The Witches
Following a nervous breakdown, Gwen accepts the role of head teacher in the small village of Haddaby, seeking the tranquillity and pace of rural life to aid her recovery. Yet beneath the veneer of idyllic countryside living, she gradually uncovers a chilling truth: the inhabitants are followers of a menacing satanic cult, capable of unleashing indiscriminate evil and death if crossed.
Director(s)
Cyril Frankel
Cast & Crew
Details
Reviews
Wuchak
_**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 FAQs
Cyril Frankel is the director of The Witches.
The cast of The Witches includes Kitty Atwood as Mrs. McDowall, Bryan Marshall as Tom, Alec McCowen as Alan Bax, Rudolph Walker as Mark, Leonard Rossiter as Dr. Wallis, Ingrid Boulting as Linda Rigg, Ann Bell as Sally Benson, Duncan Lamont as Bob Curd, Joan Fontaine as Gwen Mayfield, John Barrett as Mr. Glass, Martin Stephens as Ronnie Dowsett, Shelagh Fraser as Mrs. Creek, and more.
The duration of The Witches is 1h 29 mins.
Yes. The Witches has 2 trailers on Fanbiz, including The Devil's Own ≣ 1966 ≣ Trailer. Watch them on this page.
The Witches was released on 21 Nov 1966.
The Witches is listed under Horror, Thriller, Mystery, and Drama on Fanbiz.
The Witches has 1 review on Fanziz, with an average rating of 6.0/10. One reviewer wrote: "_**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..."
