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Witchfinder General (1968)

Reviewed by Carl
Posted on August 19, 2005 
Filed Under The Occult

The tragically early death of director Michael Reeves (aged just 25) means that Witchfinder General very quickly established itself as something as a cult classic. It is certainly an outstanding film - and one can only imagine what Reeves would have gone on to achieve had he live a little longer – but there are one or two little niggles.

There’s no doubting that Vincent Price steals the show as the evil Matthew Hopkins (the film being based on the real life Hopkins who terrorised mid-17th century East Anglia). Reeves gives him an excellent platform to expunge the campness that crept into his Roger Corman films and he rises admirably to the challenge. As the Witchfinder he is chillingly effective, mustering a bedevilling earnestness when carrying out his public duties but retaining the nastiness and opportunism that comes through when he’s alone and exploiting his victims. Robert Russell is also fantastic as his thuggish assistant Stearne, and the pair perfectly complement each another as they go about their dastardly deeds. Their ruthlessness and interdependence is nicely illustrated in the ambush scene when Hopkins turns tale and leaves Stearne to his fate, only for them to reform their partnership and carry in their uniquely merry way.

The plot of the film is also intelligent, and I like the way that Reeves draws on the anarchy and paranoia of civil war England to frame his story. The denunciation scenes perfectly capture mob mentality and that such events are historically accurate mean they are all the more terrifying (My favourite lines being: Price – What evidence do you offer that she’s a witch? Peasant – She was seen talking to her particulars sir, a stoat and a black cat). This is just an elaborate front for Hopkins and Stearne though, and their exploitation of the collective fear amongst the communities they prey upon brought to mind the ‘Red scares’ of the 1940s and ‘50s. Reeves seems to get a little lost in this though, and the Civil War scenes sometimes feel as though they have been slotted in periodically to remind the viewer of the setting rather than acting as a subtle backdrop, and when this happens they lose their effectiveness. The absence of Price from many of these scenes also begins to tell after a while as the supporting cast do not really hold things together when he’s off screen. That’s not a criticism of the actors – generally speaking they are very good – rather a slight disappointment that they quickly adopt quite hackneyed personas off which Price is expected to play (Ian Ogilvy’s hero being the obvious example).

One last word on the violence, which brought the film some infamy on its original release. Obviously modern viewers will have seen worse in terms of gore, but some of the ‘witch test’ scenes are disturbing and well rendered. The closing scene is especially good, especially as it seems to leap out from nowhere. All in all a worthy tribute to Reeves and undoubtedly one of Price’s finest performances.

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