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Witchfinder General

Witchfinder General

Drama · History · Horror · 1968

England, 1645. The cruel civil war between Royalists and Parliamentarians that is ravaging the country causes an era of chaos and legal arbitrariness that allows unscrupulous men to profit by exploiting the absurd superstitions of the peasants; like Matthew Hopkins, a monster disguised as a man who wanders from town to town offering his services as a witch hunter.

Movie details

Witchfinder General

“He'll hang, burn, and mutilate you. He's the… Witchfinder General”

1968 Drama · History · Horror 1h 27m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

England, 1645. The cruel civil war between Royalists and Parliamentarians that is ravaging the country causes an era of chaos and legal arbitrariness that allows unscrupulous men to profit by exploiting the absurd superstitions of the peasants; like Matthew Hopkins, a monster disguised as a man who wanders from town to town offering his services as a witch hunter.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Witchfinder General?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Michael Reeves

Written by

Michael Reeves · Tom Baker

Vincent Price

Vincent Price

Matthew Hopkins

Ian Ogilvy

Ian Ogilvy

Richard Marshall

Robert Russell

Robert Russell

John Stearne

Nicky Henson

Nicky Henson

Swallow

Hilary Dwyer

Hilary Dwyer

Sara

Rupert Davies

Rupert Davies

John Lowes

Patrick Wymark

Patrick Wymark

Cromwell

Court is in session

Put Witchfinder General on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.