Necromancy (1972)
** (out of 4)
Satan-worshiping cult leader Mr. Cato (Orson Welles) lures Lori Brandon (Pamela Franklin) and her husband to his small town so that he can use her special powers to bring his dead son back to life.
It still blows my mind that Bert I. Gordon, the man behind countless giant insect movies, directed the one and only Orson Welles. This film is actually out there in two different versions. One is the original theatrical release, which pretty much plays out like the countless other witchcraft movies that were released after the success of ROSEMARY'S BABY. The second version, out there under the title THE WITCHING, was released to video in 1983 and featured a lot of added nudity as well as a new electric score, which was awful sounding.
Having now seen both versions I must say that they're about on par with each other. Depending on what you're in the mood for will determine which one you should watch. The original theatrical version is a fairly boring and routine film whereas the 1983 version at least has a lot of sleaze that makes it somewhat entertaining in an exploitation sort of way. I will admit that I prefered watching THE WITCHING because it did work as an exploitation movie whereas NECROMANCY was just a rather lame and somewhat cheaply made rip-off of much better films.
It's still hard to believe that Welles would appear in something like this but I'm sure whatever he made from the film went into THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND. His performance here certainly isn't anything special and while he doesn't exactly phone the performance in, it's still not something that would rank among his best work or even middle-tier work. Franklin, on the other hand, actually turns in a very good performance and makes you believe everything that her character is going through.
For many years this here was only available via THE WITCHING version but now that both are out there it will give fans a chance to see which one they prefer. Again, neither film is what I'd consider good but they both offer up something better that the other doesn't have. THE WITCHING has the sleaze that works but an awful score. NECROMANCY is fairly tame but it does have a better score. Obviously both feature Welles and he's the main reason to watch either.
