The best acting performance of horror hound Vincent Price has finally made it onto DVD. It also marks a personal milestone since the first review I ever posted on the net was a guest spot reviewing the UK version of Witchfinder.
Oh, how time has flown. In 2001, I imported the UK version of Witchfinder General for my region free player since I was tired of waiting on MGM to release it. I had become e-pals with the seasoned reviewer DVD Savant (aka Glenn Erickson). Since his site covered multi-region releases and since I wanted to try my hand at reviewing, I asked if I could review my new acquisition as a guest reviewer.
Savant graciously agreed (thanks Glenn!) and the rest, as they say, is history. Actually I was pretty dormant it till I came on at M&C with my inaugural review of Curse of the Pink Panther in 2006 (talk about opposites in terms of movies!). I suppose I should let the readers decide if it was a “consummation devoutly to be wished” but I’m feeling fragile and would rather not know. So my review of Witchfinder General makes me feel elated that it’s finally on DVD in the states, but it is also a feeling of coming full circle.
Matthew Hopkins (Vincent Price) and his assistant Stearne (Robert Russell) roam the civil war ravaged English countryside making their living rooting out witches for the superstitious villagers and making a great deal of coin at it too. His services are called for in a village where suspicious villagers are accusing priest John Lowes (Rupert Davies) of being in league with the devil.
Hopkins and Stearne take a great deal of pleasure in their sadistic testing of the accused, Stearne for the sadism and Hopkins for the sexual favors from the ladies. Lowe’s niece Sarah (Hilary Dwyer) is another of Hopkins conquest as she thinks that he’ll spare Lowes if he gets his way with her. He doesn’t and the old boy is hung. Sarah’s fiancé Richard (Ian Ogilvy) finds out about Lowe’s death and Sarah’s sacrifice and swears before God to track down Hopkins and make him pay.
Michael Reeves was born in Suffolk, England and after completing his schooling he traveled to America. He showed up on director Don Siegel’s, his favorite director, doorstep and announced that he wanted to make films and that Siegel was the greatest director in the world.
Siegel’s ego sufficiently stroked he gave Reeves some minor jobs. Reeves worked his way up to second unit director on Castle of the Living Dead (1964) and next made his first film, Revenge of the Blood Beast (1965) (aka the She Beast in the US, ironically starring Ogilvy). Reeves judicious use of a low budget cause Blood Beast to turn a nice profit which brought him to the attention of Tony Tenser and he bankrolled Reeve’s next film, the Sorcerers (1966) (starring Boris Karloff and Ogilvy again).
This would lead up to Reeve’s most famous film and ironically his final one as well. Witchfinder General (1968) was a co-production with Tenser’s Tigon Films and American International Pictures. Reeves vision for the devilish Hopkins was Donald Pleasence, but American International’s involvement forced Vincent Price into the role – much to Reeve’s anger. Famously he didn’t even meet Price at the airport (traditionally the mannerly thing to do) and made no bones about not wanting him in the role – leading to some tense moments on the set.
A typical exchange: Reeves: “Don’t do THAT!” Price: “What?” Reeves: “THAT!” I also heard he yelled, “Stop shaking your head” to Price quite a bit. Not exactly the friendliest direction. The tension on the set led Price to give a malevolent performance that I consider one of his best. I recall that Price even wrote a friendly note to Reeves expressing admiration for the performance that was on the screen.
If you’re in the states you may be confused by the title since it was released in the States as The Conqueror Worm and added a bit with Price intoning a portion of the Poe poem to make it fit in with their Poe series (even though it has nothing to do with Poe). Ironically, the case art is correct but the disc is hilariously labeled Edgar Allan Poe’s Witchfinder General. The version on this release is considered the director’s cut and loses the poem and some nudity that was shot for international markets.
This DVD version also restores Paul Ferris’ sweeping score (the back erroneously reports a “musically edited version” although I suppose this is musically edited as compared to Conqueror Worm). The “Conqueror Worm” version had a synthesizer score instead of Ferris’ original work. What’s sad is that Reeves didn’t live to see the admiration that the film has developed since he died in 1969 of barbiturate poisoning (or some reports say suicide).
Witchfinder General is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. This print looks fabulous. Special features include a commentary by Ian Ogilvy, producer Patrick Waddilove and moderated by author/film historian Steve Haberman.
They provide a great deal of information and the commentary is well worth the listen. The 25 minute “Witchfinder General: Michael Reeve’s Horror Classic” interviews Richard Squires (curator of the Vincent Price exhibit at http://www.vincentpriceexhibit.com/ and even I contributed a thing or two), author/editor Stephen Jones, novelist/film critic Kim Newman, and screenwriter Chris Wicking about the fabled production.
It’s grand to finally have one of Vincent Price’s greatest performances on DVD and in the fabled director’s cut to boot. Fans of the Master of the Macabre can count themselves lucky to see this day. A collection of special features only sweetens the deal.
Witchfinder General is now available at Amazon . As of yet, this version of the DVD is not yet available in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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