Witchfinder General (AKA “The Conqueror Worm”)
Directed by Michael Reeves
Written by Tom Baker and Michael Reeves from a novel by Louis M. Heywood
1968/UK
IMDb link
First viewing/YouTube
Included in They Shoot Zombies Don’t They?
[box] Matthew Hopkins: Men sometimes have strange motives for the things they do.[/box]
A handsome horror film worthy of one of Vincent Price’s best performances.
Price plays the historical Matthew Hopkins, who was responsible for two-thirds of the witch burnings in Cromwellian England. He travels the country with his vile torturer henchman (Robert Russell) looking for “witches” to burn, money to be made, and sexual favors to be coerced. Meanwhile a young soldier (Ian Ogilvy) in the English Civil War falls in love with the niece of one of the “witches”. After Hopkins kills the uncle and terrorizes the niece, the soldier vows vengeance.
I thought this was solid with top-notch production values. Vincent Price delivers his favorite horror performance despite constant disputes with the young director who didn’t want him in the first place. What a fool! Movies such as these need the slightly over-the-top edge Price was a pro at.
