Mark of the Witch (1970 film)
Summary
"A college campus terrorized by a killer witch... dead 300 years!" A 300-year-old witch terrorizes a college town to get revenge on the descendant of the man who persecuted her after a college student reads a spell for summoning witches from an antique grimoire.
Details
- Release Date: 1970
- Country/Language: USA, English
- Genres/Technical: Horror
- Setting: Modern (1970s), 1670s
- Runtime: 1 hr 24 min
- Starring: Robert Elston, Anitra Walsh, Darryl Wells
- Director: Tom Moore
- Writer: Mary Davis (original screenplay), Martha Peters (original screenplay)
- Producer/Production Co: Lone Star Productions (II), Presidio
- View Trailer: (link)
- View Film: (link)
- IMDB Page: (link)
Ratings
MPAA Ratings
- Rated: PG (mild Violence, Adult Content)
Relatively mild violence and adult content for this genre in this era: it's almost '70s TV-friendly.
Tentacle Ratings
A rough measure of how "Lovecraftian" the work is:
- S____ (One Tentacle: Debateably Lovecraftian; has almost no direct connection to Lovecraft's work)
Not particularly Lovecraftian; it's basically the usual reincarnated-witch-gets-revenge-on-descendants-of-witch-hunters plot with few frills to it, aside from taking place on the campus of a small and relatively conservative university of the 1970s, and the plot's ball set rolling by reading a vaguely Lovecraftian but mostly generically "Hollywood Witchcraft" spell from a creepy old tome.
Note: This rating is not intended as a measure of quality, merely of how closely related to Lovecraftian "Weird" fiction the work is.
Reviews
Review Links:
- Tony and Jason at the Castle of Horror Podcast (link)(The podcast opens with a review of 'Terror Beneath The Deep'.)
- Lisa Marie Bowman at Through the Shattered Lens (link) - This is an admittedly low-budget and, some would say, amateurish production but certain scenes have a nice dream-like feel and, in the role of the witch, Marie Santell doesn’t leave a bit of scenery unchewed. I especially enjoy her speech at the start of the film.
- Mitch Lovell at The Video Vacuum (link) - The thing I liked the most about this flick was that the witch had no idea what modern technology was all about. She even had to resort to blackmailing her professor into helping her learn about modern times. This led up to some pretty funny scenes, like when he asked if she wanted any coffee and she replied, “What is this… coffee you speak of?”
- Review by David Sindelar at Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings (link) - " It's not until the witch is resurrected that the movie starts showing a bit of imagination by incorporating some interesting details in the story; I particularly like the fact that the witch doesn't come into the present with the knowledge of how the modern world works. The movie also works itself up to an interesting and slightly different ending."
- Joseph A. Ziemba at Bleeding Skull (link) - "The acting isn't going to impress anybody, but the mugs are top-notch. The whole film moves to the beat of laid back waltz, but the crude execution and artsy flourishes balance it out. All in all, Witch is quite perfect in its naivety. Tame by 70s standards, but a minor gem as a result."
Synopsis (SPOILERS)
Spoiler Section (Highlight to Read)
A 300-year-old witch terrorizes a college town to get revenge on the descendant of the man who persecuted her after a college student reads a spell for summoning witches from an antique grimoire.
Notes
Comments, Trivia, Dedication
Associated Mythos Elements
- setting: loosely Folk Horror
- tome: Red Book of Appin
- race: Witch
Keeper Notes
