The Witch Who Came from the Sea (1976)

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Impressive and coherent "video nasty" from the 1970's which is well worth a watch today. Sleazy and subversive but with a strong feminist undertone: the men in this movie are either matinee idols, muscle-bound hunks or weirdly trippy outsiders. Great exposition of the myths and power of the sea. The incest theme is well introduced and explored. The scene which explains "the witch who came from the sea" is also pertinent and profound.(It is so refreshing to me that Mary Whitehouse and the moral outrage of the 1980's did not in fact kill off such hidden gems).Not as savage as the likes of "I Spit on your Grave" or other female retribution flicks of its ilk, but with infinitely deeper emotional resonance.Pour a shot of rum and gaze out over the water... but watch out for the witch!

Molly's father was a sailor that ended up raping her when she was young - apparently Molly's sister was abused too but Molly keeps denying things that her sister says. Molly ends up getting her revenge on some men - by castration.WIKI: According to Hesiod's Theogony, Aphrodite/Venus was born of the foam from the sea after Saturn (Greek Cronus) castrated his father Uranus (Ouranus) and his blood fell to the sea.My take on this film: Molly's father was a sailor - so in a way, she comes from the sea like Venus. Molly's repression: she really wanted to castrate her father before he died but held it in for a long time - now her repression is manifesting itself by taking it out on the men she meets. At one point in the film, Molly starts speaking as if she was Venus saying "Would you die for love? Well, my father did" to a man that she ended up killing.It's an okay. The film would have been better, to me, if it wasn't done in the typical 1970s exploitation style. The idea behind the film is good - I'm not crazy about the way it's filmed though.3/10

This is a favorite of mine having already owned the bleak DVD, and also having had the pleasure to enjoy it on VHS and 35mm. I didn't love The Witch Who Came From the Sea on my first viewing. I was examining this movie as part of a larger project during a discovery of the Video Nasties. Curious that the AHP focuses in on a movie that helped to create such controversy in the UK, the homeland of Arrow Video. What struck me upon my first watch was that it really didn't deserve the censors mean spirited axe. This was a movie that focused on a disturbed woman who killed based on some strange goings on in her childhood. Her mind seemed to create an alternate persona to handle this trauma and in turn, a killing machine. My understanding of the Video Recording Act of 1984 is that any time you see blood and nudity in the same scene, you're getting some kind of ban.Though the violence in The Witch Who Came From the Sea isn't exactly overboard there is plenty of it with that bright red, Crayola blood. It seems to always come in conjunction with debauched sexual moments further stimulating the viewer and creating some rather uncomfortable moments. Even in its lack of gratuity it has the power to disturb, and that's what I came to love about it upon my subsequent viewing especially with a large crowd of unsuspecting theater goers.This release is a handsome transfer especially in comparison to the previous DVD release. I've always thought that this particular movie looked washed out. The print is solid with minimal damage and the black look uncrushed, colors (especially that blood red) appear vibrant. It's definitely an uptick from all other formats, even the rather marred print I saw projected.The release comes with an interview/making of featurette that has Dean Cundey, director Michael Cimber and star Millie Perkins among others. Perkins goes through the aftermath of making a film with such objectionable material and is very candid. It's lovely to see Cundey discuss anything (perhaps you remember him as the DOP on John Carpenter's films among other classics?). Michael Cimber walks you through some of the back story behind the production including the origins of the story and the evolution of the picture.Don't forget to get your mermaid tattoos on your abdomens!

Witch Who Came from the Sea, The (1976) ** (out of 4) The Witch Who Came From the Sea isn't a seaside horror film like the title would suggest but another film in the long line of rape/revenge thrillers that was released throughout the 1970s. Unlike most of these low budget efforts, this film featured a somewhat respectable actress in Millie Perkins who received an Academy Award nomination for her role in The Diary of Anne Frank. The screenplay was written by Robert Thom who was making waves with Death Race 2000 and Wild in the Streets. Also of interest is that John Carpenter's future cinematograher, Dean Cundey go his start right here with this film, which is finally being released uncut and widescreen after years of P&S releases.Molly (Millie Perkins) is a troubled young woman who spends most of her time taking walks on the beach with her two young nephews. Molly was sexually abused by her sea captain father when she was young but she continues to talk highly of him. He was lost at sea but she tells stories of the day he will return and take her out to sea where she can be with mermaids and other creatures of the sea. Molly works in a bar where she meets various men including idols such as actors and football players. Soon, these men are found dead with their bodies mutilated. Is this a strange fantasy from Molly's abused mind or is she actually the one doing the killings? The Witch Who Came From the Sea has a rather strong cult following and a nice reputation but it's a film not too many people have seen. In fact, after viewing the film I'm sure the majority of the film's notoriety comes from the strange title rather than what the film offers. This is a cheaply made exploitation film that really doesn't set itself apart from any of film of its type and I was rather shocked to see that the film was threatened with an "X" rating because not even the violence is very strong.The biggest problem with the film is its screenplay, which tries to do something poetic but falls flat on its face in nearly every scene. For some strange reason, this exploitation film tries to take itself way too serious and appear to actually try and address incest and sexual abuse but the screenplay never captures any spirit or truthfulness that will make the viewer feel for Molly. The character is written as a weirdo and not once do we actually feel sorry for her or actually care about what she's doing.The story is also poorly constructed and never really makes sense, especially all the stuff dealing with the father returning from the sea. We are told many different things but the screenplay never backs anything up. We are given various insights to Molly yet once again, the screenplay never answers anything and in fact, we never even learn why Molly is killing all of these men to begin with. The film moves at a snails pace and never really gains any interests, although I'm sure most viewers will hang in there until the end. Why? Because this is the type of movie that you'll watch and wait for something to happen only to be letdown when nothing actually happens.With the story completely out the window you'd expect the film to deliver in the violence/gore section but again, the film even fails on that level. Again, I have a hard time believing this film would be threatened with an "X" rating, although the director constantly states this in the commentary. Perhaps this is just hype built around a film that not too many have actually seen. The violence for the most part is handled off screen, although it's quite clear that the woman is mutilating men's private parts. This here was handled much better in Last House on the Left and I Spit On Your Grave and those two films handle the shock value a lot better.In the end I couldn't help but be really letdown by this film. I'm sure some might like it's dreamlike qualities but to me, the film doesn't offer anything that other exploitation films offers better. The movie tries to be something more dramatic and serious but in the end The Witch Who Came From the Sea is an exploitation film that forgot to be exploitive.