By Geno McGahee
“I wish I never started this construction project.” –Bill Lanier (Jack Hedley)
I love movies about Satanists. They are just so much fun. I loved RACE WITH THE DEVIL and ROSEMARY’S BABY, and I have found another one that I was really impressed with by the name of WITCHCRAFT. This movie was made in 1964 before CGI and is totally dialogue and story driven, with great actors. From the moment that this movie begins, you are hooked, and as it continues, the interesting characters and mystery glues you to the screen. This is truly something special.
Bill Lanier (Jack Hedley) and his sleazy partner, Myles Forrester (Barry Linehan), are building a resort where a cemetery once stood, and some of the graves are still there, but that doesn’t stop the bulldozer from scooping up gravestones and coffins, moving them out of the way to make room for the construction. This is much to the horror of the Whitlock family, who try to stop the construction but can’t get anywhere with Bill or his team. Myles could care even less, admitting that he told the team to plow up the graves and destroy the gravestones. Myles is a great character with a not so great hair piece, but it makes his character all that better.
Morgan Whitlock (Lon Chaney, JR.) leads the protest against Bill and Myles and is absolutely hilarious in the role, storming into houses and throwing out threats left and right. What complicates the situation is the romance between Whitlock’s niece, Amy (Diane Clare) and the young Lanier boy, Todd (David Weston). It is revealed that for hundreds of years, the families have been feuding and the Laniers apparently screwed the Whitlocks out of land and money and now they have desecrated their graves. The Whitlocks are not going to take it anymore.
Due to the desecration of the graves, a curse is unleashed and a witch is brought back from the dead to do the Whitlock’s bidding and kill the ones responsible. Helen Lanier (Viola Keats), Bill’s aunt and his grandmother, Malvina (Maria Ney) know what is going on: a group of Satanists are in town and the recent deaths are due to their presence along with the wicked witch.
Because this story is so unbelievable, the Bill and his wife Tracy (Jill Dixon) and Todd don’t put any stock into it, but Bill begins to break and when he is nearly killed, he becomes convinced that there is some witchcraft going on. Tracy’s disbelief in the cult puts her right into their hands, and now Bill and Todd have to take on the evil group of Satanists and one mean witch that doesn’t mind pushing a wheelchair bound woman down a flight of stairs. There are some pretty creepy moments in this movie and when the cult comes into the picture, it gets creepier.
This movie is great from start to finish with a great ending and great performances throughout. I highly recommend this one.
Scared Stiff Rating: 8/10. Satanists Rule!
