The Witches main backdrop
The Witches main poster

The Witches

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6.1/10 • 59

1966-11-211h 29m

HorrorThrillerMysteryDrama

A STRANGER IN A TOWN THAT HAS LOST ITS MIND... IF SHE'S NOT CAREFUL, SHE MAY LOSE HERS TOO!

Following a nervous breakdown, Gwen takes up the job of head teacher in the small village of Haddaby. There she can benefit from the tranquillity and peace, enabling her to recover fully. But under the facade of idyllic country life she slowly unearths the frightening reality of village life in which the inhabitants are followers of a menacing satanic cult with the power to inflict indiscriminate evil and death if crossed.

Directors
Cyril Frankel
Writters
Nigel Kneale
Editors
Chris Barnes

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Joan Fontaine

    Joan Fontaine

    Gwen Mayfield

  2. Kay Walsh

    Kay Walsh

    Stephanie Bax

  3. Alec McCowen

    Alec McCowen

    Alan Bax

  4. Ann Bell

    Ann Bell

    Sally Benson

  5. Ingrid Boulting

    Ingrid Boulting

    Linda Rigg

  6. John Collin

    John Collin

    Dowsett

  7. Michele Dotrice

    Michele Dotrice

    Valerie Creek

  8. Gwen Ffrangcon Davies

    Gwen Ffrangcon Davies

    Granny Rigg

  9. Duncan Lamont

    Duncan Lamont

    Bob Curd

Reviews1

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Wuchak Avatar

Wuchak

May 25, 2022

6/10

Pastoral drama/mystery starts and ends with witchy horror A schoolteacher who had been traumatized by witchdoctors as a missionary in Africa (Joan Fontaine) gets a gig at a remote English village where she starts to suspect witchcraft being practiced. Kay Walsh plays the educated matriarch of the town. “The Witches” (1966), also known as “The Devil’s Own,” is obscure Hammer Horror that obviously influenced the cult flick “The Wicker Man” (1973). It’s mostly a slow rural drama/mystery that opens and closes with overt witcheries. Speaking of which, people complain about the “awful” and “laughable” conclusion, but it was innovative and no doubt shocking in 1965 when it was shot. Whilst cinema flirted with Satanism & witchcraft in the early 60s with "The City of the Dead," "The Masque of the Red Death" and "Devils of Darkness," this one went one step further by depicting a devilish ceremony more explicitly, which strikes some modern viewers as cheesy and amusing. Sure, today it’s about as scary (and choreographed) as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video (1983), but the mundane story definitely needed something outlandish and outrageous by that point. It paved the way for the popular flicks "The Devil Rides Out" and "Rosemary's Baby,” both released two years later. Blonde Ingrid Boulting stands out on the female front as Linda. Meanwhile you might remember striking Michele Dotrice (Valerie) from “The Blood on Satan's Claw” (1971). The film runs about 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in Hambleden, England, which is a half-hour drive due west of London, with studio stuff done at nearby Bray Studios. GRADE: B-

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  • The Witches poster
  • The Witches poster
  • The Witches poster
  • The Witches poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
witchvoodoosupernaturalhuman sacrificeschool teacheroccult horrorhagsploitation