Neive Bellamy
Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
Casey Duggan
It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
Tyreece Hulme
One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.
Nigel P
This is a solid horror film directed by Don Sharp, who directed some of Hammer's less spectacular projects in the mid-sixties. It is probably best known now because of the involvement of top-billed Lon Chaney as the monumental Morgan Whitlock, who delivers a big performance for his big character. Often one-note furious, Chaney casts a large shadow over his more mannered co-stars – it is unusual to see him surrounded by British faces (including 'Plague of the Zombies's Diane Clare), in the same way that seeing Boris Karloff on screen with Christopher Lee in 'Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968)' is a slightly surreal experience. Horror stars from different eras meeting has a charm all its own, and Chaney's presence in picturesque, misty country scenes are pleasingly odd.At this stage in his career, Chaney had a reputation for causing problems due to his excessive drinking. Apparently Sharp was very sympathetic to this and coaxed the best performance as he could from the veteran actor. Apart from addressing the character of Todd as (his girlfriend) Amy, Chaney is very good in a larger-than-life way.My other favourite performance would have to be that of Vanessa Whitlock (Yvette Rees), the resurrected witch. She is creepily effective in all her scenes, particularly her first, when her appearance is slowly revealed as she is unearthed. Up until that point, this is quite a straight-laced film (in which Chaney's performance stands out as being unrestrained) seemingly un-influenced by the blood-spattered horror revolution caused by Hammer in the late 1950's. As events continue, however, things become progressively more manic folding with a spectacular finale.
Harold_Robbins
When I finally caught up with it, this turned out to be a nice little mid-1960s thriller, made very much in the style of a Hammer Films production (indeed, as such it makes a suitable double-feature with the film it's paired with on DVD, DEVILS OF DARKNESS)- it makes good use of settings, has a decent script and quite adequate acting (especially a typically hammy late-career performance from Lon Chaney Jr), and evokes a very effective atmosphere of evil. What I was most surprised about (and impressed with) was the striking black-and-white photography and lighting, which really contributed to that atmosphere, particularly in its use of the reawakened witch. Definitely a fun, creepy movie for a rainy Saturday afternoon!
ferbs54
"Witchcraft" is a comparatively obscure British horror film from 1964 that may be getting some well-deserved latter-day fans, thanks to recent screenings on TCM and this great-looking DVD. This modest but well-done offering from Shepperton Studios almost plays out like a Hatfield & McCoys family feud, but with decidedly supernatural overtones. It seems that modern land development in an area outside London has desecrated the burial plot of the Whitlocks, and before long, Vanessa Whitlock, who was buried alive in the 17th century for witchcraft, is up-and-at-'em to take vengeance on her ancestral enemies, the Laniers. Jack Hedley is quite sturdy in his role as Bill Lanier, the modern-day land developer, and, in a NONembarrassing performance, Lon Chaney, Jr. is also quite fine as Morgan Whitlock, a coven leader. Best of all, perhaps, is Yvette Rees as Vanessa. With not a single line of dialogue, she manages to convey implacable evil very effectively, and her every appearance is a frightening one; my beloved "Psychotronic Encyclopedia" is quite correct in describing her as being "in the Barbara Steele tradition." Director Don Sharp, whose work on the 1963 Hammer film "Kiss of the Vampire" had recently impressed me, here turns in another solid effort, and the film's B&W photography is quite lovely to behold. The picture ends most satisfactorily, I feel, and on a nicely UNsentimental note, with Grandmother Lanier's pronouncement "Born in evil, death in burning" a perfect summation of affairs. Though perhaps not quite as sterling as an earlier British witches-and-devil film, "Horror Hotel" (1960), "Witchcraft" yet reveals itself to be a compact and pleasing affair that does leave a residual chill. Unlike Vanessa, this is one relic whose unearthing should be welcomed....
JoeKarlosi
A modest but good British horror film that offers a decent part for aging star Lon Chaney. There has been a feud going on between the Whitlock family and the Lanier family ever since the 17th century when the Laniers denounced young Vanessa Whitlock as a witch and buried her alive. Now in modern day England, the Laniers are part of a land developing business that is running bulldozers over the ancient Whitlock graveyard and disturbing their headstones, much to the protest of head spokesman Morgan Whitlock (Chaney). To make matters worse, Morgan's niece Amy (Diane Claire) is in love with Bill Lanier (Jack Hedley). When the tomb of Vanessa Whitlock gets accidentally desecrated, the angered witch (Yvette Rees) rises to seek vengeance by placing curses on the Laniers. It's nice to see Lon Chaney amidst this devilish action, and he adds dignity to what was one of his last good horror movies. Director Don Sharp (Hammer's KISS OF THE VAMPIRE) sets up a few eerie shots and imbues these black and white proceedings with a haunting atmosphere. This movie would make a fine double feature with HORROR HOTEL (aka "The City of the Dead"). *** out of ****
