Some people still think this movie is overrated or overpraised, but sorry, nope it ain't ! It's a masterpiece, a milestone, the best movie ever from the UK (and I have seen a lot and am aware of the UK-movie history!).
If one views it just as a horror movie, one's missing the ethical, philosophical, historical (accurate !), psychological, ... dimensions of this movie.
OK, maybe that was not all intended by Michael REEVES, but it's all there for those who wanna see.
I have seen this movie first time as a midnight run on TV some 20 years ago (unprepared for what was coming!) and I never forgot it (I guess nobody can). Seen it app. 5, 6 times since then and as a reviewer of this movie wrote, you'll think about THE WITCHFINDER GENERAL as long as you think about movies (and I think about this movie now for app. 20 years and am still in awe).
In my humble opinion, this is by far not as bloody as some reviews suggest, in fact the shown brutality is pretty tame (never in the foreground, never in detail, the movie is shot like a historical painting, also the colors used are there because the director and cinematographer wanted them this way). The fact that people consider this as extremely brutal (which it is, but brutality is something other then bloody !!!) is the storyline. The brutality is NEVER in the foreground, it's just an essential part of the story, but never a means by itself. The brutality is more psychological, because one gets sucked into the story and watching this in it's hard-to-take accuracy simply makes you feel the pain these people suffer. That's what makes it so brutal and NOT the scenes/pictures of the movie. It's one of the psychological most accurate movies I have ever seen and well worth to be compared with Ingmar Bergman's masterpiece THE SEVENT SEAL, which has a comparable setting and also the theme is not that far away from WITCHFINDER.
I also think the ending is awesome ! And as far as the age of the director is concerned, hey come one, Orson WELLES has done is masterpiece CITIZEN KANE in very young years, John Carpenter did so (Assault), Spielberg (Duel, Jaws) and I could name many many more, who were in their prime young and never got better than in their 20- or 30-something years.
I'd even go as far as to say, IF somebody accomplishes anything great, then in the first half of his life, not in the 2nd ...
And Michael REEVES did achieve something great in and for the UK-cinema, which nobody after him could ever come to reach again.
Watch this movie late at night, when it's dark, go to the toilet before the movie starts, drink no beer, watch no commercials in between and don't let yourself be disturbed by talking, phone calls, whatever and then tell me you were not more than just lightly impressed ...
PS: Oh yes, and the music is absolutely stunning, a superb soundscape for this great achievement ! Paul FERRIS' composed a haunting love theme, which already foreshadows the tragedies and cruelties to come. Superbly orchestrated !
If one views it just as a horror movie, one's missing the ethical, philosophical, historical (accurate !), psychological, ... dimensions of this movie.
OK, maybe that was not all intended by Michael REEVES, but it's all there for those who wanna see.
I have seen this movie first time as a midnight run on TV some 20 years ago (unprepared for what was coming!) and I never forgot it (I guess nobody can). Seen it app. 5, 6 times since then and as a reviewer of this movie wrote, you'll think about THE WITCHFINDER GENERAL as long as you think about movies (and I think about this movie now for app. 20 years and am still in awe).
In my humble opinion, this is by far not as bloody as some reviews suggest, in fact the shown brutality is pretty tame (never in the foreground, never in detail, the movie is shot like a historical painting, also the colors used are there because the director and cinematographer wanted them this way). The fact that people consider this as extremely brutal (which it is, but brutality is something other then bloody !!!) is the storyline. The brutality is NEVER in the foreground, it's just an essential part of the story, but never a means by itself. The brutality is more psychological, because one gets sucked into the story and watching this in it's hard-to-take accuracy simply makes you feel the pain these people suffer. That's what makes it so brutal and NOT the scenes/pictures of the movie. It's one of the psychological most accurate movies I have ever seen and well worth to be compared with Ingmar Bergman's masterpiece THE SEVENT SEAL, which has a comparable setting and also the theme is not that far away from WITCHFINDER.
I also think the ending is awesome ! And as far as the age of the director is concerned, hey come one, Orson WELLES has done is masterpiece CITIZEN KANE in very young years, John Carpenter did so (Assault), Spielberg (Duel, Jaws) and I could name many many more, who were in their prime young and never got better than in their 20- or 30-something years.
I'd even go as far as to say, IF somebody accomplishes anything great, then in the first half of his life, not in the 2nd ...
And Michael REEVES did achieve something great in and for the UK-cinema, which nobody after him could ever come to reach again.
Watch this movie late at night, when it's dark, go to the toilet before the movie starts, drink no beer, watch no commercials in between and don't let yourself be disturbed by talking, phone calls, whatever and then tell me you were not more than just lightly impressed ...
PS: Oh yes, and the music is absolutely stunning, a superb soundscape for this great achievement ! Paul FERRIS' composed a haunting love theme, which already foreshadows the tragedies and cruelties to come. Superbly orchestrated !