The Witchmaker (1969)

Dr Ralph Hayes (Alvy Moore) leads a group of psychic researchers into the wilds of a Louisiana swamp. A series of murders has Hayes thinking there might be a witch operating in the swamp. One of his team, Anastasia (Thordis Brandt), is a sensitive - someone tuned to picking up psychic impulses. Hayes hopes she will be able to lead them to the witch. But the local witch, Luther the Berserk (John Lodge), has his own plans. He wants Anastasia in his coven. He starts killing off Hayes' team one-by-one. Can Hayes and Co save Anastasia and the rest of their group? The Witchmaker isn't what I'd call a good movie in the traditional sense, but it is reasonably effective and enjoyable if you're into this kind of thing. The biggest plus The Witchmaker has going for it is atmosphere. At times, the atmosphere is palatable. The isolation, the creepy swamp, the Satanic trappings, and the even the low budget look of the film - all worked on me and filled me with a real sense of unease. If there's one thing that really creeps me out, it's low-budget Satanic mumbo-jumbo. Also, I thought John Lodge was particularly effective as Luther. He uses his size to his advantage as he attacks the members of Hayes' group. It's a really frightening visage. As my rating indicates, the movie isn't perfect to me. The biggest issue I have is Alvy Moore. The problem is that as long as I've been alive, Alvy Moore has always been Hank Kimble from Green Acres. You see, not only is Green Acres on of my two or three favorite television shows, but the stammering, forgetful Kimble is my favorite character. I can't look at the man and not think of Kimble. So when, as Dr Hayes, he's trying to give some sort of scientific explanation to what's happening, it doesn't work. It sounds so silly coming out of Alvy Moore's mouth. I complimented the film's atmosphere, but unfortunately, Alvy Moore ruins whatever atmosphere the film has built up at that point. He goes off-screen, things get creepy. He comes back, not so creepy. It's too bad for The Witchmaker that Alvy Moore was so good at playing light, zany comedy.

Not that this isn't a very respectable effort overall, and an atmospheric midnight movie. It manages to be both somewhat old fashioned and somewhat modern. The filmmakers aren't afraid to jazz up their production a bit with some violence and nudity, but never go overboard, always maintaining a mood of doom and gloom until its dark twist ending. Alvy Moore plays it pretty straight as a professor who ventures into swampy territory, with some students in tow, to do some psychic research while a killer is claiming nubile local girls. Thordis Brandt is buxom blonde Anastasia, a psychically gifted "sensitive" (yes, the word is used as a noun here) and the granddaughter of a witch, who will help them obtain details, and Anthony Eisley co-stars as our studly hero Vic. Meanwhile, a local Satan worshipper, Luther the Berserk (hulking John Lodge), senses Anastasia's potential and plots to use her for his own purposes. "The Witchmaker" is one of a few productions put together by Moore and contemporary L.Q. Jones, above average genre films that managed to be both intelligent and creepy. These also include "The Brotherhood of Satan" and "A Boy and His Dog". The movie does have a wonderful "late show" sort of appeal, and does have some very nice moments, but they're spread sort of thin at first, as the film gets bogged down in talk and just sort of plods along. However, it does ultimately start getting better, and more interesting in general. It becomes quite fun when Luther starts inviting all manner of witches to his abode, some of them played by the likes of Sue Bernard ("Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!"), Patricia Wymer ("The Babysitter"), and TV horror host Larry "Seymour" Vincent. Also appearing are character actor Burt Mustin, and Helene Winston, who also acted in "The Brotherhood of Satan" and "A Boy and His Dog". Lodge is the most fun as the villain of the piece, a part that John Davis Chandler was originally tapped to play. Moore and Jones are the executive producers, and William O. Brown is the writer / producer / director. The film does benefit from the music score by Jaime Mendoza-Nava, although some viewers could find the lighting by John Arthur Morrill to be too murky. The undeniable highlight of the entire thing is seeing Brandt run in slow motion while covering her ample bosom with her hands. Worth seeking out for die hard horror fans eager to discover the lesser known efforts of yesteryear, "The Witchmaker" is interesting viewing as far as witchcraft cinema goes. Seven out of 10.

This film is very enjoyable for those who like "bad movies". I thought it was great. The camera work alone has that eerie drive-in look to it and I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.It's not what you would call "scary" but it does have it's eerie moments. My only problem with the movie was the characters drank a whole lot of coffee. That, and it could have been a little bloodier.I bought a copy of this film and it's called the "uncut version". It didn't seem to be any different than the one I'd watched years ago. In actuality, the "uncut" version is less violent than most of today's TV shows. But as far as witch movies go, this is by far one of the best.Diane Webber played The Nautch of Tangier; the witch dancing on the table in the cave. Ms. Webber is the reason I bought the film in the first place.

I managed to find a second-hand VHS copy on eBay but to date there's no DVD version. Maybe that speaks for itself. A slightly hammy, poorly researched film, that doesn't even agree with the Christian account of Satanism, let alone the pagan notion of Witchcraft. And not even a Satanist would recognise the rituals conjured up in this film. I get the feeling they made up the rituals as they went along because they're rather obvious and simple-minded i.e. drinking the victims blood from a chalice. Why is the Egyptian Ankh symbol of eternity scribed around the victims navel? The usual symbol for witches is the pentagram, which in this case would be inverted since this is a Satanist coven. In terms of sheer entertainment value then I have seen worse films, so probably worth watching is you're curious.