8/10
Spooky witch tale
17 July 2003
A college professor in England named Norman Taylor (Peter Wyngarde) and his wife Tansy (Janet Blair) seem to live a charmed life. Then Norman finds out Tansy is using witchcraft to "protect" him. He firmly disbelieves of it and makes her burn all her protective charms. Then his life becomes a living hell...

Scary, well-made British chiller filmed in atmospheric black & white. This is the kind of movie where the chills creep up on you and quietly scare you.

The acting is great all around. Peter Wyngarde is very effective as Taylor--you see his character struggling to rationalize all the bad things happening to him. Surprisingly director Sidney Hayers (in an interview with Fangoria magazine) didn't want Wyngarde for the role. It was well known that Wyngarde was gay and the director felt he would be too effeminate for the role! His doubts were totally misfounded. Blair is even better as his wife Tansy. Her sacrifice at one point in the movie is actually very moving. And I'll never forget Margaret Johnston--that woman was EVIL. Trust me, I'm not giving anything away--you'll know who the evil witch is within the first 10 minutes.

A well-made, frightening horror film. Turn off the lights and cuddle up with this one. Perfect for late night viewing.
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