The Witchmaker

I am definitely giving this movie another chance, IF it ever receives a proper DVD release complete with restored sound and polished up picture quality. I couldn't really enjoy my viewing of "The Witchmaker", but most likely that was due to the questionable quality of the VHS-rip rather than the actual movie. I found myself staring at a black screen most of the time, yet in between all the vagueness it was obvious that this movie is worthwhile enough to deserve a decent DVD edition. Unfortunately that still doesn't mean it's a great film. "The Witchmaker" is merely a hodgepodge of good conceptual ideas, outstanding locations & scenery, ominous atmospheres and genuinely spooky images, but sadly the script is massively incoherent and several of the plot's details aren't elaborated to the fullest. The main trump is undoubtedly the grisly swamp setting! I used to think the British countryside had a monopoly on forming the ideal setting for stories about witchcraft and devil-worshiping ("Blood on Satan's Claw" and "The Witchfinder General" are two prime examples), but that was before I saw the same story set in the Louisianan bayou region! The area looks as good as impenetrable and feels genuinely inescapable and isolated. At a certain point in the story, the remaining survivor characters desperately want to get out the swamp – and who could blame them – but it simply isn't possibly because their cabin is only reachable by boat and the boatman one passes by per week. Even in remote rural Britain they didn't have that problem! Several beautiful young girls have been murdered in the Bayou over the last few years, and the macabre modus operandi leads to suspect there's a coven witches active in the area. The corpses are hung upside down from a tree and there are eerie symbols painted on their naked bodies. The murders are indeed the work of a dude named Luther the Berserk, a master of Sabbath, who needs the women's blood for his occult rituals. Alvy Moore plays paranormal detective Ralph Hayes who travels to the area to research the murders. One of the expedition members tagging along is the indescribably beautiful Thordis Brandt and her character is the granddaughter of an actual witch! Hayes dragged her aboard because she's more sensitive to paranormal activity, but Luther also notices her talents and promptly sets up a plan to recruit her as his own witch. Okay, we have a splendid setting, a plot with the utmost potential AND a number of disturbing moments (I swear, the sights of those naked and smeared girls' bodies are positively unnerving), so what's the problem? I'm really not sure, but fact is that "The Witchmaker" doesn't quite live up to its own potential. The suspense building is too often undercut by seemingly endless psychologist conversations and occult gibberish. The film is just too talkative and, like another reviewer stated already, the characters drink way too much coffee, which is probably the reason why they keep talking and talking and talking! The first twenty minutes (up until Brandt's semi-topless run through the swamp) as well the finale are pure fascinating horror stuff, but it's difficult to stay focused throughout the tedious and uneventful middle section. Nonetheless, "The Witchmaker" is a very interesting American witchcraft/Satanist movie and honestly deserves to be slightly more known among genre fanatics.

All right.

So, there is some satanic rituals going on in the bayou. Alvy Moore(from GREEN ACRES, and also one of this film's producers) and his group are investigating into this Deep South hell, and its RACE WITH THE DEVIL time.

I have a somewhat trimmed version of this film, but despite this, I enjoyed WITCHMAKER emmensly. It has blood, nudity, and some pretty intense scenes. In a sense, it is what all drive-in films should be, entertaining.

I'll be getting the DVD version, once they put it out. And I definitely won't be buying that wimpy BLAIR WITCH flick. WITCHMAKER is the real deal.

Dr Ralph Hayes (Alvy Moore) leads a group of psychic researchers into the wilds of a Louisiana swamp. A series of murders has Hayes thinking there might be a witch operating in the swamp. One of his team, Anastasia (Thordis Brandt), is a sensitive - someone tuned to picking up psychic impulses. Hayes hopes she will be able to lead them to the witch. But the local witch, Luther the Berserk (John Lodge), has his own plans. He wants Anastasia in his coven. He starts killing off Hayes' team one-by-one. Can Hayes and Co save Anastasia and the rest of their group?

The Witchmaker isn't what I'd call a good movie in the traditional sense, but it is reasonably effective and enjoyable if you're into this kind of thing. The biggest plus The Witchmaker has going for it is atmosphere. At times, the atmosphere is palatable. The isolation, the creepy swamp, the Satanic trappings, and the even the low budget look of the film - all worked on me and filled me with a real sense of unease. If there's one thing that really creeps me out, it's low-budget Satanic mumbo-jumbo. Also, I thought John Lodge was particularly effective as Luther. He uses his size to his advantage as he attacks the members of Hayes' group. It's a really frightening visage.



As my rating indicates, the movie isn't perfect to me. The biggest issue I have is Alvy Moore. The problem is that as long as I've been alive, Alvy Moore has always been Hank Kimble from Green Acres. You see, not only is Green Acres on of my two or three favorite television shows, but the stammering, forgetful Kimble is my favorite character. I can't look at the man and not think of Kimble. So when, as Dr Hayes, he's trying to give some sort of scientific explanation to what's happening, it doesn't work. It sounds so silly coming out of Alvy Moore's mouth. I complimented the film's atmosphere, but unfortunately, Alvy Moore ruins whatever atmosphere the film has built up at that point. He goes off-screen, things get creepy. He comes back, not so creepy. It's too bad for The Witchmaker that Alvy Moore was so good at playing light, zany comedy.

History of THE WITCHMAKER initial marketing and premiere in 1969 ------------- Here's the background story of my connection with THE WITCHMAKER (1969 Excelsior Films) starring Alvy Moore, Thordis Brandt, Anthony Eisley, and John Lodge (also Susan Bernard).

Before that, I worked two years as a regional movie publicist for the Jack Wodell Associates SF CA USA based regional ad/PR agency which specialized in local (SF Bay area) movie publicity, primarily for Warner Bros., but also for other studios, large and small.

United Artists Theatre Chain of SF CA showed a lot of "Indy" movies (along w/Hollywood studio movies) in movie houses and drive in theaters the chain owned.

THE WITCHMAKER (1969) was aimed at drive in theaters, which did big biz w/teen agers in parked cars necking quite a bit, and not paying attention to the quality of the movie.

It was a rather dull movie, never became a "classic," but did well anyway, made money for it's investors when presented at large chains of drive-in movie theatres, still operating in the LA CA USA area and elsewhere in 1969.

It was created from the partnership of LQ Jones and Alvy Moore, both character actors of long experience and high standing in Hollywood for 20 years before THE WITCHMAKER (1969) was made and released.

The movie was shot in Louisiana in 3 weeks, featured Ms. Thordis Brandt, who was a famous beauty queen of the times who had appeared in FUNNY GIRL (1968) starring Barbra Streisand...Brandt was a Ziegfeld Follies beauty (in contrast to ugly Steisand, which was the joke of the movie.....Fanny Brice/ Streisand made more money, got more famous than the beauties who worked as Ziegfeld beauty queen girls).

Brandt was no actress. She was a model for still photos.

She ran through the jungles of Louisiana bare breasted, but cupping her tits with her hands. THAT was the big sex scene in the show.

Keep in mind porn had just become legal, and the Sex Revolution of the 1960's was in high gear.....subject of big interest for the public which the major studios didn't get near.

Indy movie makers jumped in to make money and did covering the subject, recruiting the likes of Thordis Brandt and other "witches" and girls of beauty part of the movie to show off their charms and parts.

Making Indy movies is not an original idea....many get made, most go nowhere, including very good ones with very famous names and big stars...but no distribution.

Jones and Moore got VERY lucky connected with the SF CA USA based United Artists Theatre Circuit....which backed THE WITCHMAKER (1969) ...already finished when the deal was made.

MORE movies were funded and made, but never did as well as the THE WITCHMAKER which was tested and promoted and premiered in Phoenix, AZ at the Acres Drive In, and promoted on the local KOOL-TV Gene Autry owned TV station.

I was the main guy in Phoenix AZ flown for a month or so to Phoenix AZ to set up and execute the premiere of THE WITCHMAKER (1969) which eventually included a gathering of all the big shots and actors part of the movie....they appeared on local TV and other local media, and hyped the show.....which did VERY well at the Acres Drive in during the hot summer of 1969 (June or July or so).

I was 25 years old, but quite a big shot publicist and publicity/ PR manager for JackWodell Assoc. Ad and PR Co. at 582 Market St, 19th Floor (which also was the main publicist for the SF CA USA Film Festival, and did non-movie PR on occasion for restaurants such as the IMPERIAL PALACE Restaurant of fame in Chinatown, SF USA).

Jack Wodell Assoc. created the TV ads and previews of coming attraction ads (aka "Trailers") and also the radio spot ads and also the newspaper ads for THE WITCHMAKER (also the "one sheet" movie posters, which I have a copy of in my kitchen as I type this in 2012 in Columbia PA USA!).

It also placed all the ads for the movie in Southern Calif. where United Artists Theatre Circuit owned maybe 70 drive-ins, ALL of which opened THE WITCHMAKER on the same 1969 weekend, and that resulted in VERY big money for everybody! Sue Bernard was in the movie, and she was the 25 year old daughter of Bruno Bernard, aka "Bruno of Hollywood" who was famous for movie star celebrity portraits.

Sue is now a very rich old lady in her late 60's still raking in money because her Dad shot the most famous photo of all of Marilyn Monroe, and left Sue the Copyright.

Right! The movie lasted and lasted and lasted.

It was turned into a VHS tape in the 1980's which few Indy horror movies of the 1960's were......one can still buy movie posters for the movie on the Internet.

Most of the people part of it are dead or geezer.

Well.....memories from Tex Allen (birth name David Roger Allen) of THE WITCHMAKER (1969 Excelsior Films) starring Alvy Moore, Anthony Eisely, John Lodge, Thordis Brandt, and Sue Bernard (and others

Alvy Moore leads a group of individuals into the deep swamplands to investigate paranormal activity. As luck would have it, this little neck of the bayou has been the locus of several ritual murders over the past couple of years, of which all the victims were pretty young girls. One of the crew of outsiders(the lovely and zaftig Thordis Brandt) is the descendant of a witch, and her presence piques the interest of an evil warlock determined to recruit her into his coven.

Despite its financial strife, The Witchmaker is an atmospheric, smartly made production with an effective curveball ending, and I suspect it may be a bit more lettered in illustrating the various wonts of occultism than many other films of its type. Surprisingly scary at points, and benefiting from a creepy score by Jaime Mendoza-Nava, this one's worth seeking out(if only for the scene of Ms. Brandt running slow-motion and topless through the swamp, cupping her hands over her gigantic bare breasts).

7/10.