Witchfinder general was released in the united states by american international pictures, who in addition to arranging for vincent price to play matthew hopkins, changed the north american title. Recently, whilst reorganising my collection, i happened upon it and watched it once more. By consensus, vincent prices finest performance among his gallery of horror movie rogues comes in witchfinder general, the intense 1968 film that erased any. All three films starred his lifelong friend ian ogilvy. Aips louis heyward, witchfinder general was very successful in germanyit was the most. Its also wonderful for the audience to realize that the witchfinder general is showing his disapproval of stearne drinking and putting the moves on the village woman as hes creeping outside to go force himself on sara. Director michael reeves wanted donald pleasence for the role of matthew hopkins, who made a lucrative career in the 17th century searching out witches. Witchfinder general 1968 is a cult classic that tells the true story of the witchhunt conducted by mathew hopkins in east anglia, during the english revolution. Screening of witchfinder general 1968 the cinema museum.
Australia brazil canada china france germany india italy japan. His activities mainly took place in east anglia hopkins witchfinding career began in march 1644 and lasted until his retirement in 1647. This film still manages to induce general feelings of horror on account of its violence, even though it is not really a horror film as such. Biography a nwobhm band, which released 2 albums death penalty and friends of hell and several singles in the period of 1979 to 1984. Witchfinder general was released in the united states by american international pictures, who in addition to arranging for vincent price to play matthew hopkins, changed the north american title to the conqueror worm, after a poem by edgar allan poe which was read over the credits by price, though the story bears no real relation to poes work. During world war ii, he served in the waffenss, the combat branch. Witchfinder general were an english heavy metal band from stourbridge, england. The best, and regrettably the last, of too few films directed by michael reeves before his untimely death. Feb 14, 2003 witchfinder general was a landmark horror film in its day, shattering audience complacency while also garnering kudos from critics. Oct 03, 2010 filming locations from witchfinder general 1968 starring vincent price and ian ogilvy.
Or perhaps he just thinks talking about all the things he and stearne have done is the real sin. Witchfinder general, directed by michael reeves, starring vincent price with six you get eggroll, directed by howard morris, starring doris day, brian keith, barbara hershey y edit. Pdf download step up chillers tales of terror stepup classic chillers. Witchfinder general certainly shows a lot of promise, and is very well made on what i imagine was a fairly modest budget. In november 2006, witchfinder general reformed minus the original vocalist zeeb parkes. Felix martin julius steiner 23 may 1896 12 may 1966 was a german ss commander during the nazi era. Dating from the late 1960s, witchfinder general may not contain the pacey. Coventrys witchfinder general were like the black sheep of the new wave of british heavy metal.
In 2008 their 3rd studio album, resurrected, was released. Witchfinder general 1968, known as the conqueror worm in america, was directed by. This was the third and final movie directed by michael reeves, who sadly died of a drug overdose a year after it was released while still in his mid twenties. Singularly lacking in haunted castles, creepy forests and scary pointy teeth, the film may display the usual 1960s obsession with technicolor tits and ass at inappropriate moments, but otherwise witchfinder general is surprisingly unsensationalist, especially given its potentially titillating subject matter. Rupert davies and robert russell in witchfinder general 1968. The conqueror worm street date september 11, 2007 14. Brazil, canada, colombia, cote divoire, egypt, france, germany, hong kong. Witchfinder general is a 1968 british horror film directed by michael reeves and starring vincent price, ian ogilvy, and hilary dwyer. Stourbridge doom metal band formed in 1979 by vocalist zeeb parkes, guitarist phil cope and drummer steve kinsell credited as kid rimple.
The group disbanded following the release of their second album friends of hell and the following decade saw the band recognised as pioneers of the doom metal style. A young soldier seeks to put an end to the evils caused by a vicious. With vincent price, ian ogilvy, rupert davies, hilary heath. Witchfinder general aka conqueror worm 1968 director. An air of myth and mystery hangs over the film, partly due to its subject matter, and partly, too, because its 25 yearold director, michael reeves, died of a drug overdose just weeks after completing it. The screenplay was by reeves and tom baker based on ronald bassetts novel of the same name.
Witchfinder general filme wikipedia, a enciclopedia livre. Hopkins the witchfinder general, a 1996 ep by cathedral, a british heavy metaldoom metal band. Vincent price the tomb of ligeia, ian ogilvy death becomes her, rupert davies dracula has risen from the grave, hilary heath the oblong box robert russell silver dream racer. While most of the bands in the scene were pioneering an embryonic form of thrash metal consisting of spedup judas priest and motorhead song structures, these guys were still longingly clutching their 10yearold black sabbath records and formed the band in 1979 as a means to create. With its graphic scenes of hanging, drowning and burning, and stark themes on religious fanaticism and the abuse of power, 1968 s witchfinder general was one of the most controversial british films in its day. Filming locations from witchfinder general 1968 starring vincent price and ian ogilvy.
It is a very fictionalized story of matthew hopkins, who had been a 17th century lawyer. The conqueror worm witchfinder general 2000 rotten tomatoes. Vincent price stars as the selfproclaimed witchfinder matthew hopkins roaming. Despite similarly engaging with belief systems and britains rural traditions its a more overtly political film, less straight horror, in which paganism is an. If you dont like ads you can go and subscribe at usd 5,00month by clicking here. Theres a lot of history here, and unsurprisingly all these many years later, the generals music is still adored and still being discovered by new fans.
Witchfinder general titled onscreen as matthew hopkins. This site started as a fan site, but through the magic of the internets it has become the official band site. Witchfinder general the films title card is matthew hopkins. That is the haunting opening shot of michael reeves masterpiece, witchfinder general a film quite unlike any other in the annals of the british horror film, altho. Mar 27, 2018 uk witchfinder general 1968 vincent price stars as the selfproclaimed witchfinder matthew hopkins roaming britain at the time of the english civil war in search of innocent. Whereas before the lyrics focused on burning witches and other assorted nasty imagery with infamous sleeve art to back it up, friends of hell is a more serious and consistent album and overall a big step forward. Witchfinder general is a bracing, even punishing film because it never allows you the release of campy enjoyment that it always seem to promise is due to arrive after just one more harrowing torture scene. The sun, as it glances through the branches of a forest of leafless trees, forms the appearance of a glowing crucifix illuminating a serene english autumn sky. Witchfinder general, british horror film, released in 1968, that is noted for vincent prices sinister portrayal of its main character. Cathedral live at bloodstock open air 2011 hopkins the witchfinder general. Witchfinder general 1968 on a hillside a man is building a gibbet. Witchfinder general band, a british heavy metal band witchfinder general, a song on witchfinder general s 1982 album death penalty. Based on the 1968 vincent price movie of the same name, witchfinder general is a historical horror film about reallife figure matthew hopkins, and the terrible, torturous deeds he performed in the name the post witchfinder general remake coming from john hillcoat and nicolas winding refn appeared first on film.
May 31, 2015 1968 price turns in one of his most chilling performances as the sinister, cynical, and obsessed hopkins, who prowls the 17th century english countryside already beset by civil war instigating witchhunts for both profit and pleasure. All we hear are her screams, the prayers of a priest and the wind. Filming locations from witchfinder general 1968 youtube. They were part of the new wave of british heavy metal scene and have been cited as a major influence on the doom metal genre. John lowes house, rushford college and church, rushford, norfolk. England is torn in civil strife as the royalists battle the parliamentary party for control. The cruel civil war between royalists and parliamentarians that is ravaging the country causes an era of chaos and legal arbitrariness that allows unscrupulous men to profit by exploiting the absurd superstitions of the peasants. By all accounts he was a genuinely nasty piece of work who exploited the climate of fear and suspicion during the english civil war for personal gain. It is a british horror film starring vincent price. Bahrain, belgium, brazil, canada, colombia, cote divoire, egypt, france, germany, hong kong, india. Witchfinder general film by reeves 1968 britannica.
Witchfinder general free country studio version youtube. About spookyflix admin administrator for spookyflix. Witchfinder general tells the story of matthew hopkins played by price, the reallife 17thcentury puritan lawyer and witchfinder. I have a copy of witchfinder general from many years ago. Witchfinder general aka witchfinder general aka conqueror worm the 1968 hell hang, burn and mutilate you. Vincent price matthew hopkins, ian ogilvy richard marshall, rupert davies john lowes, hilary heath sarah lowes, robert russell john stearne, nicky henson trooper robert swallow, tony selby tom salter, bernard kay fisherman, godfrey james webb, michael beint captain gordon, john trenaman. Directed by michael reeves witchfinder general is probably vincent prices finest performance in this intense 1968 film that sees price playing matthew hopkins. Tom baker the sorcerers and michael reeves castle of the living dead, and starring.
Witchfinder general 1968, 20 shocking facts you never. Michael reeves witchfinder general 1968, or the conqueror worm in the us, sits slightly at odds with other seminal folk horror texts the blood on satans claw piers haggard, 1971 and the wicker man robin hardy, 1973. Usa 14 august 1968 new york city, new york italy 26 october 1968. By consensus, vincent prices finest performance among his gallery of horrormovie rogues comes in witchfinder general, the intense 1968 film that erased any hint of camp from the actors persona. Witchfinder general 1968 by spookyflix admin january 28, 2019 8. Witchfinder general, a song by saxon, a british heavy metal band, on their 2004 album lionheart. The studio insisted on the more bankable vincent price, but after a running battle with the veteran star, the 24yearold director extracted a performance for once more sinister than camp, and produced a genuine english classic, violent, bleak. Witchfinder general is also called the conqueror worm. Released in may 1968, as unrest fomented in paris and the hippie dream began to darken, witchfinder general tapped into the swelling antiauthority mood of its time in its tale of matthew hopkins, whose reallife counterpart roamed a civil wartorn east anglia, inflaming superstition and exploiting mistrust, abetted and generously paid by. Cult nwobhm band named after the 1968 vincent price 2 film formed 1979 in stourbridge, england.
Witchfinder general full movie watch online, stream or download. Witchfinder general is a 1968 britishamerican historical horror film directed by michael reeves and starring vincent price, ian ogilvy, hilary dwyer, robert russell and rupert davies. Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do so. Witchfinding in general and the censors cineexcess. The video quality is quite acceptable for a film this old. Price plays matthew hopkins, a sadistic 17thcentury witchfinder who uses barbaric methods to identify and invariably execute supposed witches. Ian cooper is a freelance writer and educator based in germany. Based on the 1968 vincent price movie of the same name, witchfinder general is a historical horror film about reallife figure matthew hopkins, and the terrible, torturous deeds he performed in the name the post witchfinder general remake coming from john. Nothing is nastier than folk and witchfinder general finds horrors that only mortals would choose to create. This dvd restores longlost footage censored by the bbfc. Witchfinder general is a film of social collapse, one of a world weaponising belief to justify violence in a pastoral english setting.
Witchfinder general wikipedia, a enciclopedia livre. They were named after the 1968 british horror film witchfinder general. Witchfinder general 1968 directed by michael reeves. During the english civil war and the time of cromwell, selfappointed witchfinder, matthew hopkins vincent price roams the countryside as an opportunist using his position to obtain wealth, sex and power. Without ceremony or dramatic pause, she is hung and the townsfolk turn away. A corrupt opportunist commits brutal crimes in the name of god and country in this atmospheric period horror tale. Stream adfree or purchase cds and mp3s now on amazon. Lovecraft as poe the haunted palace and used a few lines from one of poes poems to create a fantasy comedy the raven, but nothing quite compares to what they did to witchfinder general, the third and greatest film from tragic and gifted young british director michael reeves the shebeast. Witchfinder general 1968 film is a featured article. He claimed to hold the office of witchfinder general, although that title was never bestowed by parliament. Matthew hopkins the selfproclaimed witchfinder general of the title was a real man who lived in the first half of the 17thcentury. Phibes rises again, theater of blood, and madhouse.
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