Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

seance-64749 Hi it's about time the 1964 film Witchcraft was made available in the UK on DVD. Long time ago saw this one probably in a season of Horror films on a Friday night! Remember vague bits of it shot in b/w and I've read up on various reviews put forward. So quicker it comes out on DVD the better!

Mr_Ectoplasma "Witchcraft" follows an English family who unearth the grave of a witch who was buried alive three centuries ago. As is par for the course, hell breaks loose, and the witch, who has apparently survived the centuries in her stone tomb, enacts vengeance on the family bloodline who imprisoned her.I had never heard of "Witchcraft" and happened to catch it on late-night television by chance; it's not a particularly well-known film and seems to have been recorded in the footnotes of horror cinema, which is a bit of a shame because it's actually on par with (and actually better than) many of its peers. Cinematographically, there is gorgeous use of shadow and haunting long-shots that are reminiscent of Jack Clayton's "The Innocents." Candles flicker, women roam the darkness in nightgowns, and bats flap their wings. Car crashes occur at the whim of the witch's will. So it's not particularly original—but so what? It's remarkably atmospheric, and that's worth enough.Lon Chaney Jr. plays a sinister descendant of the witch, while Yvette Rees rivals even Barbara Steele as the ice-cold Vanessa Whitlock, the titular witch. There are numerous haunting shots of Rees throughout, including a chilling appearance at the top of a staircase just before she cruelly attempts to claim a victim. The film runs at just under an hour and twenty minutes, and as predictable as the buildup is, the finale is playful and non-stop engrossing.Overall, "Witchcraft" is an admirable effort, exquisitely filmed and punctuated by a handful of chilling moments. As a supernatural horror film, it delivers in terms o f both plot and style. It's familiar material and was so even in its time, but the fact remains that it's done well, and it's damned fun to boot. If black masses in black and white suit your tastes, give this one a go. 8/10.

MartinHafer The movie WITCHCRAFT certainly was never meant to be Shakespeare nor an episode of "Masterpiece Theater", so you can't expect it to be great intellectual entertainment. However, as a relatively low-budget horror film, it manages to deliver quite well.While the film stars Lon Chaney, Jr., he doesn't seem to be the star and he's not a welcome addition to the film. All he seems to do is yell a lot and you wonder why everyone in the film has a nice British accent while Lon doesn't!! Still, it's a dandy tale about a couple greedy land brokers who accidentally unleash the spirit of a dead witch when they thoughtlessly bulldoze a graveyard. Considering that the witch was buried alive and had the powers of Hell at her disposal, it isn't surprised that she returns to seek vengeance on the family who buried her. Heck, maybe she's so angry because she was alive all that time (about 300 years) waiting to be released--gee that would be boring!!The film has an intelligently written plot, good acting (apart from Chaney) and solid pacing--making you believe, somehow, that all this COULD be real! The only problem, and it's a small one, is that in one scene where a lady discovers a Satanic coven, she yells out to one of them as she recognizes her! If any SANE person saw these human sacrificing nuts, I doubt if their first impulse would be to yell out but instead would just leave....and very, very quietly!! Good low-budget entertainment that manages to be better than usual even with this one silly mistake.

Scarecrow-88 Lon Chaney Jr is mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore! Land developers make a big mistake when they bulldoze through the Whitlock cemetery unearthing the final resting place of witch Vanessa(Yvette Rees, never uttering a word..she's photographed to creepy effect and doesn't need dialogue)who rises from her casket ready to murder Laniers. A long feud between the Anglo-Saxon, Satanist witch coven Whitlocks, still practicing the old ways within the old crypt(located near what used to be their home now owned by the Christian Laniers)and the Laniers has been continuing for quite a long time. The Laniers came into the area condemning the Whitlocks and their devil-worshiping ways claiming their land and homes. Vanessa was condemned of consorting with Lucifer and buried alive as punishment(her tombstone has the "witch's circle" etched into the stone claiming a pact with Satan). Morgan Whitlock(Lon Chaney Jr, not in it but maybe fifteen minutes, if that long)lets his angered voice be heard against the Laniers and partner Myles Forrester(Barry Linehan)for developing through the Whitlock cemetery. The Whitlocks use "devil dolls" as weapons of destruction against the Laniers harming them through a type of hypnotic suggestion that causes Myles to drown and Aunt Heleb Lanier(Viola Keats)to drive off a cliff. Vanessa herself "pushes" Grandma Lanier(Marie Ney)down the stairs without ever touching her physically. Todd(Lainer)and Amy(Whitlock)are the Romeo and Juliet of the film, stuck in a difficult position as their families bicker and quarrel. Amy(Diane Clare)is barked at by Uncle Morgan not to consort with Todd(David Weston)or the Laniers. Former Tennis pro, Tracy(Jill Dixon)will be in great peril as husband developer Bill(Jack Hedley)and Todd(both almost killed the way Helen was)leave for meetings with business associates. The witches, led by Morgan, plan to use Tracy as a sacrifice when she follows Amy into the secret worship chamber of the crypt..there are four witches' sabbats every year and the coming Friday of the film would be "roodmass" where they give a sacrifice to their Lord Satan.This little sinister quickie, directed with style and atmosphere by Don Sharp, is quite fun. It just flies by, though, and is over before you know it. Interesting seeing Chaney Jr in one of those black robes chasing after Laniers who have disturbed their coven's perfectly set-up ceremony to Satan. As in many a Hammer film(for which Sharp has directed a few), certain buildings go up in flames. Good cast, too. My favorite scenes contain the witch Vanessa as she pops up out of nowhere ready to harm the Laniers, such as the bedroom scene where she appears at Helen's bedside(..and in the back seat of her car right before it drives off the cliff).