The Witch Who Came from the Sea (1976)

After watching the film I can understand how it made the Video Nasty list; the director, Matt Cimber, chose to show Molly's sexual abuse at the hands of her father, who was mentally unstable. Though most of these scenes are shot well and the abuse is suggested, sometimes very subtly. It's the pivotal scene which is the most disturbing. Robert Thom, the writer who also wrote Death Race 2000, added a nasty twist at this point. It adds to the reason why Molly is so broken. Cimber does tone it down a little but couldn't remove the scene entirely as, like I said, it's pivotal and adds to the story and character of Molly; it clarifies a lot of things for the audience.That said, the film is felicitous and unfortunately still relevant today. The film starts on the beach as Molly is babysitting her sister's children, Tad and Tripoli. As she tells her nephews the stories of her seafaring father, their grandfather, she watches the men on the muscle beach, drinking in every inch of their bodies, She drifts off into a daydream where they all die.As the film progresses Molly keeps fading in and out of daydreams where the men in mind die, most in gruesome ways. Then one morning she wakes up in her on-again-off-again lover's bed as he shakes her awake to tell her that two famous football players have been murdered. One of her killer daydreams were of her sexual and murderous encounter. This startles her but doesn't trouble her.As the dreams keep coming, as do the deaths, the police start to close in on her just as she and her friends start to believe she's the killer.Now, this is the strange thing for all but the last murder her dreams came before the murder, whereas the last killing is her dream - it occurs at the same time. Apart from the last death you never see her commit them in her real life, just in her dreams. This makes the film feel disjointed and I was left wondering if she really did carry them out or if some other force was at work.Along with the memories of her abuse, which also appear in dreamlike sequences the entire film has an abstract impression. This, in turn, gives the film more depth and power. I'm not one for flashbacks and the like as they inevitably make a movie feel cluttered and sometimes incomprehensible. So respect due to Cimber for making so many work comprehensibly to strengthen the story and film.Millie Perkins, known for playing Anne Frank, does a splendid job of playing down her troubled past, though you can see the effects working free on her face. You know she's troubled but not to what extent.Lonny Chapman, who plays the bar-owner and on-again-off-again lover, is brilliant as the man who truly loves her and is worried for her but just cannot really help her.There is so much in this film to like, I just wished that Cimber and Thom had gone for a more paranormal explanation for the murders since it appears impossible for her to have carried out a couple of them. It may have made the film cleaner. Even the poster, which when you first look at it emanates an exploitation vibe, is pretty true to the film and pulls images from a mermaid tattoo, Birth Of Venus by Botticelli, and her feelings towards men and her father. The images are featured in the movie and once you see them the poster makes better sense.Though I liked the film it did feel more like an art-house film than a thriller, though if you like revenge movies you may like this. Just be warned, it may leave a nasty taste in your mouth, thanks to the aforementioned abuse scenes and the end sequence.Not for everybody.

This isn't an easy movie to watch or to get through. In fact, I've seen it twice, and the second time I literally had to force myself to watch it. That doesn't take away from the excellent nature of this very underrated, if unnoticed, film. The story revolves around Molly, a woman with an extremely painful past. She covers it up with stories of her father being a sailor, lost at sea. Her sister knows better, but still allows Molly to have these fantasies, and tell her nephews the same stories. While at the beach with them one day,Molly sees some bodybuilders working out and imagines them dying gruesome deaths. Later, she stops by a tattoo shop but is scared away by the owner.A lot of Molly's actions are childlike, and a lot of them are filmed in a dream quality. It's hard for the viewer to know what's real and what isn't. A scene in which she emasculates two football players is hardly graphic, but hits just the way it should. And the most disturbing thing about it is the carefree quality of Molly, who remarks, "This is going to take too long."However, she seems genuinely surprised the next day when the news declares them dead. She's also late to her bar tending job where her boyfriend Long John also works. Later on, she goes to a party and tries to murder the man throwing it, but in the process meets a man from a TV commercial and becomes intimate with him. This results in the movie's only moment of levity, when his now former love interest shoots out his tires and he refuses to press charges, which leads to an amusing back and forth with the police.Molly gets a tattoo of a mermaid coming up from the sea on her stomach, and later, we find out exactly why she chose this tattoo. And it's disturbing. But more disturbing is when we find out exactly what her father did to her to make her this messed up. It's not graphic, thank goodness, but it's enough, and it will effectively make your stomach churn, while also placing you squarely on Molly's side, despite her horribly misplaced rage. The men she kills don't deserve it, but then again, neither does Molly.This movie is as intense and well thought out/acted as the Video Nasties get. While "Evil Dead" may be the best of the collection, this one really puts heart and effort in. That doesn't make it a fun ride, but it does make it excellent cinema. And that's all you want out of a movie. This film, in all its obscurity, definitely deserves an audience. One with an open mind, preferably. ____________________For all the Horror Banana reviews, visit http://morozov924.hubpages.com/

The Witch Who Came from the Sea tells the tale of a young woman named Molly (Millie Perkins) who lives in a small coastal town somewhere in America who has issues, she has a drug problem, she has a problem with men since she was abused by her father (John Goff) & is generally unbalanced. Molly is a disturbed woman who can snap at anytime...Directed by Matt Climber I see that The Witch Who Came from the Sea has become something of a cult item & as usual with these cult films once finally viewed it disappoints. Back in the early 80's here in the UK The Witch Who Came from the Sea was banned & placed on the 'Video Nasties' list (it was re-released in 2006 completely uncut here though) & as such I've had this knocking around for literally years & haven't bothered to watch it because it looked rubbish & after finally seeing it last night my worst fears were confirmed as I think it's a pile of crap. The script by Robert Thom is an extremely serious attempt at telling a story about various taboo issues like incest, rape, drug addiction, mental health, promiscuity, sexual perversion & various other heavy issues. For a start I was bored stiff watching it, I felt like I was weightlifting with my eyelids as they became very heavy as the film progressed. Then there's the narrative which some may like but I prefer my films to have a structure, you know something simple like a beginning, a middle & an end. Then there's the fact it just didn't entertain me, at all. I mean that's what film are all about right? If a film doesn't entertain & sends you to sleep what's the point? There isn't one that's what.Director Climber does OK, the film is reasonably well made for what it is. I wouldn't really call it a traditional horror film despite it's place on the infamous 'Video Nasties' list here in the UK & it's bizarre title which has no relevance to the film apart from a painting which Molly ask's about, it's more of a drama than anything else. There's only one scene with any gore in it when Molly slits a guy's throat but it's pretty fake looking, there's more nudity than gore to be honest.Technically the film is OK, it's quite cheap looking but reasonably well made. There's no real visual style or flair but that's not what the films about. The acting was OK but the story & character's just didn't do anything for me & as such it didn't really matter.The Witch Who Came from the Sea has maybe the most misleading title for a horror film ever & I thought it was crap regardless of it's title anyway. Not recommended although some seem to hold it in high regard so what do I know...

Exterminate the entire male race, Molly! Carry on castrating football-players and slicing up obnoxious TV-actors, as they're all bastards anyway! Whoa... I let go of myself there for a second, but only because this film is so very convincing in its portrayal of a traumatized young woman with a deeply repressed hatred towards overpowering men, spawned by a barbarically forced incestuous relationship with her father; a typical sailor. "The Witch Who Came From The Sea" is a gritty and disturbing motion picture, and definitely NOT the sleazy exploitation garbage it's reputed to be (courtesy of the stupid BBFC and their list of banned Video Nasties). Admittedly, I too was expecting a steaming pile of exploitative 70's trash, but the tone & style of this film literally blew me away! Millie Perkins gives a staggering performance as Molly, a devoted aunt to her nephews and go-to-girl of the popular seaside bar The Boathouse. She loves telling her nephews heroic stories about their grandfather when he was out at sea with his crew but, in reality, he was a perverted child molester who continuously hit & raped her. Molly reverts to her television set to find new idols, but her dark subconscious memories eventually cause her mind to snap and she goes on a malevolent killing spree. "The Witch etc..." is a truly odd but fascinating film, lightyears ahead of its time in the psychological department and rich on shocking themes instead of gratuitous gore. The notorious castration sequence is pretty difficult to watch and the incest parts could be considered offensive, but if you exclusively focus on those elements you'll miss out on a truly insightful psychological drama! Instead of turning into a relentless & vengeful killing machine like the girl in "I Spit on your Grave", Molly is still a very vulnerable woman and won't be a single moment that you'll stop caring for her. The fantastic script of this film also puts a lot of time in the drawing of the supportive characters. Everyone in this story seems to have an interesting personal background, from the uncanny-looking tattoo artist to Molly's emotionally unstable sister and the amiable bartender Long John. The low budget didn't prevent director Matt Cimber from selecting several marvelous and atmospheric filming locations and an extra word of praise goes out to Dean Cundey for his breathtakingly beautiful cinematography. This is a film every fan of exceptional cinema should respect and add to her/his collection.