Director:
Michael Reeves
Year: 1968
Rating: 6.5
Year: 1968
Rating: 6.5
Aka - The
Conqueror Worm (the American title)
This is a cautionary tale and I think director Michael Reeves is fairly explicit in positioning that. Except for the period costume and English accents, this could as easily play today in the American south. Or almost in any time. Religious or political fanatics who do abhorrent deeds while some assist, others watch, most stay silent. In each of the executions people simply go along with it. Look on. Did they really think these people they had known all their lives were witches? Or was it just easier not to object, not to stick out. Because the villain of this film Matthew Hopkins was a real historical person and much of what we see is based on fact. Not the hero mind you, there was no hero in the real story. Hopkins was born about 1620 and in his twenties appointed himself a Witchfinder along with his companion in torture John Stearne, again a real person. It was during the English Civil War - Cromwell against King Charles - and authority was loose and so Hopkins convinced people that Parliament had given him legal authority to find and execute witches. He did over 100 times. No one protested. He did not die by the hands of the hero as in the film but from TB at home. Or perhaps a witches curse. He was only 27 when he died.
This film was produced by the less mentioned third company in British horror in the 1960s. What an incredible period for horror from the Isle. Hammer, Amicus and Tigon. I tend to mistakenly attribute their films to either Hammer or Amicus but these were from Tigon - Blood Beast Terror, Curse of the Crimson Alter, Blood on Satan's Claw and Creeping Flesh along with some others. Lower budgets than Hammer and Amicus, but they had some success after being formed in 1965. This was apparently produced on a shoestring budget but it looks great - lush and beautiful cinematography from John Coquillon. Sam Peckinpaw was so impressed when he saw this that he hired him for Straw Dogs, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Cross of Iron and The Osterman Weekend.
But I had heard so much about this film that I was a bit disappointed - the torture and executions are suitably graphic especially for the time and Vincent Price gives a lovely underplayed evil performance but there is no horror here in the traditional sense - other than the horror of man. Price is Matthew Hopkins - older obviously than the real one - and he goes from town to town looking for witches and when an informer comes forth with an accusation he puts them to the tests. Mainly torture but also sharp jabs into their skin to look for marks of the devil. In the real story, Hopkins brought along women who performed this grisly deed. Price is fanatically calm - never loses his temper or goes on a rant - this is righteous business. He gets paid for each execution and so we are never sure if he is doing this for money or belief or somewhere in between. There is a hero of course and he is more a distraction than anything. He is after the Witchfinder for good reasons. Played by Ian Ogilvy. Not his fault - he is fine - but every time the story switches to him it loses steam. And the ending is so anti-climatic that it felt like they were running out of money.
This is a cautionary tale and I think director Michael Reeves is fairly explicit in positioning that. Except for the period costume and English accents, this could as easily play today in the American south. Or almost in any time. Religious or political fanatics who do abhorrent deeds while some assist, others watch, most stay silent. In each of the executions people simply go along with it. Look on. Did they really think these people they had known all their lives were witches? Or was it just easier not to object, not to stick out. Because the villain of this film Matthew Hopkins was a real historical person and much of what we see is based on fact. Not the hero mind you, there was no hero in the real story. Hopkins was born about 1620 and in his twenties appointed himself a Witchfinder along with his companion in torture John Stearne, again a real person. It was during the English Civil War - Cromwell against King Charles - and authority was loose and so Hopkins convinced people that Parliament had given him legal authority to find and execute witches. He did over 100 times. No one protested. He did not die by the hands of the hero as in the film but from TB at home. Or perhaps a witches curse. He was only 27 when he died.
This film was produced by the less mentioned third company in British horror in the 1960s. What an incredible period for horror from the Isle. Hammer, Amicus and Tigon. I tend to mistakenly attribute their films to either Hammer or Amicus but these were from Tigon - Blood Beast Terror, Curse of the Crimson Alter, Blood on Satan's Claw and Creeping Flesh along with some others. Lower budgets than Hammer and Amicus, but they had some success after being formed in 1965. This was apparently produced on a shoestring budget but it looks great - lush and beautiful cinematography from John Coquillon. Sam Peckinpaw was so impressed when he saw this that he hired him for Straw Dogs, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Cross of Iron and The Osterman Weekend.
But I had heard so much about this film that I was a bit disappointed - the torture and executions are suitably graphic especially for the time and Vincent Price gives a lovely underplayed evil performance but there is no horror here in the traditional sense - other than the horror of man. Price is Matthew Hopkins - older obviously than the real one - and he goes from town to town looking for witches and when an informer comes forth with an accusation he puts them to the tests. Mainly torture but also sharp jabs into their skin to look for marks of the devil. In the real story, Hopkins brought along women who performed this grisly deed. Price is fanatically calm - never loses his temper or goes on a rant - this is righteous business. He gets paid for each execution and so we are never sure if he is doing this for money or belief or somewhere in between. There is a hero of course and he is more a distraction than anything. He is after the Witchfinder for good reasons. Played by Ian Ogilvy. Not his fault - he is fine - but every time the story switches to him it loses steam. And the ending is so anti-climatic that it felt like they were running out of money.