Michael Reeves had only three directing credits (plus uncredited work on CASTLE OF THE LIVING DEAD) before his untimely death at the age of just 24, and it's on this film and, to a lesser extent, THE SORCERERS, that his reputation rests.

The opening narration sets the scene - England, 1645, and the country is in the grip of civil war. The lack of central authority means that local magistrates are able to hand out their own brands of justice, which allows the likes of Matthew Hopkins (Price) to prosper.

Hopkins and his associate John Stearne (Robert Russell) ride across East Anglia doing "the Lord's work", which seems to involve torturing and then executing those who have been accused of witchcraft.

All three of Reeves' films star Ian Ogilvy. Here, he plays Richard Marshall, a soldier in Cromwell's army. Allowed a couple of days leave, Richard rides off to see his girl, Sarah (Dwyer).

Returning to his unit, Richard passes a "lawyer" who has been summoned by a group of villagers. This "lawyer" is Hopkins, who is ready to hear the accusation that Sarah's uncle, the village priest.

It turns out that this involves Stearne stabbing him in the back and then running him around a table. Sarah offers himself to Hopkins in order to secure his release, but ultimately Stearne intervenes and the priest and two old woman are "tested". Hopkins orders the three to be lowered into the river, and after only one of them drowns ("she was innocent," he comments), he orders that the survivors be hung.

Hearing of Hopkins' activities, Richard rides back to the village, where he finds Sarah hiding in the church, and swears an oath to find and kill the pair.

Richard returns to the army just before the Battle of Naseby. He finds Stearne, who eludes him, before discovering that Hopkins is upto his old tricks in the village of Lavenham, which is where he's sent Sarah for safety.

I won't spoil the ending for those who haven't seen it, but it is truly one of the most astonishing in any British horror film - even on a par with THE WICKER MAN.

Not only is WITCHFINDER GENERAL a cracking horror film, but it's also a rare example of a British Western. The countryside looks great, and anyone expecting Price's usual hammy performance is in for a big shock.

This DVD includes two versions of the film - a "director's cut" which reinstates footage originally cut by the BBFC, and an "export version" with alternate scenes that feature more nudity and violence.

The film is presented in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen, but suffers from a fair amount of dirt and scratches. The previously cut scenes are of significantly worse quality than the rest of the film, but it's better to have them reinstated rather than simply presented as extras.

It would have been nice if the film had been properly cleaned up, but since this disc can be picked up for less than a fiver, that would be expecting too much. However, the extras are pretty good.

The most interesting is a 25-minute documentary about Michael Reeves, which, although it ends rather abruptly, is well worth checking out. Kim Newman adds some interesting production notes, the image gallery features an impressive amount of publicity material and there are trailers for both this film and THE SORCERERS, although the least said about the WITCHFINDER GENERAL-inspired video, the better. Overall, however, well recommended for those interested in British horror films. BACK TO THE TOP

MATTHEW HOPKINS, WITCHFINDER GENERAL

Written by TOM BAKER
and MICHAEL REEVES

Directed by MICHAEL REEVES

Starring VINCENT PRICE,
IAN OGILVY, RUPERT DAVIES,
WILFRED BRAMBELL
with PATRICK WYMARK
and introducing HILARY DWYER

PRISM LEISURE

CERTIFICATE: 18

REGION 0 (PAL)


RATING: 8/10