Grip Your Witch Deflector Tightly

'Witchcraft'  starts off with a bulldozer knocking down some ancient gravestones whilst Lon Chaney Junior bellows at the driver to stop, and ends with a resurrected 300 year old witch and some of her baby eating coven being incinerated. In between these two tasty slices, however, the sandwich filling is stodgy and generally bland, only sporadically seasoned by supernatural murder, miracle cures and a lot of bickering.

It isn't a bad film, especially considering how obviously cheap it is, but its problem is that after a quick burst of energy in the first fifteen minutes, nothing much happens very slowly, so the viewer makes their own amusement and, before you know it, everything seems funny, even the road signs.  

My favourite bit is when a wheelchair bound woman prays to Jesus for the ability to walk and, incredibly, is granted it. No sooner is she up on her feet than she has an unexpected visitor - no, not the DSS - but that bloody witch, who immediately pushes her down the stairs. I know Jesus is busy, but, you know, he could have hung around just a little bit longer.

Watch in the company of friends, with beer and cheese and onion Ringos. 

Witchcraft

He Was Such A Lovely Dear

I'm not sure quite why Hammer went so off piste on 'Rasputin, The Mad Monk', but I'm glad they did as it's a supremely entertaining diversion. I suppose that, fifty years after his murder, 'Russia's Greatest Love Machine' was still synonymous with sex and intrigue and violent death, so Hammer couldn't really resist.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I think Christopher Lee to be a pompous pain in the arse but, credit where credit's due, he turns in an excellent performance here, although, disappointingly, doesn't do his own dancing. It's a breathless, reckless gallop that takes in seduction, hypnosis, mind control, a severed hand, an acid damaged face, suicide, a drinking competition and a poisoned box of chocolates. It's impossible not to enjoy, but I wouldn't use it as revision for a Russian History exam.

It's worth pointing out that one of Rasputin's murderers, Prince Yusupov, had successfully sued MGM for an earlier telling of the story, 'Rasputin & The Empress' and that it is a direct result of his legal action that films have since carried the legend 'any similarity to any person, living or dead...', etc. The Hammer version doesn't really need it, it's quite obviously all made up.

The film was ably directed by Don Sharp, who died on December 14th last year. A reliable, steady craftsman, Don had a long career, also directing 'Island' favourites 'Psychomania', 'Kiss Of The Vampire' and 'Dark Places' as well as a couple of Fu Manchu flicks. RIP, Don.

Rasputin, The Mad Monk

Psychocinema

I first became aware of 'Psychomania' in the early eighties, when my friend Gary came into art class and started telling me about this bizarre hells angel zombie film he'd seen on the telly last night. I'd missed it, of course, so, in those far flung pre-internet, satellite and DVD days, rued my bad luck and settled down to wait for it to come around again and kept an eye out for it at the garage where we occasionally rented videos.

When I did see it, about five years (!) later, I was absolutely blown away. It's a unique film, and you can take that any way you want to. True, it's too British and cheap to be really scary, but it's brilliantly put together, has a great cast, a superb soundtrack and it's very funny, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. What more could you ask for? Nothing, that's what, nothing more.

Here's a clip where the motorcycle gang, The Living Dead, terrorise a parade of shops in Walton-On-Thames. Chock full of period detail (hot panted Mums, men in their thirties wearing cardigans and ties) look out for the man who decides to climb a ladder during a hell's angel attack: what did he think was going to happen?

Nice close ups at the end between the gang leader, Tom (played by Nicky Henson, who always reminds me of a more fully evolved Robin Askwith) and his prim, posh totty Abby. Look at the glances that pass between them: she really likes it when he's bad. Luckily for her, he's going to get a lot worse...

Psychomania