Their 1982 debut, death penalty, is a celebration of all things sabbath from the plodding rhythms of burning a sinner and r. Witchfinder general is a 1968 britishamerican historical horror film directed by michael reeves and starring vincent price, ian ogilvy, hilary dwyer, robert russell and rupert davies. The conqueror worm witchfinder general 2000 rotten. They were named after the 1968 british horror film witchfinder general.
Rather than ghosts, vampires or zombies, or even plants or animals turning against the human. Witchfinder general is a 1968 british horror film directed by michael reeves and starring vincent price, ian ogilvy, and hilary dwyer. Associates programme, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to. His activities mainly took place in east anglia hopkins witchfinding career began in march 1644 and lasted until his retirement in 1647. Witchfinder general, a 2016 comic book series by chris doc wyatt and chris grine. Witchfinder general 1968 for all his lengthy tenure as a horror film icon, rarely did vincent price have an opportunity to portray a character as unrelentingly evil as matthew hopkins in michael reeve s 1968 film witchfinder general released stateside as the conqueror worm. A corrupt opportunist commits brutal crimes in the name of god and country in this atmospheric period horror tale. A generation of younger filmmakers were startint o emerge that would eventually become known as the new hollywood. A thrilling watch set during the english civil war, matthew hopkins vincent price and his assistant john stearne robert russell travel the land taking care of witches.
Notlds british distributor, monarch films, traditionally had more of an arthouse reputation, and there were relatively few prints in circulation, with notld not reaching. The tortured distribution history of michael reeves witchfinder general has finally led to a proper video version. Witchfinder general arrived at uk cinemas in a heavily cut version in may 1968, while notld wouldnt start to play in britain likewise in a cut version until july 1969. John lowes rupert davies was the priest at brandeston, ten miles northeast of ipswich, who really was tried by water and executed for witchcraft.
Though set during the english civil war, witchfinder general is chiefly a film about belief. Witchfinder general aka witchfinder general aka conqueror worm the 1968. This dvd restores longlost footage censored by the bbfc. He claimed to hold the office of witchfinder general, although that title was never bestowed by parliament. Witchfinder general is a 1968 british horror film directed by michael reeves and starring vincent price, ian ogilvy, robert russell and hilary dwyer. A true landmark in british cinema, witchfinder general created an uproar when it was first released in the uk in may 1968 a momentous month as it turned out. Set in 1648, under oliver cromwell, the film tells the tale of matthew hopkins, a sadistic and psycopathic witch hunter. It is a very fictionalized story of matthew hopkins, who had been a 17th century lawyer. Everything was changing, and everything was up for grabs. Set in norfolk in 1645, michael reeves final film is a poetic study of the infamous witchhunter. Critics fell over themselves to condemn the film for its gruesome depictions of rape, mutilation and murder, and it has been conjectured that this onslaught may have contributed to the premature death of its director, 24yearold. The themes were pretty similar dealing withppointed witch hunters who were corrupt and misguided in there perspectives. By consensus, vincent prices finest performance among his gallery of horror movie rogues comes in witchfinder general, the intense 1968 film that erased any.
Witchfinder general 1968 on a hillside a man is building a gibbet. Nothing is nastier than folk and witchfinder general finds horrors that only mortals would choose to create. Witchfinder general was a landmark horror film in its day, shattering audience complacency while also garnering kudos from critics. Witchfinder general aka the conqueror worm directed by michael. The last and best film of director michael reeves tragically brief career, witchfinder general is one of a select few horror films to have transcended their genre to win broad critical admiration in britain, perhaps only peeping tom d. Witchfinder general is an atmospheric, well made and interesting film, a good example of 1960s english horror. Matthew hopkins the selfproclaimed witchfinder general of the title. Filming locations from witchfinder general 1968 youtube. Witchfinder general is a 17th century depiction of what real human manifested horror is in the way bogdonovichs, targets is a 20th century true horror film. Its about what real people do to others thats not good and anyway you slice that that is far more terrifying than any supernatural threat that may or may not have ever occurred.
The last and most accomplished film from british director michael reeves who died in 1969 at the age of 25, witchfinder general feels like the work of a talented filmmaker just starting to hit his stride. During the witchhunting craze of the english civil wars, he and his followers terrorized. Witchfinder general were an english heavy metal band from stourbridge, england. This was one of a handful of films, made in the late 1960s and. The film is set in 17th century england during the battle for control between the. With vincent price, ian ogilvy, rupert davies, hilary heath. As was required by law for british film productions of that time, the completed first draft of the screenplay was presented by tenser to the british board of. The most famous film by british 1960s horror studio tigon british film productions even though everyone assumes that it must have been by hammer. Witchfinder general film by reeves 1968 britannica. The film suffered a further indignity in the 1980s when orion home videos lawyers could not locate the music clearances for a number of a. The direction always involved taking advantage of the innocent and wrongfully accused. With its dark plot and relentless focus on cruelty and brutality, its bleak conclusion and general sense of futility in the. Conqueror worm, the 1968 movie clip he still prays. In britain, tony tenser of tigon had bought the rights to ronald bassetts 1966 novel, witchfinder general.
Witchfinder general titled onscreen as matthew hopkins. The video quality is quite acceptable for a film this old. Filming locations from witchfinder general 1968 starring vincent price and ian ogilvy. The whole film is unpleasant, and if it werent for its perfectly paced, uncluttered narrative, it would hold little appeal. The best, and regrettably the last, of too few films directed by michael reeves before his untimely death. Witchfinder general is a bracing, even punishing film because it never allows you the release of campy enjoyment that it always seem to promise is due to arrive after just one more harrowing torture scene. By consensus, vincent prices finest performance among his gallery of horrormovie rogues comes in witchfinder general, the intense 1968 film that erased any hint of camp from the actors persona. This film still manages to induce general feelings of horror on account of its violence, even though it is not really a horror film as such. It excels marvelously as a horror film, and is surprisingly competent as a. Without ceremony or dramatic pause, she is hung and the townsfolk turn away. Witchfinder general is a film of social collapse, one of a world weaponising belief to justify violence in a pastoral english setting.
John lowes house, rushford college and church, rushford, norfolk. The witchfinder general music video by cathedral 5. One of these men is matthew hopkins, who tours the land offering his services as a persecutor of witches. Witchfinder general 1968, 20 shocking facts you never knew. Witchfinder general 1968 unrated 1h 26min biography, drama, horror 17 may 1968 usa a young soldier seeks to put an end to the evils caused by a vicious witchhunter when the latter terrorizes his fiancee and kills her uncle. A witch hunter in 17th century england is responsible for the death of hundreds of women. This conflict distracts people from rational thought and allows unscrupulous men to gain local power by exploiting village superstitions. It is a british horror film starring vincent price. Witchfinder general, known in the usa as the conqueror worm, starred horror icon vincent price as the notorious seventeenthcentury fanatic matthew hopkins, the eponymous selfstyled witchfinder general.
Hopkins executes the aged father of a beautiful young womaneven after the young woman had agreed to submit to his sexual advances in the hope of saving her father. Unlike many of their new wave of british heavy metal peers who injected their music with a certain punk attitude, witchfinder general drank strictly from the black sabbath fountain. Michael reeves set in an england where the fighting between oliver cromwells men and royalists has torn the social fabric, allowing opportunists of all sorts to make sport, this cult horror film comes at the reallife tale of witchfinder matthew hopkins from a typically 1960s direction youth, sex and zoom. Having said all that, witchfinder general is definitely first and foremost a horror film, just as much as the texas chain saw massacre and henry. Dvd compare is a participant in the amazon services llc associates program and the amazon europe s. Soldier richard ian ogilvy in the suffolk home town of betrothed sara hilary dwyer after her uncle, an anglican priest, has been murdered by witchhunters, leading to a doityourself marriage, in the conqueror worm, a. Released in the uk on 19 may 1968, witchfinder general is a. Matthew hopkins travels the countryside with his ruthless sidekick, john stearne, and uses his power as a witchfinder to accrue wealth and gain sexual favours. Witchfinder general, a 1966 novel by ronald bassett. Witchfinder general was released in the united states by american international pictures, who in addition to arranging for vincent price to play matthew hopkins, changed the north american title to the conqueror worm, after a poem by edgar allan poe which was read over the credits by price, though the story bears no real relation to poes work. In 17th century england, as a peoples uprising threatens lord cromwells rule. Witchfinder general page 4 classic horror film board.
Witchfinder general is a 1968 horror film directed by michael reeves that stars the legendary vincent price. They were part of the new wave of british heavy metal scene and have been cited as a major influence on the doom metal genre. The witchfinder general 1968 film was based on a novel by ronald bassett. Witchfinder general 1968 film is a featured article. Price plays matthew hopkins, a sadistic 17thcentury witchfinder who uses barbaric methods to identify and invariably execute supposed witches. Americaninternationals original release disguised it as part of their vincent price edgar allan poe series, retitled the conqueror worm. Crooked witch hunter hopkins vincent price, paid by citizens of a suffolk village, gets to work with aide stearnes robert russell, starting with priest lowes rupert davies, whose niece sara hilary dwyer tries a rescue, in the conqueror worm, a. A witch is dragged to the gallows in witchfinder general. Vincent price is excellent and robert russell very good.
Uk metrodome, uk anchor bay, and uk prism direct also have 2 versions of the film with identical extras. All three films had to overcome native critics customary. Or perhaps its because it features one of vincent prices. Hopkins had claimed that parliament had appointed him a witchfinder general to track down sorcerers. Witchfinder general, a 1968 motion picture starring vincent price, based on bassetts novel. England is torn in civil strife as the royalists battle the parliamentary party for control. All we hear are her screams, the prayers of a priest and the wind. His last and most famous film, witchfinder general 1968, is a fictionalized account of matthew hopkins, a brutal witch hunter in midseventeenth century england. Witchfinder general 1968 tigon films vincent price.
Witchfinder general is also called the conqueror worm. This film has always enjoyed a cult following, perhaps because its director michael reeves died of a drug overdose shortly after its completion. Witchfinder general 1968 directed by michael reeves. The screenplay was by reeves and tom baker based on ronald bassetts novel of the same name. Witchfinder general is a 1968 britishamerican historical horror film directed by michael. Witchfinder general 1968 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Witchfinder general stars legend vincent price as matthew hopkins. Matthew hopkins the selfproclaimed witchfinder general of the title was a real man who lived in the first half of the 17thcentury.
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