Thu 25 Oct 2018
A Movie Review by Jonathan Lewis: WITCHCRAFT (1964).
Posted by Steve under Horror movies , Reviews[8] Comments
WITCHCRAFT. Lippert Films, 1964. Lon Chaney Jr., Jack Hedley, Jill Dixon, Viola Keats, Marie Ney. Director: Don Sharp.
Although the plot is highly derivative – there are really no thematic elements you haven’t seen before in a Gothic horror film – Witchcraft is actually a strongly effective horror movie. Filmed in crisp black and white, the movie makes ample use of limited settings. In terms of its ability to delivery a general feeling of supernatural otherworldliness throughout the proceedings, this Lippert Films production certainly punches well above its weight.
In his final proper film role, Lon Chaney Jr. portrays Morgan Whitlock, patriarch of the enigmatic Whitlock clan. Rumor is that the Whitlocks are involved in witchcraft and have been for generations. Furthermore, legend has it that in the seventeenth-century, one of the Whitlock women was accused of being a witch and was subsequently buried alive. The main beneficiary of this act was the Lanier family that has since owned much of the Whitlock family estate.
So when, in the current era, Bill Lanier (Jack Hedley) begins plans to build a modern development on the Whitlock lands, it’s only a matter of time before the tension between the two families comes to a head. Unfortunately, Bill Lanier wasn’t careful enough in his instructions to the construction crew who, unbeknownst to him, bulldoze the Whitlock graveyard. That sounds bad in and of itself. It’s far worse when that act of recklessness frees Vanessa Whitlock (Yvette Rees), the accused witch from centuries ago, from her living tomb!
Although the acting in Witchcraft is pretty much average with no standout performances, the cinematography is excellent. There’s also a pervasive feeling of weirdness that permeates the film, giving it an otherworldly quality. Much of this, I think, is probably due to Don Sharp’s direction. Although not widely known outside of horror film circles, Sharp was a director who made the most of what he had to work with.
October 26th, 2018 at 7:07 am
As you noted, Jonathan: not outstanding but not bad at all. Is it my imagination, or were they trying to make the witch (Yvette Rees) look like Barbara Steele?
October 26th, 2018 at 3:37 pm
Sharp is usually an interesting director even with little to work with.
October 26th, 2018 at 6:06 pm
Have just seen two of Don Sharp’s pictures. Mildly enjoyed “Th e39 Steps”, mildly disliked “Bear Island”. Need to see a lot more of his work!
October 26th, 2018 at 7:16 pm
He did some of the better Hammer horror films, all of which I watched long ago without being aware of who the director was, and is also known by fans of THE AVENGERS for directing two or three episodes of the TV series.
October 26th, 2018 at 6:11 pm
I have always been fascinated with Lippert, not the product generally, but the how and why the came into being.
October 26th, 2018 at 6:24 pm
Barry, I highly recommend TALK’S CHEAP, ACTION’S EXPENSIVE (Bear Manor, 2014) by Mark Thomas McGee. Great survey of Lippert’s life & work.
October 26th, 2018 at 8:55 pm
Dan, a fine thought.
October 29th, 2018 at 11:58 am
Dan, I have Talk’s Cheap, Acton expensive and it is aa lot of fun. Surprised something worthwhile could come from Bear Manor Media. I had an indirect but unpleasant experience with them a few years ago regarding Louis Hayward. Mary Ann Anderson, who had somehow insinuated herself into Ida Lupino’s life during the time of Ida’s extraordinary decline, had written several books on this subject of Ida, her career and decided Louis came next. Awful. Disorganized, misspelled, and despite input from me, and a few other folks still hanging on, was a mess. I was asked to do the foreword, but that became an afterword and was edited in an upsetting and moronic way. Anyone can read all about this on Amazon. The comments are fascinating, although some stupid creep unfortunately mentioned me in his comment. Anything good about the book, other than the photographs in that section have been submitted by Mary. Purely disgusting. Oh, and the reason I participated is to protect my friends’ memory.