One of my favourites. Ian Ogilvy acted (and very well) for once as a soldier in Cromwell's army in search of his fiancé (the gorgeous Hilary Dwyer), whom witchfinder Matthew Hopkins (Vincent Price) has taken for trial as a witch.
Price pulls the role off perfectly here, especially as his usual enjoyable hamminess is nowhere to be seen. What we get instead is Price perfectly recreating one of the most repellent characters in British history (add him to Cromwell and Lord George Jeffreys (see Franco's The Bloody Judge, with Christopher Lee excellent in the title role)).
This was director Michael Reeves' fourth and final film in a promising career sadly cut short by a fatal overdose. His previous film, The Sorcerors (starring Boris Karloff and, again, Ian Ogilvy), is also worth catching. Two Italian horrors preceded these, with a definite visual flair evident.
Watch and enjoy British horror at it's best, though those with a weak stomach (cowards!) may want to avoid.
Price pulls the role off perfectly here, especially as his usual enjoyable hamminess is nowhere to be seen. What we get instead is Price perfectly recreating one of the most repellent characters in British history (add him to Cromwell and Lord George Jeffreys (see Franco's The Bloody Judge, with Christopher Lee excellent in the title role)).
This was director Michael Reeves' fourth and final film in a promising career sadly cut short by a fatal overdose. His previous film, The Sorcerors (starring Boris Karloff and, again, Ian Ogilvy), is also worth catching. Two Italian horrors preceded these, with a definite visual flair evident.
Watch and enjoy British horror at it's best, though those with a weak stomach (cowards!) may want to avoid.