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Milestone Films, 1976
starring: Millie Perkins, Lonny Chapman, Stafford Morgan and Rick Jason
directed by: Matt Cimber
the plot: Molly (Perkins) is a waitress in a seaside California
town. By day, she dutifully babysits her two nephews, Todd and Tripoli.
But Molly harbors a dark secret—as a child, she was horrifically abused
by her alcoholic father. As the memories of a twisted childhood
overtake her, Molly begins exacting her revenge on any man she can
find, particularly those she sees on television. At a swank party,
Molly warms up to Billy (Jason), a semi-famous actor who frequents the
bar where Molly works. But Billy’s seduction attempts go awry, and
Molly breaks Billy’s hand and nearly inflicts more damage. Another
actor, Alexander McPeak (Morgan), comes to her rescue, yet soon, he too
has made Molly’s list of men who need to be punished. Through it all,
bar owner Long John (Chapman), Molly’s boss and sometimes lover,
watches helplessly as the young woman spirals out of control, popping
pills and drowning herself in liquor. When Molly shows up covered in
blood in his bed one morning, Long John realizes he can only protect
Molly for so long. But with the police close behind, Molly and Long
John have few options for escape.
why it’s good: “The Witch Who Came from the Sea” is one messed up
movie. From the opening sequence—in which Molly plays with her two
nephews on the beach, only to suddenly begin fantasizing about the
bloody deaths of some weightlifters working out nearby—all the way to
the end, “Witch” assaults the viewer with hallucinatory, disturbing
imagery. Director Matt Cimber doesn’t shy away from any taboo, and the
flashbacks of Molly suffering abuse at the hands of her father are
particularly cringe worthy. Though mostly remembered as one of the
notorious “video nasties” of the 1970s and ’80s to be banned in
Britain, “Witch” has a lot more going on in it than a typical horror
flick. There’s a weird, sort of feminist subtext to the whole thing,
and it’s no mistake that all of Molly’s victims are plucked from the
black and white TV screen she stares at every day. Millie Perkins’
performance as Molly gives the film its backbone—Perkins deftly swings
her character from lucid to crazy and back again, sometimes within
seconds. The rest of the acting is flat; in fact, most everyone else
stands around, eyes agog, either shaking their heads at Molly or
begging her to spare them. Otherwise, “Witch” is solid—the special
effects, such as they are, are closer to Karo Syrup than claret, and
gorehounds will be disappointed, but viewers looking for a creepy
psychological film that treads the line between camp and seriousness
will do well to welcome “Witch” into their home.
why you should own it: Previously only available on poor quality VHS,
Subversive Cinema’s 2004 release of “Witch” restores the film to its
original, uncut glory. The disc contains commentary from Cimber and a
making-of feature. Exploitation cinema fans, and devotees to the weird,
will probably want “Witch” in their home library.
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