Price at his most Cold Blooded

I watched this late Saturday night into the early Sunday morning. I have had it for a few weeks actually and just didn't know when the time was just right. I had this small window and the mood was right.

It is perfectly sadistic and its presentation isn't apologetic in how it shows two "witchfinders" (profiteers off of religiously fanatical (and obviously lustful for torture seen live or knowing torture was committed) just use violence in such diabolical ways with the end result already planned in advance. They will not leave those towns without the tortured perishing horribly, whether by drowning, hanging, or burning at the stake. Unpleasant and unsettling, as it should be (accusing, torturing, and killing innocent women (and men in certain instances) isn't pleasant or entertaining (or it shouldn't be). Price, due to his antagonistic relationship with director Reeves, is stone cold in the part of Matthew Hopkins, and the iconic actor distills from the darkest aspects of this character and leaves out any hint of pomp or circumstance. This piece of nasty work, the film and its witchfinders, leaves a bitter taste as it needs to...those victimized by the witchfinders (Hopkins and his repellent assistant, Stearns) are the never the same, even if they live. Ian Ogilvey as a plucky soldier full of bravado and Dwyer as his lovely fiance becoming troublesome targets of the witchfinders leave the film totally lost out of their minds. The violence is potent and shocking, even to an audience of today, I imagine. The witch burning, the face whippings, the rope dipping of beaten subjects of torture into a lake to see if they "sink or swim" (to determine if they are or are not witches; if they die they weren't witches, but if they swim, then witches they were), pin-stabbings to backs, dagger stabs that draw bright red blood, and the ultimate satisfactory ax beating of Hopkins, and eye gouging of Stearns produces plentiful reasons for those with a disdain for such on screen unpleasantries to complain of it all.

Hopkins having pretty young things attempting to negotiate through sexual wares out of punishment, and Stearns openly enthusiastic about his duties of "serving God and country", director Reeves' film certainly exploits them as quite a despicable and cruel duo. The film is a hard watch, for sure, but Reeves was no doubt a talent behind the camera. The countryside is used quite well, and rural England gives the film a period flavor and authenticity that works in favor for the film.

It is bested perhaps by Mark of the Devil and others after it in terms of mutilating and punishing folks through sick acts by human monsters using "God's work" as a means to cause suffering and ridicule, but the use of war as a backdrop (civil war) provides an outside presence of something large scale, with the smaller story of traveling maniacs hurting and killing folks for profit taking center stage. The war isn't forgotten, as Ogilvey's actions are under question due to his "moments on leave" (sometimes worthy of court martial), but his vengeance will be met war or no war.