The Witches (1966)

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The Witches is directed by Cyril Frankel and adapted to screenplay by Nigel Kneale from the novel The Devil's Own written by Nora Lofts. It stars Joan Fontaine, Alec McCowen, Kay Walsh, Ann Bell, Ingrid Boulting, Michele Dotrice and Gwen Ffrangcon Davies. Music is by Philip Martell and Technicolor cinematography by Arthur Grant.After suffering a breakdown in Africa when she was exposed to witchcraft, schoolteacher Gwen Mayfield (Fontaine) returns to England and takes up a position as headmistress at Heddaby School. All seems to be going swimmingly well in this idyllic village location, but it's not long before Gwen senses all is not as it seems here. Or is she just heading for another mental breakdown?Kneale wanted to make a satire of devil worshippers in rural England, Hammer Films big wigs and director Frankel wanted to make a chiller, the end result is neither, with each side blaming the other. The film flopped at the box office, Fontaine, who had great faith in the story, was deeply upset and went into practical retirement, and it stands today as an enjoyable enough misfire that isn't all it can be.The main problems are that it never serves as a horror film in spite of the source material suggesting as such, well that and the quite bizarre last quarter of film that pushes the boundaries of ridiculousness! Yet there's enough to enjoy here if accepting it as being more a safe creeper type of a film. In fact Fontaine preferred it to be known as a detective story with a black magic backdrop, so maybe that's exactly how it should be approached these days?The performances of Fontaine and Walsh are very much up to scratch, the former still beautiful at 51 and neatly imbuing Gwen with confused emotions, the latter firmly relishing a two fold role that calls for enigmatic dallying and hard nosed leadership. Davies holds the attention very well, McCowen is delightfully odd! While Martin Stephens (child star of The Innocents and Village of the Damned) and Boulting (daughter of Brit film legend Roy) add the requisite teen friendship under duress axis.When the production comes off the sound stage and out into the village locale (Hambleden in Buckinghamshire standing in for Heddaby), it's all rather splendid to look at, but it is conventional film making. Martell's music is a bit too aware of itself, trying hard to make us think horror exists when none is evident, and in a grand year for Hammer Film blood letting, The Witches is decidedly bloodless.A story of mental breakdowns and witchcraft shouldn't be a pleasant experience, yet that's exactly what The Witches is! For better and worse… 6/10

One of legendary production company Hammer Films lesser known titles, ''The Witches'' was Golden Age Star Joan Fontaine's last theatrical film. She herself bought the rights to Norah Loft's ''The Devil's Own'' and brought it to Hammer, casting herself in the leading role of schoolteacher Gwen Mayfield. Ms. Mayfield is still recovering from a traumatic experience in Africa, where, while teaching , she became the target of the local Witch Doctor. Shortly after her subsequent breakdown, she accepts another teaching position in a small English village. At first, the placid atmosphere and friendly local folk seemingly aid her attempts to overcome the past. However, it's not long before she begins to sense that all is not what it appears. Fontaine, still lovely at 49, gives an incisive performance as the victimized teacher, who isn't sure at first whether or not she is imagining the disturbing events which surround her. The hand picked supporting cast, which includes such familiar faces as Leonard Rossiter (''Reginald Perrin'') Michele Dotrice, Shelagh Fraser ('Star Wars'') and, making her debut, as the target of ''The Witches'', Ingrid Boulting, here billed as Ingrid Brett. Despite excellent performances by all, the film is stolen by film veteran Kay Walsh (Oliver Twist) former wife of director David Lean, who plays free lance writer Stephanie Bax to perfection. Distinguished stage actor Alec McCowen appears as her rather ineffectual brother. Director Cyril Frankel moves things along at a leisurely pace, abetted by some splendid photography and a suitably eerie score by Richard Rodney Bennett. Alas, though the suspense is carefully cultivated from the beginning, things begin to get shaky at mid-point, when Mayfield lands in a nursing home, with her memory of the recent past gone. After a fairly lengthy stay, it's eventually restored. From here, she escapes just in time to join a frenzied climax in which the activities of the local Coven resemble an Aerobics workout at a Rescue Mission, rather than a Black Mass. Nevertheless, the wrap up is a satisfying one, and audiences who go for this sort of thing will not feel cheated. When ''The Witches'' was released in England in late 1966, it garnered some fine reviews, but little box office. For it's American debut (in early 1967) the title was changed to ''The Devil's Own'' in order to avoid confusion with an Italian film, ''The Witches'' (starring Clint Eastwood) which appeared around the same time. Unfortunately, ''The Devil's own'' ended up on the bottom half of a double bill with Hammer's abysmal ''Slave Girls'' (here dubbed ''Prehistoric Women''). and, again, it came and went quickly, much to the chagrin of Co-Produce Fontaine. Today, however, the film retains it's ability to intrigue the viewer, and thanks to it's fine cast, it remains one of Hammer's most underrated efforts.

In an unintentionally hilarious opening, tightly-wound schoolteacher Joan Fontaine (as Gwen Mayfield) is sent to the nut-house after a giant voodoo doll storms unexpectedly onto the set. Out of Africa, Ms. Fontaine recovers her faculties and begins working in a British school run by writer Kay Walsh (as Stephanie Bax) and priestly brother Alec McCowen (as Alan). Eyebrows are raised when sexy student Ingrid Brett (as Linda Rigg) comes close to copulating with sensitive school peer Martin Stephens (as Ronnie Dowsett). Before they can consummate, Fontaine finds a voodoo doll in the fork of a tree...Not coincidently, the town coven's head witch needs a virgin sacrifice. During her saner moments, Fontaine tries to unravel the mystery of "The Witches" (also named, after the original novel, "The Devil's Own"). For most of the running time, the storyline bores; it ends in monumental silliness. Arching her left eyebrow above all others, Fontaine acts to the hilt, while Ms. Walsh saves herself for later. Gwen Ffrangcon Davies (as "Granny" Rigg) has fun making creepy faces at director Cyril Frankel. Also known as Ingrid Boulting, Ms. Britt wiggles around like she wants to rip her clothes off - but she never does.**** The Witches (11/21/66) Cyril Frankel ~ Joan Fontaine, Kay Walsh, Alec McCowen, Ingrid Brett

When listing all the numerous horror/thriller successes that the legendary British Hammer studios brought forward, "The Witches" is a title that rarely ever – in fact NEVER – gets mentioned. It's also fairly easy to figure out why in this case, and it's not just because the film wasn't directed by one of the studio's most prominent directors (Terence Fisher, Val Guest, Freddie Francis…) and/or because it wasn't starring any of the regular genre icons (Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Michael Gough…). "The Witches" is, simply put, a vastly inferior product and hardly even worthy of the Hammer quality label. The story, although nearly bursting with great potential and endless possibilities, is incoherent and dull. There nearly isn't enough action or suspense, the stupendous filming locations and scenery are sadly underused and the climax – which finally comes after an incredibly tedious middle section – is preposterous, dumb and makes you regret all the precious time you wasted until then. You know you're in trouble when the most exciting and horrific sequence of the entire movie deals with the lead actress being overrun by horde of sheep! The lovely and charismatic Joan Fontaine stars as Mrs. Mayfield; a schoolteacher who's still somewhat mentally unbalanced following a trauma she experienced whilst residing in a primitive African tribe. She's more than happy to accept a peaceful teaching job in the British countryside, but nightmares ensue when it gradually appears that nearly the entire community takes part in witchcraft rites. "The Witches" is insufferably talkative and predictable throughout. The only aspect that I didn't see coming was how ridiculous the climax sequences would be… The spastic dancing and imbecilic facial expressions of the people in the crowd make it one of the most pitiable endings I've ever seen. I feel sorry for Joan Fontaine, even more so because – reportedly – she personally approached Hammer Studios in order to turn the novel into a movie.