Witchfinder General (1968)
Witchfinder General (1968)
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Currently Witchfinder General is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: Chili, BFI Player
Streaming in:🇬🇧 United Kingdom
This Movie Is About.
Cast & Crew.
Vincent Price
Matthew Hopkins
Ian Ogilvy
Richard Marshall
Robert Russell
John Stearne
Nicky Henson
Swallow
Hilary Dwyer
Sara
Rupert Davies
John Lowes
Patrick Wymark
Cromwell
Wilfrid Brambell
Master Loach
Tony Selby
Salter
Michael Beint
Captain Gordon
Bernard Kay
Fisherman
Beaufoy Milton
Priest
John Trenaman
Harcourt
Bill Maxwell
Gifford
Peter Thomas
Farrier
Maggie Kimberly
Elizabeth
Dennis Thorne
Villager #1
Anne Tirard
Old Woman
Gillian Aldam
Young Woman in Cell
Hira Talfrey
Hanged Woman
Jack Lynn
Brandeston Innkeeper
Michael Segal
Villager #2
David Webb
Jailer
Sally Douglas
Girl at Inn #2
Edward Palmer
Shepherd
Lee Peters
Sergeant
Peter Haigh
Lavenham Magistrate
Godfrey James
Webb
Margaret Nolan
Girl at Inn #1
Philip Waddilove
Soldier / Producer
Toby Lennon
Old Man
Morris Jar
Paul
David Lyell
Footsoldier
Alf Joint
Sentry
Martin Terry
Hoxne Innkeeper
Donna Reading
Girl at Inn #3
Michael Reeves
Director / Screenplay
Ronald Bassett
Novel
Louis M. Heyward
Producer / Additional Writing
Arnold L. Miller
Producer
John Coquillon
Director of Photography
Howard Lanning
Editor
Jim Morahan
Art Direction
Gerry Anstiss
Camera Operator
Brian Elvin
Camera Operator
Laurie Shane
Gaffer
Roger Dicken
Special Effects
Dennis Lanning
ADR & Dubbing
Henry Montsash
Hairstylist
Dorrie Hamilton
Makeup Artist
Lorna Selwyn
Continuity
Tom Baker
Screenplay
Ian Goddard
Assistant Director
Iain Lawrence
Assistant Director
Ricky Coward
Production Manager
Jimmy James
Set Dresser
Sid Davies
Property Master
Freddie Harrison
Property Master
Jack Dooley
Still Photographer
Freddie Vale
Casting Director
Freddie Williams
Grip
Hugh Strain
Sound Mixer
Paul Ferris
Original Music Composer / Conductor
Paul Le Mare
Sound Recordist
Jill Thomson
Wardrobe Supervisor
Tony Tenser
Executive Producer
Euan Person
Location Manager
Peter Sheilds
Assistant Art Director
Marion Curren
Assistant Editor
Susi Field
John Kidd
Derek Ware
Media.
Details.
Release DateMay 17, 1968
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 27m
Budget$83,000
Box Office$1,500,000
Genres
Wiki.
Witchfinder General (titled onscreen as Matthew Hopkins: Witchfinder General) is a 1968 British period folk horror film directed by Michael Reeves and starring Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy, Hilary Dwyer, Robert Russell and Rupert Davies. The screenplay, by Reeves and Tom Baker, was based on Ronald Bassett's 1966 novel Witchfinder General. The film is a heavily fictionalised account of the murderous witch-hunting exploits of Matthew Hopkins (Price), a lawyer who falsely claimed to have been appointed as a "Witch Finder Generall" [sic] by Parliament during the English Civil War to root out sorcery and witchcraft. The plot follows Roundhead soldier Richard Marshall (Ogilvy), who relentlessly pursues Hopkins and his assistant John Stearne (Russell) after they prey on his fiancée Sara (Dwyer) and execute her priestly uncle John Lowes (Davies).
Made on a low budget of under £100,000, the film was produced by Tigon British Film Productions. In the United States, where it was distributed by American International Pictures (AIP), Witchfinder General was retitled The Conqueror Worm (titled onscreen as Matthew Hopkins: Conqueror Worm) by AIP to link it with their earlier series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations directed by Roger Corman and starring Price; because its narrative bears no relation to any of Poe's stories, American prints book-end the film with his poem "The Conqueror Worm" being read through Price's narration.
Witchfinder General eventually became a cult film, a development partially attributable to Reeves's death nine months after its release. Several prominent critics have championed the film, including Tim Lucas, J. Hoberman, Danny Peary, Robin Wood and Derek Malcolm; their praise has highlighted its direction, performances, and musical score by Paul Ferris.