frame on Hilary Dwyer
screaming".
Several additional nude scenes were filmed during the production. Set
in a pub and involving local "wenches", the sequences were reportedly
solely intended for the film's German release version. Reeves refused
to take part in the filming of these sequences and they were completed
by the crew after the initial versions of the scenes had been shot,
with Tigon's Tenser acting as director. According to Waddilove, Louis
M. Heyward, AIP's head of European productions, appeared at the
location only to ensure those additional scenes were filmed. The
credits read, "Additional scenes by Louis M Heyward". According to
Ogilvy, this was an in-joke because for Reeves, "additional scenes"
meant "some prick of a producer putting his oar in and messing up what
the director had done".
Soundtrack
======================================================================
'Witchfinder General's' score was composed by Reeves's friend Paul
Ferris, who had previously scored 'The Sorcerers', and acted in the
film under the alias "Morris Jar" (a reference to his favourite
composer, Maurice Jarre). He drew inspiration from the folk song
"Greensleeves" in writing the romantic theme "Peaceful Interlude" as a
means of evoking its time period, as well as to serve as a
counterpoint to the film's violence. Film critic Tim Lucas compared
the score to Marcello Giombini's music for the swashbuckler film
'Knives of the Avenger', saying that each film is a "historical
melodrama that functions as a metaphoric Western".
Ferris's ambitions clashed with Tenser; the composer hoped to have the
score performed with traditional Elizabethan instruments, a creative
choice that Tenser vetoed for budgetary reasons. He instead conducted
a 55-piece orchestra with whom he recorded at Olympic Studios in
February 1968; he paid most of the performers' wages with his own
money when Tenser refused to sanction additional funds, although he
was later reimbursed after Tenser was impressed with his efforts.
Ferris sold the publishing and master rights for the soundtrack to De
Wolfe Music, who incorporated it into their large library of stock
music and released the score, alongside Peter Knight's music for the
Tigon/AIP film 'Curse of the Crimson Altar', on their album 'Strange
Location', credited to the "London Studio Orchestra". De Wolfe
eventually released an official soundtrack album in 2013; the CD
release includes a 12-page booklet containing stills from the film and
liner notes by Tenser biographer John Hamilton.
width=100%
Themes and genre
======================================================================
In a piece written for the British Film Institute commemorating the
50th anniversary of 'Witchfinder General's' original release, Adam
Scovell identified "weaponised belief"—represented by Hopkins's
exploitation of the irrationalities and superstitions of the populace
as a means of gaining power and fulfilling his sexual and political
ambitions—as the film's primary thematic concern, stating that "belief
doesn't create [his] sword, but it most definitely sharpens it". He
also describes the use of "pastoral violence", whereby the beauty of
the English countryside is juxtaposed with acts of extreme violence,
notably in the opening scene depicting the hanging of a condemned
witch.
Writing for 'Cine Outsider', Jerry Whyte believes that the film
"brilliantly recreates that sense of social collapse" and its
commentary has merit in critiquing the policies of historical
witch-hunts, which would have resonated with contemporary audiences in
the light of McCarthyism and the Vietnam War. Expanding on Iain
Sinclair's assertion that, "The film's success lies in the tension
between [Tom] Baker's Utopian permissiveness, his feel for the
country, and Reeves' demonic fatalism", Whyte describes 'Witchfinder'
as an "English Western". Noting Reeves' long-standing interest in the
genre, he identifies the film's various connections to it, including
its frequent horse-riding sequences, clear distinctions between good
and evil, and Marshall's pursuit of revenge against Hopkins.
Responding to David Pirie's acclamation of the film as "One of the
most personal and mature statements in the history of British Cinema",
Whyte also considers the film to be one of the few fictionalised
portrayals of the English Civil War to feature a serious, positive
depiction of the New Model Army and the Good Old Cause compared to
such films as 'Cromwell' (1970) and 'To Kill a King' (2003), which he
described as "detached travesties of truth, mere hagiographies of
Cromwell, that lack the vim, vision, intensity and invention of
Reeves' low-budget, improvised gem".
'Witchfinder General' is commonly cited as an example of the subgenre
of folk horror and is often grouped with 'The Blood on Satan's Claw'
(1971) and 'The Wicker Man' (1973) as definitive works of the genre.
This association was popularized by Mark Gatiss in the 2010
documentary series 'A History of Horror', and is expanded on in later
works such as Adam Scovell's 2017 book 'Folk Horror: Hours Dreadful
and Things Strange' and Kier-La Janisse's 2021 documentary 'Woodlands
Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror'. Scovell connects
these films to folk horror because in all three, characters are
physically and/or socially isolated in a rural landscape where they
confront hostile belief systems.
Biographer Benjamin Halligan suggests that the film is a pinnacle in
Reeves's evolution as a filmmaker, with 'The She Beast' representing a
straightforward approach to the trappings of the horror genre, 'The
Sorcerers' acting as an allegorical commentary on cinema itself, and
'Witchfinder' serving as a work that transcends genre fiction by using
its conventions to create "something different altogether".
Censorship
============
For its time, 'Witchfinder General' was considered an unusually
sadistic film. British film censor John Trevelyan was reportedly a
distant cousin of Michael Reeves and accepted the director's good
intentions when Reeves explained why he felt it was necessary to
include such intense violence in the movie. Trevelyan nonetheless
argued, "The film gave the impression that it was exploiting violence,
and in particular, sadism for commercial reasons." Reeves agreed to
make some of the initial minor cuts himself, but when additional and
more extensive demands were made he adamantly refused to take part in
any further editing.
Trevelyan claimed that Reeves later wrote him a letter admitting that
the cuts were not as harmful as he had expected. No copy of the letter
has ever surfaced, and based on several other comments the director
subsequently made about how the edits "ruined the film", Reeves's
biographer Benjamin Halligan believes Trevelyan may have somehow
"misremembered" the existence of this letter, confusing it with an
earlier missive from the director in which he made a plea for the
BBFC's leniency.
UK reception
==============
The truncated version received considerable controversy from UK film
critics for the amount of violence shown on screen. In 'The Sunday
Times', Dilys Powell emphasised the "hanging, burning, raping, [and]
screaming" and called the film "Peculiarly nauseating." Both 'The
Guardian' and Margaret Hinxman of 'The Sunday Telegraph' felt the film
was filled with extravagant sadism. 'The Monthly Film Bulletin' said:
"Not since 'Peeping Tom' has a film aroused such an outcry about
nastiness and gratuitous violence as this one". The pacing of the film
was criticised by playwright Alan Bennett, who stated that there were
no funny moments to offset the horror. Although initially infuriated
with Bennett's critique, Reeves later indicated that Bennett's
reaction confirmed his decision to incorporate extreme violence in the
film.
Several critics praised the film and its horror elements. John Russell
Taylor in the 'Times Saturday Review ' praised Reeves, stating "He
already has real achievements behind him: not merely good horror
films, but good films, period." 'Films and Filming' praised Price's
performance as Hopkins and stated that the film was horrifying.
US reception
==============
AIP heads Arkoff and Nicholson originally contributed their portion of
the budget as a tax write-off, but when they were screened the
completed film they were astonished by its quality. Arkoff noted that
"Michael Reeves brought out some element in Vincent that hadn't been
seen in a long time."
In the US, the film was not subject to any censorship and released to
AIP's usual mix of drive-ins and grindhouses on a double bill with
'The Young, the Evil and the Savage'. In an attempt to link the film
with Roger Corman's earlier Edgar Allan Poe series of films, it was
retitled 'The Conqueror Worm'. Brief prologue and epilogue narrations
by Price, taken from Poe's poem, were added to justify the new title.
The film went nearly unnoticed by critics during its US release.
Some reviewers criticised the film's script and high level of
violence. While 'Variety' praised Dwyer's performance, they felt it
was "hampered by Michael Reeves's mediocre script and ordinary
direction". Renata Adler also praised the acting in 'The New York
Times'. Despite the lack of critical support, the film was a modest
success in the United States, earning $1.5 million for AIP according
to 'Cinefantastique' magazine. In his biography of Reeves, Benjamin
Halligan claims the film made $10 million in the US.
Reassessment
==============
After its initial release in the spring of 1968, several critics began
championing the film in the UK and US. Critics praised the film as
Reeves's best work, and highlighted the film's pacing. Critics
positively highlighted the English countryside as the setting and the
performances by the actors. In 2000, Derek Malcolm included
'Witchfinder General' as part of his series 'The Century of Films', a
list of what he considered to be the one hundred most "artistically or
culturally important" films of the 20th Century. In 2005, the magazine
'Total Film' named 'Witchfinder General' the 15th-greatest horror film
of all time. The film has obtained cult status, which J. Hoberman of
'The Village Voice' attributed to the death of its director before the
film's release, the acting performance of the cast, and the depiction
of evil acts by political figures resonating with audiences.
A contrary assessment came from Alex Cox, who in his introduction to
the film in a 1992 episode of BBC2's 'Moviedrome', praised Price's
performance as being "untroubled" by his American accent, but
otherwise described the film as a "fairly routine Price horror film".
He also stated that the film's violence was tame compared to the
'Friday the 13th' and 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' films.
While some reviewers have praised the film for its historical
accuracy, others have questioned its adherence to historical fact.
Malcolm Gaskill, fellow and former Director of Studies in history at
Churchill College, Cambridge, critiqued the film as "a travesty of
historical truth" and stated that the only historically accurate facts
in the film were that Hopkins and his assistant tortured, tried, and
hanged John Lowes, the vicar of Brandeston. Based on its historical
accuracy Gaskill rated the film 3/10.
Legacy and influence
======================================================================
'Witchfinder General' inspired American International Pictures to
produce more movies linked to Edgar Allan Poe, including 'The Oblong
Box' (linked to Poe's story "The Premature Burial") and 'Cry of the
Banshee' (very loosely linked to Poe's poem "The Bells"). 'The Oblong
Box' starred Price and was originally scheduled to be directed by
Reeves, but was given to Gordon Hessler after Reeves quit a week prior
to production. Hessler also directed 'Cry of the Banshee', which
featured Price and Dwyer. It was derivative of 'Witchfinder General',
but it portrayed the witches as real and contained more explicit
sexual violence. Tigon followed up on 'Witchfinder General' by
modifying the story for its 1971 release 'Blood on Satan's Claw'; the
setting was moved from the Victorian era to the 18th century, and
other elements were added to make it more similar to 'Witchfinder'.
'Witchfinder General' was popular in Germany and inspired new films in
the same genre. Similar films fully or partially financed by German
production companies included 'Mark of the Devil', 'The Bloody Judge'
and 'Hexen geschändet und zu Tode gequält', released in the U.S. as
'Mark of the Devil Part II'.
Some critics maintain that Ken Russell's 'The Devils' was influenced
by Reeves's film; however, Russell said that he hated Reeves's film,
describing it as "one of the worst movies I have ever seen and
certainly the most nauseous". 'Witchfinder General' was the
inspiration for a BBC Radio 4 play 'Vincent Price and The Horror of
The English Blood Beast', first broadcast in March 2010.
In 2016, director Nicolas Winding Refn and distributor Rupert Preston
obtained the remake rights to 'Witchfinder General'. In 2019, John
Hillcoat was announced as the director for the remake.
Home video versions
======================================================================
The "Export Version", which contained both the previously cut violence
and alternative shots of topless nudity filmed for overseas release,
was passed uncut by the BBFC in 1995, and released on VHS by
Redemption. In 2001, a DVD was released in the UK by Metrodome
consisting of two versions, the complete "Director's Cut" containing
the two minutes of previously censored violence, and the
aforementioned "Export Version", with the violence intact and shots of
nudity added to certain sequences. In both versions, the two minutes
of violence have been taken from what has been described as "a grainy
VHS source". Some critics complained that watching the film in this
manner was "jarring" or "distracting". The soundtrack of the newly
inserted nude shots had "brief snippets of audio repeating itself
because of the timing involved in inserting the previously cut
footage".
In the US, while censorship of the film has never been a factor, the
film experienced numerous delays in appearing on home video in its
originally intended form. When Orion Pictures acquired the rights to
many of AIP's titles in the 1980s, they were unwilling to also
purchase rights to the musical soundtracks of some of the films,
including 'Witchfinder General', and replaced the original music with
synthesizer scores by composer Kendall Schmidt. Tim Lucas described
Schmidt's rescoring as a "betrayal to every effort the original film
made to remain true to its time frame". For years, Ferris's original
score was not available in the US on home video releases, although it
was included on theatrical and syndicated television prints. The HBO
videotape release from the late 1980s used the Orion version, which
also included the nude inserts. Lucas says that the spoken soundtrack
is not correctly matched to these newly added shots.
A restored version was released on DVD under the Midnite Movies banner
on 11 September 2007 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The
release includes the complete, uncut version of the film with the
Ferris score intact. Price's opening and closing narration tacked on
to the AIP 'Conqueror Worm' version, as well as the alternate nude
sequences, were not available on this release, but were included in
the UK Blu-ray release from Odeon Entertainment issued in June 2011.
The Blu-ray utilised the same high-definition transfer as the 2007 MGM
DVD and was completely uncut. Scream Factory included the film as part
of the company's multi-title Vincent Price Blu-ray box set released in
fall of 2013.
Works cited
=============
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* Previously published in
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* Reprinted from
*
*
External links
======================================================================
*
*
*
*
*
[http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2007/09/11/witchfinder-general-1968
'Witchfinder General' - A Cinefantastique Retrospective]
* [http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2004/cteq/witchfinder_general/
"Senses of Cinema" article on 'Witchfinder General']
*
[http://creatureofthewheel.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/witchfinder-general/
Interview with Ian Ogilvy, dedicated to 'Witchfinder General']
License
=========
All content on Gopherpedia comes from Wikipedia, and is licensed under CC-BY-SA
License URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchfinder_General_(film)