Witchfinder General: A Review

WITCHFINDER GENERAL

Evil comes sometimes in the form of those who insist that they are doing good. Such is the case with Matthew Hopkins, the title character of Witchfinder General. With a malevolent performance from Vincent Price, Witchfinder General (also known as The Conqueror Worm) is maybe a bit stodgy but on the whole, passable viewing.

In the chaos of the English Civil War in 1645, we have Richard Marshall (Ian Ogilvy). He is a young Roundhead (a supporter of Parliament against King Charles I), engaged to the beautiful Sara (Hilary Dwyer). She and her uncle, Catholic priest John Lowes (Rupert Davies) have been harassed and threatened by the local Protestants who see them as heretics for keeping to the old religion. Also coming is the very shady Matthew Hopkins (Price), who claims to have been appointed by His Majesty to find and execute witches. His assistant, John Sterne (Robert Russell) is a rough, coarse man who delights in torture. While Hopkins appears too urbane for such things, he does not shy away from profiting financially from them. Outwardly moral, he is not above finding some women innocent if the price is right. Whatever that price actually is, one can guess at.

Richard is off to fight when Hopkins and Sterne sweep into town. As the Catholics in the area, John and Sara are prime suspects for sorcery and witchcraft. Hopkins will not be denied his pound of flesh, and neither will Sterne, though granted they are not after the same kind of flesh. Richard, outraged at what has happened to Father John and his fiancée, swears revenge against this greedy lawyer and his brutal henchman.

There is still, however, the matter of the Civil War, which is getting in everyone's way. Hopkins and Sterne are briefly separated avoiding the Roundhead troops going about. However, in that time Richard has come close to killing Sterne. He survives and manages to reunite with a visibly irritated Hopkins, now alarmed at the news of Richard's plans for revenge. Fortunately for him, Sara has attempted to flee to safety in the same town where they are headed. Now, Hopkins and Sterne set a trap for the young lovers, potentially killing two birds with one stone. Will Richard and Sara end up together or in the clutches of The Witchfinder General?

At a brisk 86 minutes, Witchfinder General moves relatively fast, an impressive feat given how much story it has. Screenwriter Tom Baker, who shares writing credit with director Michael Reeves, has this direct manner with the sometimes more gruesome aspects of the story. I cannot say how close or far it veered from Ronald Bassett's novel, which is loosely based on true facts. It certainly bears no connection to the Edgar Allan Poe poem The Conqueror Worm, especially given the different time settings between the events of Witchfinder General and when Poe wrote The Conqueror Worm. I figure the title of The Conqueror Worm was used to cash in on star Vincent Price's series of successful Edgar Allan Poe adaptations of various degrees of faithfulness to the source material.

Minus that, Witchfinder General finds Price giving a strong performance as Hopkins, this eerie man of apparent morals who is loathsome and cruel. He is someone who has no interest in finding witches, and more than likely does not believe them to be real. Rather, it is purely monetary success that drives Hopkins on. The more witches he finds, the more money he makes by bilking those in the community. Hopkins delights in his cruelty, such as when he brings his accused coven and gives them the water test. If they drown, then they are found innocent due to them having made false confessions. If they float, they their forced confessions are true, and they are to be killed. It is the most insidious form of "heads I win, tails you lose".

Price makes Hopkins this cold menace, forever looking down on everyone. Reeves' camera work shows this by having Price many times looking down on others, suggesting that contempt for those around him. It is a cold but effective performance. 

So too is that of Russell as his more sadistic aide Sterne. He too delights in cruelty, but he has none of Hopkins' faux-urbane manner. He is a ruffian, interested only in money, booze and broads. When asked what business he is in, Sterne replies, "Extermination", a very apt description. Dwyer as the busty Sara, victim of Hopkins' cruelty, was good as was Ogilby as the heroic Richard driven to madness.

A good element that perhaps has not been given as much credit as it should is Paul Farris' score, which does not sound of the Carolinian era, but which has some great work such as when Richard on the chase against Hopkins and Sterne. 

I think sometimes Witchfinder General does look like it could have done with more financing. It also at times felt as if it was indulging in too much cruelty as entertainment, which I am not fond of. However, Witchfinder General has a strong performance from Vincent Price that makes it worth watching. 

DECISION: C+