HorrorThrillerMysteryDrama

The Witches

- A STRANGER IN A TOWN THAT HAS LOST ITS MIND... IF SHE'S NOT CAREFUL, SHE MAY LOSE HERS TOO!

Following a nervous breakdown, Gwen takes up the job of head teacher in the small village of Haddaby. There she can benefit from the tranquillity and peace, enabling her to recover fully. But under the facade of idyllic country life she slowly unearths the frightening reality of village life in which the inhabitants are followers of a menacing satanic cult with the power to inflict indiscriminate evil and death if crossed.

Release Date : 1966-11-21

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Hammer Film Productions

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles : The Devil's Own

Cast

Character Name : Gwen Mayfield

Original Name : Joan Fontaine

Gender : Female

Character Name : Stephanie Bax

Original Name : Kay Walsh

Gender : Female

Character Name : Alan Bax

Original Name : Alec McCowen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sally Benson

Original Name : Ann Bell

Gender : Female

Character Name : Linda Rigg

Original Name : Ingrid Boulting

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dowsett

Original Name : John Collin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Valerie Creek

Original Name : Michele Dotrice

Gender : Female

Character Name : Granny Rigg

Original Name : Gwen Ffrangcon Davies

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bob Curd

Original Name : Duncan Lamont

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Wallis

Original Name : Leonard Rossiter

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ronnie Dowsett

Original Name : Martin Stephens

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Dowsett

Original Name : Carmel McSharry

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mr. Glass

Original Name : John Barrett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mark

Original Name : Rudolph Walker

Gender : Male

Character Name : Adam

Original Name : Willie Payne

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. McDowall

Original Name : Kitty Atwood

Gender : Male

Character Name : Tom

Original Name : Bryan Marshall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Creek

Original Name : Shelagh Fraser

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mrs. Curd

Original Name : Viola Keats

Gender : Female

Reviews

Wuchak

@Wuchak

2022-05-25

_**Pastoral drama/mystery starts and ends with witchy horror**_ A schoolteacher who had been traumatized by witchdoctors as a missionary in Africa (Joan Fontaine) gets a gig at a remote English village where she starts to suspect witchcraft being practiced. Kay Walsh plays the educated matriarch of the town. “The Witches” (1966), also known as “The Devil’s Own,” is obscure Hammer Horror that obviously influenced the cult flick “The Wicker Man” (1973). It’s mostly a slow rural drama/mystery that opens and closes with overt witcheries. Speaking of which, people complain about the “awful” and “laughable” conclusion, but it was innovative and no doubt shocking in 1965 when it was shot. Whilst cinema flirted with Satanism & witchcraft in the early 60s with "The City of the Dead," "The Masque of the Red Death" and "Devils of Darkness," this one went one step further by depicting a devilish ceremony more explicitly, which strikes some modern viewers as cheesy and amusing. Sure, today it’s about as scary (and choreographed) as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video (1983), but the mundane story definitely needed something outlandish and outrageous by that point. It paved the way for the popular flicks "The Devil Rides Out" and "Rosemary's Baby,” both released two years later. Blonde Ingrid Boulting stands out on the female front as Linda. Meanwhile you might remember striking Michele Dotrice (Valerie) from “The Blood on Satan's Claw” (1971). The film runs about 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in Hambleden, England, which is a half-hour drive due west of London, with studio stuff done at nearby Bray Studios. GRADE: B-