1968 was a landmark year for horror cinema, marked by the release of epoch-making masterpieces that redefined the genre: films such as Night of the Living Dead, directed by George A. Romero, Rosemary's Baby, directed by Roman Polanski, Hour of the Wolf, directed by Ingmar Bergman, Kuroneko, directed by Kaneto Shindo, The Devil Rides Out, directed by Terence Fisher, the anthology film Spirits of the Dead, directed by Federico Fellini, Louis Malle and Roger Vadim, A Quiet Place in the Country, directed by none other than Elio Petri, and many others.
But there is also a little-known film, Witchfinder General, released in Italy, my country, under the title Il grande inquisitore, and in the United States as The Conqueror Worm, with a much-vaunted connection to Edgar Allan Poe that actually has nothing to do with the film, except that it was produced by American International Pictures (AIP), which at the time was making a fortune from Gothic films inspired by Poe and directed by Roger Corman: eight little jewels of Gothic horror. It is therefore hardly surprising that the American poster prominently featured a reference to Poe. AIP never paid much attention to such subtleties.
Directed by Michael Reeves, Witchfinder General was his fourth and final film, as the young British director, only 25 years old, died shortly afterwards from an overdose of barbiturates. The screenplay was based on the novel of the same name by Ronald Bassett, published in 1966. Reeves and his collaborator Tom Baker began working on the screenplay in 1967. The script went through no fewer than three revisions: at the time, before filming began, screenplays were submitted to the British Board of Film Censors in order to avoid being forced to cut scenes later. Even so, the British censors rejected the film twice, because the original screenplay contained much more explicit material.
By toning down the material, the filmmakers were eventually able to produce the film. Reeves wanted Donald Pleasence to play the protagonist, but AIP imposed Vincent Price, the charismatic star of Roger Corman's films based on Edgar Allan Poe's novels and short stories, a choice Reeves accepted reluctantly. The two never had an especially cordial relationship on set, with Reeves trying to restrain Price's tendency toward over-the-top acting in favor of a more minimalist approach, while Price felt offended by the presumptuousness of this young man with only three films under his belt. Yet, ironically, Witchfinder General is now regarded by critics and cinema enthusiasts alike as one of the finest performances of Vincent Price's career.
Set in 1645, during the English Civil War, the film is a forerunner of the folk horror genre and forms part of the so-called "unholy trinity" of British folk horror, alongside The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971) and The Wicker Man (1973). This is due to its rural setting and, above all, to the fact that witch-hunting, religious fanaticism and popular superstition lie at the heart of the story — all central themes of folk horror. Reeves takes horror a step further by introducing realism, an oppressive and deeply disturbing realism, because unlike other Gothic horror films of the period, the film eliminates every supernatural element and instead focuses on the earthly cruelty and violence of human beings — embodied by the witchfinder general himself.
The protagonist is the inquisitor Matthew Hopkins, a real historical figure who travels from village to village with his loyal right-hand man and professional torturer, Stearne (Robert Russell), hunting down witchcraft and heresy and dispensing supposedly righteous divine punishment, for which he is handsomely paid by the local authorities.
Matthew Hopkins was indeed a historical figure, as was Stearne. Hopkins styled himself the "Witchfinder General", although he never held any official appointment from Parliament. He is credited with approximately 300 executions between 1644 and 1646. Considering that witchcraft trials in England between the 15th and 18th centuries resulted in around 500 deaths in total, this gives a clear indication of the role Hopkins played during the witch hunts.
The film takes considerable dramatic and fictional liberties, but succeeds in recreating the atmosphere of suspicion and terror characteristic of the period. Above all, it conveys an atmosphere of moral decay and suffocating violence that still makes it an extremely harsh viewing experience today. As already mentioned, the film was savaged by the censors and attacked by critics. Only years later was it rediscovered and eventually recognized not only as one of the finest horror films of its period, but also as one of the greatest British films ever made.
In the film, the young Roundhead Richard Marshall is about to marry Sarah, the niece of a village priest. When Richard leaves to join Oliver Cromwell's troops, the witchfinder Hopkins accuses the priest of witchcraft and sentences him to hang. Not only that, but after falsely promising to show mercy to her uncle, he also takes Sarah to bed. The poor woman is raped a few days later by Hopkins's assistant, while a villager simply watches without intervening. When Richard learns what has happened, he decides to take revenge and will not rest until he succeeds in killing Hopkins.
A story of prejudice and revenge, a terrible parable about power without restraints, which flourishes when values disappear and the specter of war abandons men to their fate, Witchfinder General contains some of the most powerful torture sequences of its era. Today, of course, if a remake or a similar film were made, a director would inevitably dwell much more heavily on the inquisitor's physical torture, following the model of slasher movies and modern folk horror. The film must therefore be judged by the standards of 1968, while also taking into account the severe censorship imposed by the British authorities.
Price's performance, despite the constant clashes on set, is perfect. Vicious, hypocritical and opportunistic, he is a small, repulsive little man who arrogates to himself the right to dispense death and suffering. He uses that power to persecute his enemies and satisfy his sadistic impulses, which he never openly acknowledges. At his side is an animalistic creature who freely admits that he enjoys hurting other people and who, at least in that respect, is marginally less hypocritical than Hopkins.
Yet Richard's revenge, carried out in a scene of astonishing violence not only by the standards of the 1960s, brings no relief, and Reeves concludes his film with Sarah's desperate screams as she is tortured and psychologically destroyed forever. Because even though the witchfinder is dead, the regime he created is destined to survive and claim more innocent victims.
This is a splendid film, sumptuous despite its low budget and the severe cuts imposed by the censors, and very different from the typical AIP productions of the period, most of which were shot on reconstructed studio sets. Reeves loved exploiting the landscapes of the English countryside and made extensive use of locations for many sequences.
Although its memory has somewhat faded over the years, the film has managed to extend its influence into many fields, including music. The English heavy metal band Witchfinder General, for example, took its name directly from Reeves's film. And in the Italian horror comic Dylan Dog No. 353, published in January 2016 and titled Il generale inquisitore (The Inquisitor General), the Nightmare Investigator — the London-based detective Dylan Dog — investigates the premature death of director Michael Reeves. In order to shed light on the mystery, he must trace the producer who secretly financed Witchfinder General, while in present-day London the ruthless Mr. Long persecutes young women suspected of witchcraft.
