Rating: 2.5/5
Hooptober 8.0 | 10/34 | Folk Horror 1/2 | Decades 4/8 | 70s
In Europe, between the 15th and 16th centuries, it is estimated nearly eight million people were convicted of heresy and executed by fanatical witchhunters to save their souls. Their deaths on the scaffold or the funeral pile were, for them, the release from agonizing torture, which often lasted for years. This motion picture shows three cases taken from authentic documents from the time when witch-hunting had reached its peak and can only give a slight idea of the cruelties of one of the blackest pages in the history of Man.
Count Christian von Meruh comes to town to assist the witchfinder in prosecuting witches. He brings his executioner, John Wilkins, with him. The Count serves Lord Cumberland.
People flee the town based on Cumberland’s reputation.
Albino, the town’s witchfinder, fears losing his position. He has his advocate look for written confessions to use for forgeries.
Albino tries to fuck Vanessa, a server. When she won’t, he accuses her of being a witch.
Christian, however, develops feelings for her and doubts the accusation.
So when Lord Cumberland declares her a witch, Christian tries to remain steady. But when he sees a different side of Lord Cumberland, he questions his life choices.
Maybe in 1970, this required a vomit bag, but this is relatively tame by today’s standards. What happens to the accused, however, is fucked up.
In the end, it doesn’t do much with its premise, leaning more into the brutality of the torture being enough. It isn’t.
Thoughts / Spoilers
- This Vinegar Syndrome remaster looks amazing.
- Young Udo Kier
- The Lord Bishop rapes a nun and has her excommunicated from the convent. She miscarries the baby, and the witchfinder accuses her of using abortive witchcraft. She gets the worst of the torture, including having her tongue ripped out.
- “You dare accuse the church of murder! What man of god would commit such a crime?”
- Fingers in vices. Bleh.
- Shaved legs in the 1700s
- I guess Lord Cumberland is impotent. He goes into a frenzy whenever it comes up. He strangles Albino to death over it.
- Puppets genuinely confuse the advocate, and he declares the puppeteer a witch.
- The most fucked up thing is the guy tying strings to a rabbit and playing with it like a puppet :(