Witchfinder General

Witchfinder General (The Conqueror Worm)

1968

Director- Michael Reeves

Cast- Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy, Hilary Dwyer, Rupert Davies, Patrick Wymark, Robert Russell

            

    The witch persecution sub-genre is a niche  of the larger folk horror sub-genre. It was particularly popular from the late 1960s through the late 1970s. Despite the plots usually centering around witches and witchcraft, the sub-genre is often devoid of any real supernatural elements.

  

    The villains rather are sadistic holy men and frightened villagers who use religious duty as an excuse to indulge in perversion and murder. This movie holds true to form. The most satanic thing in this film is Vincent Price as the titular sadist.

   

    Witchfinder General is the most famous movie of this sub-genre and influenced several movies that came after it (such as Inquisition, Mark of the Devil, The Devils, Les Demons, and  The Bloody Judge.) 

    

    Though Vincent Price was usually cast as a villain, he was also usually a sort of lovable or camp villain; someone you liked and rooted for despite his nefarious plots. Not so in this movie. Witchfinder General is grim and Price’s portrayal is equally humorless. Apparently  a lot of this is due to the direction of Michael Reeves (who also directed She-Beast with Barbara Steele). 

    Reeves wanted Donald Pleasence but the studio went over his head and got Vincent Price. Reeves and Price didn't get along and Reeves was often unhappy with Price's performances and pushed him to do more. This tension translates to the screen. Though the two men didn't get along, Price would later say that he understood Reeves' vision and was grateful for the director's pushing him to such a memorable performance.

    The film has a fine cast including Richard Wynmark in a small role as Oliver Cromwell (who also appeared in Blood on Satan’s Claw) and Rupert Davies as a priest (he also played a priest that same year in Dracula has Risen from the Grave).

            

    The film takes place during the English Civil war of the 15th century. Price plays Mathew Hopkins (an actual historical figure who executed around 300 women in the span of a few years, all in the name of stamping out witchcraft). Witchfinder Hopkins is hired by villagers to investigate a local priest (Davies).

The priest is sheltering a beautiful young woman, Sara, who the Witchfinder takes a fancy to. As a quid pro quo, Hopkins spares the priest’s life in exchange for sex with Sara. Later, Hopkin’s assistant rapes Sara and this apparently causes Hopkins to lose any further interest in her. His plaything “spoiled” he decides to execute the priest for witchcraft along with several other villagers. After this, Sara’s fiancé, who has been off fighting in the war, finds out what has happened and sets out for revenge against Hopkins and his assistant.

           

   Its American release was billed under the unfortunate title, The Conqueror Worm, in an attempt to tie it, in the minds of potential viewers, to Price's other Poe pictures. For its time, the movie was considered shocking and violent, though the imitators that followed it were much more violent and shocking.  The plot is grounded in the historical events of its time which seems to make it more believable.  The movie is also usually considered one of the pillars of the Folk Horror genre, along with Blood on Satan's Claw and The Wicker Man). The main reason to watch this movie is to see Vincent Price playing one of his most villainous roles.