The Witches (1966)

Director: Cyril Frankel

Starring: Joan Fontaine, Kay Walsh, Alec McCowen, Ann Bell, Ingrid Boulting, John Collin

More info: IMDb

Tagline: A STRANGER IN A TOWN THAT HAS LOST ITS MIND ...IF SHE'S NOT CAREFUL, SHE MAY LOSE HER'S TOO!

Plot: An English school teacher outposted in Africa has a run in with the local witch doctor and suffers a nervous breakdown. After recovering back in England she takes a job teaching in a small country town hoping to make a new start for herself. All goes well at first, until she starts to hear some disturbing stories about the town. She soon discovers the town is home to a coven of witches and they plan to sacrifice a local girl in one of their rituals.

My rating: 4/10

Will I watch it again? Hell, no.

#33 on Hammer Horror (1957-1976)

Aka THE DEVIL'S OWN, THE WITCHES is an exercise in boredom. It too me three tries to get through this. It plods along at a snails pace to the point that I just didn't care and wished it would end. I am not impressed with Joan Fontaine. Maybe it's her older style of acting that feels out of place here or maybe she was miscast. Huh, she's Olivia de Havilland's older sister AND she turns 94 this year! Cool. That still doesn't help the exaggerated performance (her last film, btw) in this ever so slow picture that just sits there. The climax with the sacrifice is ridiculous and silly, not to mention the incredibly stupid and upbeat tacked-on coda. With 14 (of 59) Hammer horror films left to watch, I sincerely hope that this is the worst. I can't imagine Hammer topping this one. Woof.