‘Believe in evil.’

Witchfinder is a 2013 American-made short film directed by Colin Clarke and starring Dave Juehring and Valerie Meachum. It is part of the Daredevil Films stable which is based in Rockford, Illinois. It won the Best Narrative Film Award at the 2013 Mosaic World Film Festival.

Press blurb:

“After putting a witch to death, a righteous witch hunter finds himself haunted by a spectral curse in this award-winning short horror film from director Colin Clarke (Raven’s Hollow, Frankenstein vs. the Wolfman). In the spine-tingling tradition of Hammer Films, Mario Bava, and the classic Witchfinder General, with a scary ending guaranteed to creep you out enough to sleep with the lights on!”

A noteworthy lesson in ‘less-is-more’, over the course of 18 minutes Witchfinder, achieves more through what it doesn’t show and a surprising stillness to the cinematography and performance than many offensively-budgeted films do over a tortuous 90 or more minutes. There’s little to shake the rafters in terms of plot innovation but the balance of driving forward the plot whilst maintaining a measured and restrained drama to proceedings is impressive.

A simple, broken local approaches his neighbourhood witch, asking for the object of his affections to turn her attentions from her lover to him. Witch obliges through some messy smearing and some incantation of Devil names. Witchfinder interrupts, gets busy with a hammer and an iron mask – bad things happen. What more do you need?

Shot in rural Illinois in a distant time of goodwives and succubi, on a very basic level this is competent enough not to have digital watches and flashy cars on show but far more than this, there’s little to suggest this was made with limited resources. One would hope that even with money to burn the film-makers would keep things this simple. The acting is not stellar but no-one disgraces themselves and there are no attempts at make-me-a-superstar histrionics. There’s no time to give us heady character development or complex back-stories, so we’re left with a good old-fashioned yarn, one without showbiz and larks but heavy on atmosphere and a strange sadness. It must be said that short films do little for me as a rule, filling a gap in the market I don’t recognise as necessarily being there yet Witchfinder shows promise for bigger and better things. It also nails my attention-span at being pretty much dead on 18 minutes.

Daz Lawrence, Horrorpedia

Daredevil Films

‘A chilling tale of vengeance from beyond the grave.’

Crowhaven Farm is a 1970 made-for television film directed by Walter Grauman (Are You in the House Alone?) and starring Hope Lange (Death Wish; A Nightmare on Elm Street 2), Paul Burke (Valley of the Dolls) and John Carradine (House of Frankenstein, The Monster Club).

Maggie Porter (Hope Lange) and her husband Ben (Paul Burke) inherit a farm in Massachusetts after the mysterious death of Maggie’s uncle (actually not that mysterious, we see him crash into a tree after he is distracted by a character we meet later). As soon as they arrive, Maggie is startled by several instances of deja-vu – the instant discovery of secret rooms within the house and flashbacks to vaguely familiar scenes are almost too much for her. The visions become ever more vivid and involve her been surrounded by a group of costumed locals and having large stones placed upon her. Putting it down to reincarnation (!), she is soon brought up to speed by local neighbour and know-it-all Harold Dane (Cyril Delevanti looking close to death, though he hung on a couple more years to appear in Soylent Green) who explains that though the area was no Salem, it had its witchy goings-on in years past, the guilty females crushed under a wooden panel heaped high with large stones of the kind their house is constructed.

Maggie longs for a child and their search for a foster child only brings one response, Marcy Lewis (Virginia Gregg, The Amazing Mr X) who due to a terminal illness wishes to off-load her own foundling, Jennifer (Cindy Eilbacher, Slumber Party Massacre 2). Despite the couples’ reservations (Jennifer is already ten, opposed to their desired new-born), they are soon won over by her personality. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll note that it was Jennifer who caused poor old uncle’s car to career off the road.

Her arrival coincides with Maggie becoming pregnant but from here, events begin to spiral out of control – the images of her 15th century self are becoming frighteningly real and young Jennifer is not all sweetness and light as they hoped, aided and abetted by their handyman, Nate Cheever (John Carradine doing his best sinister leer). Eventually life and visions combine and the Maggie’s worst fears are realised.

It must first be said that this television film is highly-regarded by many and was responsible for many sleepless nights for watching youths right up until the later screenings in the mid-80’s. Perhaps time has been unkind or this reviewer is missing something but it does come across as needlessly overwrought, made worse by the fact that Maggie’s alarm at the farm is so instantaneous that you do rather lose sympathy with her. The threat in the film is ultimately wrapped up in Jennifer, played admirably by young Eilbacher but a level beneath the angelic Heather O’Rourke in Poltergeist or as truly wicked as Rhonda (Patty McCormack) in The Bad Seed – in truth, there isn’t strictly a place for a part that is anything less than either of these. The truly ancient-looking Delevanti is worth watching just to make sure he gets to the end of his sentences and Carradine is fun, though pitifully under-used. There’s a slight nod to a very under-age relationship between Ben and Jennifer which is mercifully quickly forgotten but the recurrent ‘threat’ of witchcraft just isn’t a substantial enough hook to truly drag you into Maggie’s plight.

Grauman’s direction reflects his career in television but smacks even more of televisual miasma Aaron Spelling’s (Love Boat, Dynasty) production, with every character pausing slightly after their lines, just to ensure the audience ‘gets it’. There’s enough to keep you watching until the end and, without spoiling it, we are at least saved any ‘it was all a dream’ shenanigans. If you have a morbid fear of being slowly squashed by some costumed-loons, there could be food for thought here yet.

Daz Lawrence, Horrorpedia

Salem is an American historical fantasy horror television series created by Adam Simon and Brannon Braga airing on WGN America beginning April 20, 2014. The series first appeared as part of WGN America‘s development slate in July 2012 under the title Malice.

On May 5, 2014, Salem was renewed for a thirteen episode second season.

Salem is a fictional story of the infamous Salem witch trials, which were not the last, in the 17th century in colonial Massachusetts, when the government was dominated by Puritan leaders. It questions whether the Puritans were right in their actions, whether the people punished were innocent, and centers on the “real witches” who were a part of day-to-day life, but were not who or what they seemed to be.

John (Shane West) and Mary (Janet Montgomery) find themselves in the middle of an epic romance, even as Puritan witch hunts engulf the town in hysteria, horror, and despair.

Historically, Salem Village and Salem Town feuded over property, grazing rights and church rights. The government was dominated by Puritan leaders. People were scrutinized closely and this resulted in obvious discord. They were afraid of being persecuted for anything that may offend the Puritan mindset. The word “witch” seemed an easy and appropriate curse hurled at someone who behaved abnormally.

Reviews:

“The pilot, directed by Richard Shepard, doesn’t do anything too strenuous or vast with its visuals or sense of place, but it ably implies that the woods are best left to the witches and devils, and you might not want to go wandering in. Shepard also sets up enough creepiness with the Mercy character — she’s basically food for devil animals — to hint that the series will continue to make you as uncomfortable as it can afford.”  Tim Goodman, The Hollywood Reporter

“This late-17th-century dive into the Salem, Mass., witch trials paints the Puritans as hypocritical scolds, yet also embraces the notion that there really were witches operating at the time, which makes their capital punishments seem a little less crazed and paranoid — never mind that it runs counter to the rather more dull historical record and lessons learned about the true nature of witch hunts. Mostly, this basic-cable drama plays like a rather flat supernatural soap, despite the lush period trappings.” Brian Lowry, Variety

Cast:

• Janet Montgomery as Mary Sibley, wife of George Sibley and a witch, whose double life of love threatens her position of power in Salem. She once carried John Alden’s baby and still has strong feelings for him.
• Shane West as Captain John Alden, a war veteran and Mary’s lover, who returned home as the voice of reason and defender of innocent victims in the middle of Salem’s witch panic.
• Seth Gabel as Cotton Mather, a well-educated town’s reverend and John Alden’s friend. Changed by the local sex-worker Gloriana whom he was in love with, Cotton stopped Salem’s witch-hunts.
• Tamzin Merchant as Anne Hale, a rebel witch and a talented young artist. Like Cotton Mather, she too is determined to prevent unnecessary deaths.

• Ashley Madekwe as Tituba, the witch who controls Mary. She convinced Mary to give her and John’s baby to the devil.
• Elise Eberle as Mercy Lewis, a girl once tormented by Mary Sibley’s witchcraft. Mary later turned her into a witch.
• Iddo Goldberg as Isaac Walton, the wisest person in Salem. As a punishment for his fornications from his past, he was once charged with cleaning the town’s waste and removing dead bodies.
• Xander Berkeley as Magistrate Hale, a witch and a chief politician in Salem. He was killed by his daughter Anne, who wants to help save the people of Salem from unnecessary deaths.
• Stephen Lang as Increase Mather, reverend, Cotton Mather’s father, and a fanatical witch-hunter. He was killed by his son Cotton, determined to prevent more deaths resulting from witch-hunts.

• Michael Mulheren as George Sibley, the ailing, wealthy head of the Selectmen of Salem, spelled by Tituba and his wife Mary. He marked Isaac Walton as a fornicator.
• Azure Parsons as Gloriana, a prostitute and Cotton’s lover, banished from Salem by his father Increase Mather.

Wikipedia | IMDb | Official site

Witches Going to Their Sabbath is a 1878 painting by Spanish painter Luis Ricardo Falero (1851 – December 7, 1896). Falero specialised in female nudes and mythological, oriental and fantasy settings. His most common medium was oil on canvas.

Falero was born in Granada and originally pursued a career in the Spanish Navy, but gave it up to his parents’ disappointment. He walked all the way to Paris, where he studied art, chemistry and mechanical engineering. The experiments that he conducted in the latter two were apparently so dangerous, however, that he decided to focus on painting alone. After Paris, he studied in London, where he eventually settled.

In 1896, the year of his death, Maud Harvey sued Falero for paternity. The suit alleged that Falero seduced Harvey when she was 17 first serving as his housemaid, and then model. When he discovered she was pregnant, he dismissed her. She won the case and was awarded five shillings per week in support of their child.

Falero died at University College Hospital, London, at the age of 45.

“That’s not my mother’s voice I hear.
I think that Baba Yaga’s near!”

Baba Yaga is a recurrent figure in East European folklore, usually as a single entity though sometimes appearing as one of a trio of sisters, all using the same name. Baba Yaga appears as a filthy, hideous or ferocious-looking woman with the ability to fly around in a large mortar, knees tucked up to her chin, using the accompanying pestle as a blunt weapon or a rudder to guide her strange craft. Some tales omit her ability to fly but see her ‘rowing’ along the forest floor, using the pestle as an oar.

With connections to the elements and nature, she usually makes appearances near her dwelling in birch woods and forests, where she resides in a ramshackle hut which is peculiarly perched atop chicken-like legs. These unusual foundations allow her to move her abode to different locations, the hut spinning as it goes, emitting a strange, unearthly moan. The eye-like windows also serve to give the hut the appearance of a living entity. The hut is protected by a fence made of bones, the skulls atop the posts glowing to illuminate the night – one post remains empty, awaiting another visitor. Some tales see the hut protected by what are essentially ‘familiars’, taking the form of vicious dogs, cats or geese.

There are numerous derivations of Baba Yaga’s name – many cultures use “ba-ba” or “ma-ma” as a sound to refer to a mother figure, or in this case an older woman (for example “Babushka”, meaning “grandmother”, in Russian). However, in countries such as Poland, the similar word, “Babcia”, has connotations of cruelty and ugliness, both phrases lending tonality to Baba Yaga as a character. “Yaga” is more difficult to pin down, though linguists have pointed to similarities with words from various Slavic cultures and beyond; the Russian verb, “yagat”, meaning “to abuse”; Serbia/Croatia – “jaza”, meaning “horror”; Old Czech, “jězě” – “witch”; Polish, “jędza” – “witch or fury”; even the Old English term, “inca” meaning “pain”. You get the gist. In Russia and Finland, stone statues known as Yaga have long existed, pitched atop tree stumps with offerings of gifts from devotees.

The first reference to Baba Yaga dates back to as early as 1755, when a similar name appears in a Russian book describing various Deities and their Roman counterparts; it is interesting that the mention of “Iaga Baba”, is not cross-referenced with any older God, suggesting that the being is very much rooted in European and Slavic lore, with characteristics and behaviour which is unique to the region and the traditions of the local inhabitants.

As previously mentioned, Baba Yaga could often be seen flying in a mortar, though not always equipped with a pestle – occasionally this would be a staff, or, reflecting more familiar witch-like behaviour, a broom. Witches and brooms appear in Western folklore far earlier than references to Baba Yaga, so it is likely this element was developed across land borders. The witch also has other strange traits, such as smelling out visitors to her environs by sticking her enormous, deformed nose, which reaches up to the ceiling of her hut, allowing her to sniff out, “the Russian smell”. Often she is found to be stretched out over the stove in her hut, using her wretched, spindly, elongated limbs to reach for objects in distant corners. Russian legend depicts her with large, iron teeth, huge, hairy chin and warts.

Her appearance is accompanied by a strange wind blowing through the forest, signs of her arrival evidenced by trees and leaves being blown around on a normally calm day. So that she can stay hidden within the forest, she uses her broom to sweep up any traces of her being in a location. In common with a certain vampire myth, visitors to her hut are asked if they came of their own free-will – if they have, she is given carte-blanche to do her evil worst. As with another famous legend of a wolfy nature, the “pure of heart” are exempt from her cruelty. Her usual habits when receiving ‘willing guests’ are to wash them, feed them and then to sit them on a large spatula-like shovel which she will then push into her stove. Lucky human meals may be offered a chance of escape if they happen to sit on the spatula in such a way that they can’t fit into the oven. Despite Baba Yaga’s appetite of up to ten men a day, she remains skeletal in appearance.

Beyond her hut attendants, the witch controls the elements and has three servants; a red (“My red sun”), black (“My black midnight”) and white (“My bright dawn”) horseman, whom she entrusts to fuel the times of day. She also has a number of ‘soul friends’ or ‘friends of my bosom’; a pair of disembodied hands which acquiesce to her bidding, as well as a herdsman, the sorcerer, Koshchey Bessmertny (or Koshchey the Deathless), something of a Grim Reaper role in the double act.

Although her horrid appearance and habit for eating both adults and children, some famous stories show another side to the character. The tale of ‘Vasilisa the Fair’, sees a young girl bequeathed a Russian doll by her dying mother who tells her that she will be guided with advice throughout her life by the object. Alas, her father remarries and the step mother and her two new step sisters make her life a misery, taunting her and forcing her to do all the chores for the family.

One day, the trio conspire to make the fire go out in the house and the cruel sisters and father send her to Baba Yaga to ask for coal to fuel the furnace, in the assumption she will meet her end. Upon reaching the old crone’s hut, she meets the three horses previously mentioned and she is shown to the witch’s lair. Chastised by the hag for being idiotic for letting the fire go out, she is nevertheless welcomed in as she is unfailingly polite and gracious.

Vasilisa is given two days of chores, after which two seemingly impossible tasks are presented to her: separating mildewed corn from fresh, and poppy seeds from soot. Assisted by the doll, she achieves these, which Baba Yaga grudgingly acknowledges. She is presented by one of the glowing skulls outside the hut and is shooed on her way. Back at the unhappy family home, the doll guides Vasilisa away from danger but the skull waits until the father and two wicked girls are asleep and sets fire to the house, burning them all to death. Vasilisa’s exploits attract the attention of the Tsar and in the end, both are wed.

Baba Yaga featured as a character in several films made in the Soviet Union, from the 1930’s right up until the 1960’s. Notable examples include: 1939’s genuinely disturbing, Vasilisa Prekrasnaya (Vasilisa the Beautiful) directed by Aleksandr Rou; 1972’s Zolotye Roga (The Golden Horns), also by Rou; and 1979’s Baba Yaga Protiv!, a bizarre animated film by Vladimir Pekar which sees the witch incensed at Misha the Bear becoming mascot for the 1980 Olympics and setting off to sabotage the arrangement and make herself the icon. Highly rated, though very difficult to track down is the Turkish film, Babasiz Yasayamam, said to be unnervingly horrific and violent. Sad to report that the most famous film connected to Baba Yaga, Corrado Farina’s 1973 movie, Baba Yaga, (Devil Witch; Kiss Me Kill Me) has little, if anything to do with the legend, though is worth a watch for entirely different reasons.

Daz Lawrence, Horrorpedia

The soucouyant or soucriant in Dominica, Trinidadian and Guadeloupean folklore (also known as Ole-Higue or Loogaroo elsewhere in the Caribbean), is a kind of witch or vampire, possibly dating back to early European visitors settling in the region.

The soucouyant is a shape-shifting Caribbean folklore character who appears by day as a reclusive old woman, typically living at the edge of the village in a shack surrounded by tall trees, who has made a secret pact with the devil. Having visited her local graveyard, she scours the graves looking for a suitable corpse’s liver, with which she makes an oil, allowing her to strip off her wrinkled skin, which she puts in a mortar or hollowed-out tree trunk to keep it protected. In her true form, as a vampiric fireball, she flies across the dark sky in search of a victim. Her new form allows her entry into the homes of her victims through any sized hole like cracks, crevices and keyholes.

Soucouyants suck people’s blood from their arms, legs and soft parts while they sleep leaving blue-black marks on the body in the morning. Tales tell of horrendously bruised bodies staring a thousand-yard stare from now dead sunken eyes. If the soucouyant draws too much blood, it is believed that the victim will either die and become a soucouyant or perish entirely, leaving her killer to assume her skin. The soucouyant practices witchcraft, voodoo, and black magic. Soucouyants trade their victims’ blood for evil powers with Bazil, the demon who resides in the silk cotton tree.

To expose a soucouyant, one should heap rice around the house or at the village cross roads as the creature will be obligated to gather every grain, individually (a herculean task to do before dawn) so that she can be caught in the act. To destroy her, coarse salt or hot pepper must be placed in the receptacle containing her skin so she perishes, unable to put the skin back on. In this exposed state, she can be assailed by the locals, some accounts describing them covering her in boiling pitch. Belief in soucouyants is still preserved to an extent in some Caribbean islands, including Dominica, St. Lucia, Haiti, Suriname and Trinidad. The skin of the soucouyant is considered valuable, and is used when practicing black magic.

The origin of the tale would seem to a combination of African legends and beliefs and those relating to existing French vampire myths; the latter would account for the dedication to counting grains of rice, very similar to the folkloric habit of European vampires being kept at bay by scattering seeds or sand at their graves. Although technically a soucouyant could be either male or female, the latter is far more common, French West Indian logic explaining that only female breasts could disguise the flaming vampire wings. In more realistic terms, females tended to live longer, having avoided war and many of the industrial-type accidents which befell many menfolk, thus allowing for certain local old ladies to be viewed with some suspicion. The term “Loogaroo” also used to describe the soucouyant, possibly comes from the French mythological creature called the Loup-garou, a type of werewolf, and is common in the Culture of Mauritius. In Suriname this creature is called “Asema”.

• In Jean Rhys’s Voyage in the Dark a soucouyant is one of Anna Morgan’s daydreaming fears before she undergoes an abortion that leaves her bleeding to death. It is worth noting that before the ending was edited, Anna Morgan dies of the abortion.
• Also used in Rhys’s short story “The Day They Burned the Books”, in a servant’s description of Mrs. Sawyer, a main character in the story: “…Mildred told the other servants in the town that her eyes had gone wicked, like a soucriant’s eyes, and that afterwards she had picked up some of the hair he pulled out and put it in an envelope, and that Mr. Sawyer ought to look out (hair is obeah as well as hands)”.
• Also used in a third Jean Rhys book, Wide Sargasso Sea, when the former slave, Christophine, describes Antoinette’s eyes as “red like soucriant”.
• In “Greedy Choke Puppy”, a short story by Nalo Hopkinson, a soucouyant narrates part of the story. Hopkinson’s book Brown Girl in the Ring also features a soucouyant, who is delayed from her purpose of consuming blood by another character who drops rice grains on the floor, forcing the soucouyant to pick them up before proceeding.
• Appears in the novel White is for Witching: A Novel by Helen Oyeyemi.
• Soucouyant is the title and one of the primary plot devices of a novel by David Chariandy.
• A soucouyant is the title creature in the book “Nightwitch” by author Ken Douglas, which was also published under a previous pseudonym, Jack Priest.
• In Timothy Williams’s Guadeloupe novel, “Un autre soleil”, “Another Sun” the spelling soucougnan is adopted in both French and English.
• A Soucouyant appears in The Night Piece, a collection of short-stories written by André Alexis.
• In Byzantium, a Neil Jordan film, one of the protagonists, Eleanor Webb, refers to vampires in her story as “soucriants”. On the other hand, there isn’t any reference to Caribbean mythology in the movie itself and the vampires’ origin is hinted as pre-Christian European.

Daz Lawrence

‘Tales to give you nightmares!’

Monster Parade was an American horror magazine issued by Irwin Stein’s Magnum Publications in 1958 and 1959. It was an attempt to cash-in on the success of Warren’s Famous Monsters of Filmland but its mix of original horror fiction and comics (reprints of pre-code horror comics), articles, pin-ups and movie coverage didn’t gel with fans and it ran for just four issues.

We are grateful to Monster Magazines for info.

‘Innocent co-ed… or bride of the Devil?’

Mark of the Witch is a 1970 American horror film co-produced and directed by Tom Moore (Return to Boggy Creek) based on a screenplay by Mary Davies and Martha Peters. Composer Whitey Thomas’ synthesizer score is one of the earliest of its type ‘music by Moog'; he later scored Nail Gun Massacre (1985).

Cast:

Robert Elston, Anitra Walsh, Darryl Wells, Jack Gardner, Barbara Brownell, Marie Santell, Gary Brockette, Sande Drewes, Lawrence DuPont, John Figlmiller, Sylvia Rundell, Lori Taylor

Plot teaser:

A 300-year-old witch terrorises a college town to get revenge on the descendant of the man who persecuted her…

Reviews:

“ … inept, but a dated, groovy attempt at the witchcraft genre that some will find amusing and fairly watchable. Though rated “GP” at the time of its release, there are a few bits of blood, but it’s mainly safe drive-in fare for the curious. Anitra Walsh is very sexy, and she pulls of the transition from naïve student to wicked witch nicely, although sometimes she comes off like a secondary character lost in a time warp on an episode of Bewitched.” George R. Reis, DVD Drive-In

“Mark of the Witch is your typical, generic, cheap early 70s witchcraft film, filmed in the sort of colour that lets even brown look like a primary colour, with competent but not interesting direction and amateur actors … The early 70s atmosphere is quite interesting here – the characters aren’t hippies (I repeat, it’s made in Dallas), but young and hip enough to have taken on all the worst characteristics of hippiedom, especially an incredible amount of sexism…” The Horror!?

“Very tame considering the subject matter, it’s filled with nice kids who wear bangs and miniskirts, and who listen to lite music (by Sonny Bonniwell of the Music Machine).” Michael J. Weldon. The Psychotronic Video Guide

Choice dialogue:

“I have never in my life experienced any supernatural powers, never won a bingo game.”

“Time is nothing to the Devil’s favourite child!”

Trailer:

Film:

IMDb | We are grateful to Temple of Schlock for the groovy ad mats above.

The Witchmaker – also released as The Legend of Witch Hollow and The Witchmaster – is a 1969 supernatural horror film written, produced and directed by William O. Brown. It stars Anthony Eisley (The Mighty Gorga; Dracula vs. Frankenstein), Thordis Brandt, Alvy Moore, John Lodge, Shelby Grany. The film was executive producer by actor L.Q Jones (The Brotherhood of Satan). 

Plot teaser:

Deep in the Louisiana swamps, a psychic researcher and his student assistants investigate a series of murders of beautiful young women…

Reviews:

” … the plot is incredibly expansive and far more intriguing than what ends up on screen. Terribly tame for 1969, there’s just enough sexual subtext, goofy acting and a bravura performance from John Lodge to make these satanic shenanigans a fair late night offering of bayou devilry indulgence.” Cool Ass Cinema

“Apart from the pace there was nothing really wrong with it – the actors were mostly solid, it looked terrific, and the plot wasn’t too cliched, so I’m willing to put this in the “have to be in the right mood” category.” Horror Movie a Day

“An interesting film that straddles the line between classic horror and contemporary style and shocks, Witchmaker is a cool flick that makes you wish Brown had continued to work in the genre. It’s a film that seemingly works in spite of itself sometimes; our villains (especially Lodge) are sometimes stage-bound and hammy, while our heroes are often left to figure out stuff we already know; without the combined powers of Techniscope and Technicolor, it would have been quite drab.” Oh, the Horror!

“The plot contours are familiar to the point of exhaustion. The dialogue is uniformly clunky, and most of the acting is feeble enough that Anthony Eisley stands out like an actual movie star. The precocious 70’s-style shock ending is insufficiently justified, and there are a couple moments that are just unbelievably silly.” 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting

Choice dialogue:

“I’m no philosophiser, I’m the guy that gets the fire wood”.

“Well know we know what we’re up against. And his name is Luther!”

Filming Locations:

Marksville, Louisiana, USA

IMDb

‘Vampire leopard women prowl the jungle”

Night of the Sorcerers – original title: La Noche de los Brujos translation: “Night of the Warlocks” – is a 1973 Spanish horror film written and directed by Amando de Ossorio (Tombs of the Blind Dead, Night of the Seagulls, Demon Witch Child).

Cast:

Maria Kosti, Lorena Tovar, Barbara King, Kali Hansa, Jack Taylor, Simon Andreu and Joseph Thelman.

Plot teaser:

1910, Bumbasa, West Africa: A white missionary (Barbara King) is kidnapped by native Bokor (sorcerers) to be sacrificed under a full moon. The Bokor tie her between two posts, whip her, then decapitate her. However, the voodoo ceremony is interrupted by British soldiers who shoot all the participants. Unnoticed in the melee, a shedim (demon) takes possession of the woman.

Years later, Professor Jonathan Grant (Jack Taylor) commands a safari investigating the disappearance of elephants. The safari team stumbled across the clearing where the natives had performed their rituals, before being wiped out in colonial times.

Unfortunately, they decide to camp nearby…

Buy via Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

” … it’s hard to find a better-paced, more enjoyable exercise in sensationalism of its kind. It can’t decide what kind of horror movie it wants to be, so vampirism, voodoo, possession and the walking dead are all tossed in like a big salad, and a very tasty one at that. The film is also not afraid to spill blood or allow for some kinky sadism, notably in repeated rituals where pretty women have their blouses literally whipped off… George R. Reis, DVD Drive-In

” … a mean-spirited, poorly made exploitation picture that relies on nudity, brutality, and gore rather than story, acting, and characterization. And what’s worse, it’s not even competent on this level, for it breaks the first rule of exploitation filmmaking: Shock, sicken, and titillate, but never, never bore your audience.” Bryan Senn, Drums of Terror: Voodoo in the Cinema

Buy via Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

“The film’s general shoddiness is everywhere. In the daytime, the vampire women take the form of animals, played by stuffed leopards whose heads peer out through some bushes. Fernando Garcia Morcillo’s roller-rink organ-driven score is like something out of an Emmanuelle knock-off. The tired jungle cliches uneasily mix with the ’70s sexploitation elements, which in turn don’t blend well with the intended horrors.” Stuart Galbraith IV, DVD Talk

“The plot is paper thin, the acting amateurish and some scenes were too dark due to the shooting process. Although, that said, when the shots weren’t too dark there was some great lighting and atmospherics. It hasn’t a shred of pc awareness and, you know what, it is great fun. It is leopard skin bikini vampiric fun from a master of exploitation horror.” Taliesen Meets the Vampires

“Graphic violence and plentiful soft-core sex cannot relieve the tedium…” Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

” … endearingly kitsch jungle exploitation flick … De Ossorio brings his familiar spooky touch to scenes where zombies crawl out of their graves and cannibals cavort around piles of skulls. By the far the most enjoyable aspect are the leopardskin bikini-clad vampire women, as Barbara Rey and Loli Tovar prance around the jungle with demonic glee.”Andrew Pragasam, The Spinning Image

“Racist, risible and completely redundant, it’s a forgettable effort.” Jamie Russell, Book of the Dead

Filming Locations:

Aldea del Fresno, Madrid, Spain

Wikipedia | IMDb | Image credits: Chilling Scenes of Dreadful Villainy | VHS Collector

Hex –  aka Charms; The Shrieking and Grass Land – is a 1973 American horror film directed by Leo Garen from a screenplay co-written with Steve Katz, based on a story by Doran William Cannon and Vernon Zimmerman (Fade to Black). It was filmed on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation.

Main cast:

Keith Carradine (Dexter; Cowboys and Aliens), Dan Haggerty (Terror Night; Elves; Axe Giant: The Wrath of Paul Bunyan), Gary Busey (Silver Bullet; Piranha 3DD; Mansion of Blood), Scott Glenn (Gargoyles; The Keep; Silence of the Lambs), Hillarie Thompson and Cristina Raines (The Sentinel, billed as Tina Herazo).

Plot teaser:

Set in 1919, immediately after the First World War, a loosely knit band of motorcyclists back from fighting in Europe is making their way across the United States to seek their fortunes in California. They come upon the fictional town of Bingo, Nebraska and are challenged to a race by a local hot rodder. The outcome of the race is disputed, and the bikers flee into the surrounding countryside. They hide on a farm owned by two sisters, Oriole and Acacia, whose recently deceased father was a Native American shaman. The bikers are soon discovered by the sisters, who reluctantly allow them to stay overnight. One of the bikers attempts to rape the younger sister, after which the older sister dons her father’s shaman regalia and casts a hex on the gang. The bikers soon start departing this world in not so natural ways…

Buy: Amazon.com

Reviews:

“Mostly humdrum, the muddled and incomprehensible plot is additionally hampered by clumsy attempts at lightheartedness. But the cast of solid ’70s performers bring a strange watchability to this wayward tale.” The Terror Trap

“None of the characters seem to react realistically to the strange events that go on around them; when one of the characters finally says that there’s “something strange going on”, it’s so late in the movie that it became the biggest laugh line in it for me (and a lot funnier than the intentional comedy). In the end, it feels like a somewhat arty mess. Recommended only to the extremely curious.” Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings

“Largely a mess, but an engaging one. A horror film/Western/World War I biker movie, it exudes an improbable degree of charm precisely because of a freewheeling script that refuses to be tied to any one genre. Although the girls’ motivations remain consistently traditional (well, almost), on the whole the film exudes the feeling of being, almost subliminally, a nostalgic valediction to the counter-culture. ” Time Out

Wikipedia | IMDb

WH

‘Evil takes many forms’

The Witch -stylized as The VVitch – is a 2015 American-Canadian horror film written and directed by Robert Eggers, who also helmed 2008 Poe-based short The Tell-Tale Heart and is now slated to direct the upcoming Nosferatu remake.

The film premiered at the Sundance Festival in January 2015, where Eggars took the prize for Best Director. It is scheduled to be released in the US on February 26, 2016, by A24 Films.

Cast:

Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie (Prometheus), Harvey Scrimshaw, Lucas Dawson, Ellie Grainger and Julian Richings (Cube).

Plot:

1630, New England: A farmer is cast out of his colonial plantation and is forced to move his family to a remote plot of land on the edge of an ominous forest that is rumoured to be controlled by witches. Almost immediately, strange and unsettling things begin to happen – the animals turn violent, the crops fail, and one of the children disappears, only to return seemingly possessed by an evil spirit.

As suspicion and paranoia mount, everyone begins to point the finger at teenage daughter Thomasin. They accuse her of witchcraft, which she adamantly denies. However, as circumstances become more and more treacherous, each family member’s faith, loyalty, and love will be tested in shocking and unforgettable ways…

Reviews:

“A fiercely committed ensemble and an exquisite sense of historical detail conspire to cast a highly atmospheric spell in The Witch, a strikingly achieved tale of a mid-17th-century New England family’s steady descent into religious hysteria and madness.” Justin Chang, Variety

“Eggers’s film is altogether stranger and more challenging to conventional genre tastes. Set among a family of Puritan exiles in the wilderness of unmolested New England as strange and ominous forces beset them, The Witch often looks more like historical realism than horror.” Jack Cole, Slant

“The Witch is expertly directed with a hysterical score, beautiful production design and wicked performances from its central cast. Truly spine-chilling when at its most ambiguous, it only stumbles slightly in its final scene.” Peter Turner, Starburst

” … a knockout in terms of visual flair and dread-filled potency. Kate Dickie is flat-out superb as a mother on the edge, Ralph Ineson conveys the confused emotions of a stern but vulnerable patriarch who tries to do right by his family, and the aforementioned Taylor-Joy turns in a pitch perfect and dedicated performance.” Katherine McLaughlin, The List

“The Witch is bargain basement Terence Malick crossed with a Roman Polanski wannabe and dollops of half-baked Bergman, but worse yet, is not unlike lower-drawer M. Night Shyamalan. That, my friends, is truly chilling.” Greg Klymkiw, Electric Sheep

“Anyone who spoils the ending deserves anguish in eternal fire, but I will say The Witch is one of those very satisfying films whose conclusion somehow manages to be surprising but feel altogether perfect. This movie may be too slow and verbose to be the next breakout horror hit, but its focus on themes over plot is what elevates it to something near greatness.” Jordan Hoffman, The Guardian

Cast and characters:

• Anya Taylor-Joy as Thomasin
• Ralph Ineson as William
• Kate Dickie as Katherine
• Harvey Scrimshaw as Caleb
• Lucas Dawson as Jonas
• Ellie Grainger as Mercy
• Julian Richings as Governor
• Bathsheba Garnett as The Witch

Trailer:

Wikipedia | IMDb | Official website | Facebook | Twitter

‘Blood runs thick’

Hansel vs Gretel – aka Hansel v Gretel – is a 2015 American horror directed by former cinematographer Ben Demaree (12/12/12; Sharknado and sequels; The Ones Above) from a screenplay by Jose Prendes (The Monster Man; Corpses are Forever; The Haunting of Whaley House). It was produced by Paul Bales, David Michael Latt, David Rimawi and Dylan Vox for The Asylum.

Cast:

Brent Lydic (Headless Horseman; Flu Bird Horror; Hansel & Gretel), Lili Baross, Aqueela Zoll (Killjoy Goes to Hell; Wrong Turn VI; Diary of a Psychopath), Maria Olsen, Carol Stanzione, Kevin Yarbrough, Jhey Castles,Riley Murphy, Adinett Nsabimana, Nanrisa Lee, Barbara Scolaro, Elisha Kriis, Christopher Callen, Fawn Stone, Jennifer Elizabeth, Alexander Price, Jeremy M. Inman

Plot:

When Gretel falls under a dark spell and organises a coven of witches, Hansel must find the courage to fight his twin sister and the sinister forces controlling her…

Reviews:

“The film reminded me a lot of an episode of Charmed but with more gore. The special effects are just as bad as Charmed but I could sense the same vibe between both even though in this film the witch’s are the evil bitches! The humour for me is what made the film watchable, there is nothing worse than watching a low budget cash-grab film that takes itself too seriously.” Daniel K, HorrorNews.net

“Hansel Vs. Gretel may not be a brilliant film but it’s certainly an entertaining one. The gore is great and the action is handled well. Interestingly, It was written by Jose Prendes, the same person who penned the enjoyable Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark.” Nav Qateel, Influx Magazine

Filming locations:

Los Angeles, California

Trailer:

IMDb

Vacaciones de terror – English translation: “Vacations of Terror” – is a 1989 Mexican horror film directed by René Cardona III (who also appears as Al Coster) from a screenplay by Carlos Valdemar, based on a story Cardona co-wrote with producer Santiago Galindo.

René Cardona III is the son of veteran Mexican filmmakers René Cardona (Night of the Bloody Apes; Invasion of Death) and René Cardona Jr (Night of a 1000 Cats; Guyana: Crime of the Century; Beaks: The Movie). Clearly, a taste for cinematic schlock runs in the family. Meanwhile, Vacaciones de terror presumably made muchos pesos because a sequel was made in 1991.

Cast:

Pedro Fernández, Julio Alemán, Gabriela Hassel, Nuria Bages, Carlos East.

Plot:

An evil witch gets burned at the stake, but not before vowing to return and get her revenge.

A hundred years later, a family arrive to spend their vacation at a summer home located in the same immediate countryside area where the witch was killed.

Trouble ensues when little girl daughter Gaby finds an ugly doll that’s possessed by the lethal spirit of the malevolent witch…

Reviews:

” … doesn’t do much other than unleash a bag of hoary and outdated haunted house tricks onto the audience. The only thing they seem to have left out from your typical 1930s old dark house flick was eyes on a painting moving but they more than make up for that with a hundred odd close-up shots of the doll’s eyes shifting from left to right.” The Bloody Pit of Horror

Filming locations:

Mexico City; Valle de Bravo, Estado de México

Trailer:

IMDb | Related: Burn, Witch, Burn! Witchfinders on the Screen – article by David Flint

We are grateful for the plot summary by Woodanders and to Mierdoteca Nacional for bringing this film to our attention.

Where Evil Lives – aka Trilogy of Fear – is a 1991 American anthology horror film written and directed by Richard L. Fox (assistant director of Donnie Darko and The Woods), Stephen A. Maier and Kevin G. Nunan. It stars Claude Akins (The Night Stalker; The Norliss Tapes; Tentacles).

The film remained unreleased until 2012 when it was picked up for distribution by Troma Entertainment.

Plot:

Jack Devlin (Akins), caretaker of the Spencer House State, reveals a grisly history of zombies, vampires, and witches to a prospective buyer…

Reviews:

“… Evil proves to be far from the best horror movie of the 80s (or 90s) and Troma yet again proves they’ll say just about anything to sell something. Surprisingly, two people involved in this one managed to go on to bigger and better things.” The Bloody Pit of Horror

“Where Evil Dwells is not a good movie. The first tale was fun and made me think that the movie might have a chance to be a memorable anthology, but it quickly nosedived and was very tough to get through. It was really disappointing.” Scared Stiff Reviews

“In all honesty it’s not very good, but its fun all the same. For the most part the moviemakers seem to be trying to make something out of it, and they do a decent job creating some atmosphere. But at its core, it’s no-budget schlock that should entertain, but most probably be forgotten about by morning.” Todd Jordan, Rock! Shock! Pop!

Filming locations:

Stuart, Florida

Trilogy of Fear trailer:

Troma trailer:

IMDb | Image thanks: The Bloody Pit of Horror 

Sorceress – aka Temptress – is a 1994 American erotic fantasy horror film directed by Jim Wynorski from a screenplay by Mark Thomas McGee (Equinox; Sorority House Massacre II; Witch Academy). It was produced by Fred Olen Ray and photographed by veteran Gary Graver.

It should not be confused with Sorceress (1982) which Wynorski came up with for Roger Corman’s New World company or Temptress (1995) directed by Lawrence Lanoff.

In the US, Synapse Films are releasing the film on Blu-ray and DVD, featuring an 2K transfer of the uncut version, with erotic footage deleted from the original release. The 1.78:1 transfer is accompanied by two audio commentaries: One by Jim Wynorski alone and one in which he is joined by special guest Tom Savini.

Buy: Amazon.com

Main cast:

Larry Poindexter, Rochelle Swanson, Linda Blair (The Exorcist; Hell Night; Repossessed), Julie Strain, Edward Albert (Galaxy of Terror; Mimic 2; Sea of Fear), Michael Parks (The Evictors; Planet Terror; Tusk) and William Marshall (Blacula; Scream Blacula Scream).

Plot:

Larry Barnes (Poindexter) is on the fast track to a partnership in a prestigious law firm, and his sexy witch wife Erica (Strain) will do anything to keep her husband happy. But Erica makes a fatal mistake when she tries to kill Larry’s main competition for the partnership, Howard Reynolds (Albert).

With Howard now crippled for life from Erica’s dark magic, his wife Amelia [Blair] plots her revenge. Using witchcraft and a mystical medallion, Amelia tries to destroy everyone and everything in Larry’s life…

Buy: Amazon.co.uk

Reviews:

” … senseless erotic horror movie … Swanson is the real star and main attraction in several hot sex scenes. This is typically filled with flashbacks, nightmares, dreams inside of dreams, and an impressive shower scene.” Michael J. Weldon, The Psychotronic Video Guide

“Like the Witchcraft series, this consists of mainly softcore shenanigans, with just the occasional sorcery thrown-in, and was aimed firmly at the couples market. Production values are slightly better than is the norm for such 90s direct-to-video naughtiness, with at least the bonus of some seasoned exploitation movie actors (Blair, Parks, Marshall) in supporting roles. Meanwhile, Mark Thomas McGee’s entwined plot machinations (it’s like a perverse mini soap at some points) raise an occasional smirk. Unfortunately, any trace of genuine lasciviousness is ruined by the fake boobs on show.” Adrian J Smith, Horrorpedia.com

Cast and characters:

• Larry Poindexter as Larry Barnes
• Julie Strain as Erica Barnes
• Linda Blair as Amelia Reynolds
• Edward Albert as Howard Reynolds
• Michael Parks as Stan Latarga
• Lenny Juliano as Don
• Rochelle Swanson as Carol
• Toni Naples as Maria
• William Marshall as John Geiger
• Antonia Dorian as Trisha
• Kristi Ducati as Kathy
• Melissa Brasselle as Mrs. Annie Latarga
• Fred Olen Ray as Bill Carson

Filming Locations:

Annapolis, Maryland, USA

Clip:

Wikipedia | IMDb

The Vampire Diaries is an American supernatural drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (Scream; I Know What You Did Last Summer) and Julie Plec (co-producer of Scream 2 and 3; Cursed), based on the popular book series of the same title written by L. J. Smith. The series premiered on The CW on September 10, 2009.

The series takes place in Mystic Falls, Virginia, a fictional small town haunted and surrounded by supernatural beings such as vampires, werewolves and witches.

The pilot episode attracted the largest audience for The CW of any series premiere since the network began in 2006. The first season averaged 3.60 million viewers, and following seasons have maintained an audience of over 2 million viewers.

The series began with mixed reviews, but critics agreed as the first season progressed that the show improved. Subsequent seasons have premiered to more positive critical reception. On March 11, 2016, The CW renewed the series for an eighth season.

In 2013, a spin-off series, The Originals, was launched and is still airing.

Plot:

The series follows the life of Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), a teenage girl who falls deeply in love with a 162-year-old vampire named Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley). Their relationship becomes increasingly complicated as Stefan’s vicious, malevolent and mysterious older brother Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder) returns with a plan to wreak havoc on the town, seeking revenge against his younger brother for turning him into a vampire against his will. Because Elena resembles their past love Katherine Pierce, Damon also begins to fall in love with Elena.

It is revealed that Elena is a descendant of Katherine, who eventually returns with plans against the trio. Elena undergoes many hardships and deaths of close family members and loved ones throughout her high school experience.

The series is set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, a town charged with supernatural history since its settlement of migrants from New England in the late 19th century.

Additional story lines revolve around the other inhabitants of the town, most notably Elena’s younger brother Jeremy Gilbert (Steven R. McQueen), her best friends Bonnie Bennett (Kat Graham) and Caroline Forbes (Candice King), and their mutual friends Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino) and Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig).

The town’s politics are orchestrated by descendants of the original founding families, all comprising a “Founders’ Council.” The founding families of Mystic Falls includes the Salvatores, the Gilberts, the Fells, the Forbes, and the Lockwoods. They guard the town mainly from vampires, although there are many more supernatural threats such as werewolves, witches, originals, hybrids, travellers and ghosts.

Wikia guide to each episode

Wikipedia | IMDb | Official website | Twitter

The Witch of Wookey Hole is a folklore legend. It is said that the witch is still preserved in the form of a stalagmite in the first chamber of the Wookey Hole caves, in Somerset, South-West England. The unique caves have been a tourist attraction since they were excavated in the 1920s and the legend continues to fascinate visitors.

There are several different versions of the legend with the same basic features:

A man from nearby Glastonbury is engaged to a girl from Wookey. A witch living in Wookey Hole Caves curses the romance so that it fails. The man, now a monk, seeks revenge on this witch who—having been jilted herself—frequently spoils budding relationships. The monk stalks the witch into the cave and she hides in a dark corner near one of the underground rivers. The monk blesses the water and splashes some of it at the dark parts of the cave where the witch was hiding. The blessed water immediately petrifies the witch, and she remains in the cave to this day.

A 1000-year-old skeleton of a woman was discovered in the caves by Herbert E. Balch in 1912, and has also traditionally been linked to the legendary witch. The remains have been part of the collection of the nearby Wells and Mendip Museum, which was founded by Balch, since they were excavated.

In 2009, the legend of the witch prompted TV’s Most Haunted team to visit Wookey Hole Caves and adjoining former paper mill to explore the location in depth, searching for evidence of paranormal activity.

Also in 2009, a new actress was chosen to play the ‘witch’ by Wookey Hole Ltd., the owners of the caves and surrounding attractions, amid much mainstream media interest. Carole Bohanan (above) was selected ahead of over 3,000 other applicants.

Beyond the legend of the witch, the caves have been used for the filming of episodes of the BBC TV series Doctor Who, initially for the serial Revenge of the Cybermen (1975) starring Tom Baker. The caves were used again for Doctor Who in The End of Time (2009), including a scene with the Doctor (David Tennant) sharing thoughts and visions with the Ood.

Wikipedia | Official Wookey Hole site | Facebook

‘There’s something evil hiding in the woods’

Blair Witch – secretly filmed as The Woods – is a 2016 American horror film directed by Adam Wingard (Death Note; A Horrible Way to Die; You’re Next; The Guest; V/H/S segment “Tape 56”); V/H/S/2 (segment “Phase I Clinical Trials”) from a screenplay by Simon Barrett.

The second sequel to The Blair Witch Project (1999), the film’s real title was revealed at the 2016 ComicCon.

The film is released on September 16, 2016 by Lionsgate.

Main cast:

Callie Hernandez (Alien: Covenant; From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series), James Allen McCune (The Walking Dead), Brandon Scott, Wes Robinson, Corbin Reid, Valorie Curry (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2).

Reviews:

“Blair Witch is a terrific sequel that stays true to the spirit of the original while at the same time developing and expanding upon the legend. The film fills in multiple blanks that those who loved the mystery and ambiguity of the original might not appreciate, but if you want more of what made the first film work, Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett deliver, in deeply distressing and genuinely frightening fashion.” Chris Tully, IGN

“The slow-burn and entirely gore-free scares of the original have been replaced with frequently annoying jump scares, really loud random noises and an unnecessary rise in gratuitous violence. It’s the brash twin to the subdued original and while it might help to make the film sell to horror-saturated youths, for genuine genre fans, it’s a regretful example of what’s considered scary in 2016.” Benjamin Lee, The Guardian

“Blair Witch is a less repetitive, faster paced and more thrilling experience overall, though at the expense of character development. This is further compensated for by a wide variety of locations, impressive myth building and a constant sense of dread … terrifying, a welcome surprise and an excellent continuation of the lore established in the original…” Mark Bartlett, Flickering Myth

“Blair Witch ups the action, less insidiously creepy, more out-and-out grip-the-arms-of-your-chair petrifying, with a final act so soaked with dread, shocks and wee-inducing imagery it’s almost unbearable … Blair Witch is an intelligent and effective return to a beloved genre game-changer that doesn’t sully the original and is almost certainly setting up for further sequels to come.” Rosie Fletcher, Digital Spy

“There’s something about the endless blurring trees that forces you to search for faces that aren’t there, and when things eventually kick off (call it the witch hitting the fans), a few of the scares almost match [REC] and Lake Mungo for being the genre’s most alarming … It can’t top the original, but doesn’t ruin it either. It’s a contradiction: both an excellent sequel, and a reminder that, however well you conduct it, lightning never strikes twice.” Matt Glasby, Games Radar

“The cast plays their victimized roles well enough for Adam Wingard to work his traumatizing magic, as his take on the Blair Witch mythology transports us into an edgier version of a world Eduardo Sanchez and Gregg Hale made legendary. Gone are VHS visions, replaced with high-flying drones and crisper, more visible framings of a beast we might rather not see. Wingard plays around with expected tropes – 100% using them to his advantage – while nonetheless executing a haunted house finale that’s piss-your-pants scary.” Matt Donato, We Got This Covered

“The new cast are fine, with Robinson and Curry the most eccentric and interesting, but the scripted, conventional character interplay lacks the uneasy conviction of the improvising cast of the earlier film … It’s a solid job of playing safe, which extends the creepiness of the concept, and comes up with new unnerving situations – but this is very much a product picture…” Kim Newman, Screen Daily

“So while not quite in the same league, and struggling from a distinctive lack of subtlety, not leaving anywhere near enough to the imagination as you may have hoped it to, all criticisms derive only when compared to what came before, when analysing this feature on the terms the franchise has set. But as a standalone production there is little to be underwhelmed with, as Blair Witch undoubtedly passes the scare test, as for any apprehensions that may exist, what isn’t in question is the sheer consistency of the scares.” Stefan Pape, HeyUGuys.com

“Blair Witch is breathtakingly terrifying. It’s a lean, mean, dread-filled machine that never abates for even a second. You’re strapped in for 88 minutes of gruelling terror with little space to get your bearings or have a quick ciggy. This brief run-time ensures its fleet-footedness, dispensing its foreshadowing efficiently in a similar fashion to the original, where if you don’t catch certain clues then the eventual scares may not have the same impact.” Christopher Ratcliff, Methods Unsound

“Blair Witch is truly a missed opportunity for Wingard and Barrett, who had a chance to play with a mythology that, whether you like it or not, was ripe for reinvention. Unfortunately, they play it too safe and rely too much on the film’s impressive sound design to do the heavy lifting. Even Wingard seems to grow tired of his own jump scares, having a character say “stop doing that!” after one of them. ” Jeff Sneider, Mashable

“Wingard and Barrett delight in cramming nearly every type of scare scene in the rollercoaster second half of their Blair Witch flick. Jump scares, gore, claustrophobia, monsters, surrealism, you name it and they do it (with liberal doses of those creepy wooden statues, naturally). The results are relentless, yet just as playful and self-aware as the filmmakers tend to be … See it immediately and with as many impressionable screaming audience members as possible.” Phil Brown, Dork Shelf

“When the pandemonium sets in, Wingard and his crew conduct it with aggressive aplomb, shooting, cutting and scoring proceedings in quick, blunt strokes to work up a full horror-movie sweat while preserving just enough raw, haphazard found-footage flavor to honor the original conceit.” Guy Lodge, Variety

” … by sticking so slavishly to the original Blair Witch film’s template, the result is a dull retread rather than a full-on reinvention, enlarging the cast numbers this time but sticking to the same basic beats … Unfortunately, despite all the similarities to its predecessor, the most glaring missing element is that sense of spontaneity that made the first film so effective…” Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter

“It’s hard to say that the first film was “subtle,” but I’m surprised at how much Wingard goes for shock and awe this time in terms of sound design. It sounds like a bulldozer is going through the woods and knocking over trees. There’s nothing relatably creepy about that. The original built tension off sounds in the distance and that general fear that comes from being in the middle of nowhere. This one seeks to numb you with booming noises while someone plays catch with a GoPro.” Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

Filming locations:

British Columbia, Canada

Buy: Amazon.com

IMDb | Official site

Coming Soon: new and future Blu-ray, DVD, VOD and theatrical releases

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‘This time, it’s not a game.’

Witchtrap is a 1989 American supernatural horror film co-produced, written and directed by Kevin S. Tenney (Brain Dead; Night of the Demons; Witchboard and sequel). The working title was The Haunted. The synth score was by Dennis Michael Tenney.

Main cast:

James W. Quinn (Witchboard), Kathleen Bailey (Night Visitor), Judy Tatum (Witchboard), Rob Zapple, Jack W. Thompson, Clyde Talley II, Hal Havins, Linnea Quigley, Kevin Tenney, J.P. Luebsen, Richard Fraga, Lynn McRee, Greg Lewolt, Virginia Miller.

Plot:

Parapsychologists and a security team try to make an inherited mansion that is seemingly haunted by an evil warlock’s ghost safe for guests…

Reviews:

“… Witchtrap doesn’t capture the horror genre as well as Night of the Demons did, despite being made after that film; it’s an awfully bad film all around, with little original ideas to propel it.” Ryne Barber, HorrorNews.net

“The movie was filmed in 3-weeks and that could be a major contributing factor to what made Witchtrap come off as an amateur, supernatural snoozefest. This wouldn’t be such a problem if the movie didn’t consist of 90% dialogue that is made even worse by the fact it sounds very unnatural, as if they’re reading unrehearsed lines.” Hollie Horror, Letterboxd.com

Linnea Quigley suffers evil plumbing in the shower

“An animated bullet blows a guy’s brains out, someone’s head gets run over with a car, there’s death by axe, an exploding van, an exploding head, a whole sequences that’s an optical illusion, a human meltdown, a possession and a “ghost vacuum” that sucks up spirits. And there are tons – and I mean tons – of one-liners, usually spouted by Tony. Some of them are pretty amusing, but when they’re not, boy are they bad!” The Bloody Pit of Horror

“Everyone seems to be having a good time, the story is silly but solidly told (i.e. it’s not incomprehensible), and it gives the viewer 6 or 7 great deaths to enjoy. No one is out to win any awards, and the light comedic tone, save for some occasional character beats … is consistent throughout the film.” Brian W. Collins, Horror Movie a Day

“Yes, this film has some of the most stilted line readings of all time, but nothing compares to the speech the psychic gives to our hero Tony Vincente. He don’t believe in God, she does. She proceeds to tell him the story of why she believes, but she says it in a way that no normal human being would ever say it… at least not in this century.” Dan Lashley, Wide Weird World of Cult Films

Choice dialogue:

Tony Vincente: “He may be a walking hard on with feet but he does his job well.”

Levi Jackson: “I’m gonna find that overgrown abortion and give him a 38 caliber enema!”

Tony Vincente: “You see Mrs O’ Shea I’ve had to listen to people like you talk about God all my life. You claim he’s the supreme being watching all over us but then you let him off the hook by blaming all the horrors of the world on the Devil. I don’t buy it. I spent seven years on the street. I’ve seen abused children. I’ve seen rape victims. I’ve seen a twelve year-old hooker with a $200 a day habit. And you tell me there’s evil in the world, I say yeah, there is. I’ve seen it. But darlin’, it doesn’t wear horns and a tail. As for God and ghosts and the rest of that spiritual mumbo jumbo, well I believe in that as much as I believe in the Easter Bunny. Santa Claus. And honest politicians.”

Filming locations:

Fairfield and Solano County, California

IMDb