The Witches

"A STRANGER IN A TOWN THAT HAS LOST ITS MIND... IF SHE'S NOT CAREFUL, SHE MAY LOSE HERS TOO!"

1966 1h 29m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 65

HorrorThrillerMysteryDrama

Synopsis

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Following a nervous breakdown, Gwen takes up the job of head teacher in the small village of Haddaby. There she can benefit from the tranquillity and peace, enabling her to recover fully. But under the facade of idyllic country life she slowly unearths the frightening reality of village life in which the inhabitants are followers of a menacing satanic cult with the power to inflict indiscriminate evil and death if crossed.

“A STRANGER IN A TOWN THAT HAS LOST ITS MIND... IF SHE'S NOT CAREFUL, SHE MAY LOSE HERS TOO!”

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Cast

Joan Fontaine
Gwen Mayfield
Kay Walsh
Stephanie Bax
Alec McCowen
Alan Bax
Ann Bell
Sally Benson
Ingrid Boulting
Linda Rigg
John Collin
Dowsett
Michele Dotrice
Valerie Creek
Gwen Ffrangcon Davies
Granny Rigg

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Cyril Frankel
Writers: Nigel Kneale
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

60 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Cyril Frankel, shot by Arthur Grant. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Richard Rodney Bennett. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Chris Barnes shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Joan Fontaine and Kay Walsh and Alec McCowen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A STRANGER IN A TOWN THAT HAS LOST ITS MIND... IF SHE'S NOT CAREFUL, SHE MAY LOSE HERS TOO!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0060307 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Cyril Frankel directs. Arthur Grant behind the camera. Richard Rodney Bennett scores. Chris Barnes cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
260 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Cyril Frankel, shot by Arthur Grant. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Richard Rodney Bennett. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Chris Barnes shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Joan Fontaine and Kay Walsh and Alec McCowen carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A STRANGER IN A TOWN THAT HAS LOST ITS MIND... IF SHE'S NOT CAREFUL, SHE MAY LOSE HERS TOO!".
8IMDB entry: tt0060307 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 65 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Arthur Grant
Original score: Richard Rodney Bennett
Editing: Chris Barnes
Production design: Bernard Robinson
Makeup / hair: George Partleton
Runtime: 89 min · 1h 29m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Witches (1966)

Also by

Cyril Frankel

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2022-05-25
★ 6/10
Pastoral drama/mystery starts and ends with witchy horror A schoolteacher who had been traumatized by witchdoctors as a missionary in Africa (Joan Fontaine) gets a gig at a remote English village where she starts to suspect witchcraft being practiced. Kay Walsh plays the educated matriarch of the town. “The Witches” (1966), also known as “The Devil’s Own,” is obscure Hammer Horror that obviously influenced the cult flick “The Wicker Man” (1973). It’s mostly a slow rural drama/mystery that opens and closes with overt witcheries. Speaking of which, people complain about the “awful” and “laughable” conclusion, but it was innovative and no doubt shocking in 1965 when it was shot. Whilst cinema flirted with Satanism & witchcraft in the early 60s with "The City of the Dead," "The Masque of the Red Death" and "Devils of Darkness," this one went one step further by depicting a devilish ceremony more explicitly, which strikes some modern viewers as cheesy and amusing. Sure, today it’s about as scary (and choreographed) as Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video (1983), but the mundane story definitely needed something outlandish and outrageous by that point. It paved the way for the popular flicks "The Devil Rides Out" and "Rosemary's Baby,” both released two years later. Blonde Ingrid Boulting stands out on the female front as Linda. Meanwhile you might remember striking Michele Dotrice (Valerie) from “The Blood on Satan's Claw” (1971). The film runs about 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in Hambleden, England, which is a half-hour drive due west of London, with studio stuff done at nearby Bray Studios. GRADE: B-

Production companies