The Witch Who Came from the Sea

"The Witch Who Came from the Sea" follows Molly, a woman living with her sister in Los Angeles, suffering from severe psychological trauma resulting from her father's incestuous relationship with her. As a result, she snaps and embarks on a killing and castration spree.

While its title is literally misleading (but metaphorically apt), "The Witch Who Came from the Sea" is an oddball psychological horror film that is not so much scary as it is sad. The film has a downbeat tone that is remarkable from the first scenes, and it chugs along at this languid, downtempo pace for much of its runtime. While some descriptions make it sound like a serial killer film, it's in actuality a character study of someone living with severe PTSD stemming from child sex abuse.

The content here is disturbing in nature, though the screenplay feels lopsided in the sense that Molly's pathology registers as a bit too on-the-nose. Where the film excels is in its visuals, and the cinematography captures a gothic sort of 1970s California, particularly the trash-ridden, empty streets of Venice Beach. Millie Perkins is decent as the lead, Molly, though none of the performances here are particularly great. There are odd moments of humor brought by the likes of Peggy Feury that are off-center but amusing. The film's conclusion is unsurprisingly dour, but thematically fitting. Though a bit of a shallow character study, "The Witch Who Came from the Sea" has some startling visuals and is reasonably well-made given its obvious budget limitations. Worthwhile for fans of gritty psychological dramas, particularly of this era. 6/10.

A real oddity, seemingly made somewhat earlier than its 1976 release date would suggest. In some ways a classic exploitation but this has more serious aspirations and a decent script. It also looks good, being shot by the cameraman who would next move on to Carpenter's Halloween. The strange film is also given much credence thanks to the beguiling performance by Millie Perkins, who manages to infuse the proceedings with a serious and likeable nature, almost despite what we know is going on. The eventual explicit revelation of the traumatic childhood event that has been flagged throughout the movie is still pretty awful even if we did see it coming. There is no witch here, as such, it is not really a horror film despite horrors such as the aforementioned childhood incident and multiple killings but constantly engaging with all the characters adding much to the proceedings even if they are already amply presided over by a very fine performance from Perkins.

This may be a spurious comparison, but this reminded me of the bigger-budgeted movie "The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea" which was released about the same time. Sure the latter is a serious drama while this is a low-budget (Italian?)exploitation movie, but they both share an eerily haunting seaside location and have a truly shocking ending. I can't say I enjoyed this movie in the sense that I would like to see it again anytime soon (most men will find it pretty, uh, painful), but I can't help respecting it. It's not your usual exploitation film. It is somewhat similar to the rape-revenge films that were big in the 70's (the epitome of which was the truly execrable "I Spit on Your Grave"). Unlike that movie and its ilk, however, this film does not relish in the rape and humiliation of its barmaid female protagonist (played by Millie Perkins). And her character is portrayed as a disturbed but always believable human being as opposed to a murdering/castrating automaton. And rather than portraying all men as jerks or potential rapists, it has a likable male character in her older bartender boyfriend, "Long John".

It takes a brave film to contain the extreme, potentially off-putting elements this one does, but also not take the easy, well-trodden exploitation route (one of the most ridiculous criticisms leveled at this film, for instance, is that there is not literally a witch in it). This movie certainly does wallow in grubby exploitation scenes, but at times it transcends all that and becomes something more haunting and lyrical that will stay with you long after you watch it.

This is a strange one, that just misses the mark because the script is somewhat scatter shot. If things regarding the delusional and irrational behavior of incest victim Millie Perkins had been more focused, the film would have benefited. As it is, the acting by Ms Perkins is convincing, and for a horror / psychological drama most of the acting is above average. The horror crowd will be disappointed, but those looking for the offbeat, will have found gold, with this twisted tale of hallucinations and mutilations. Special mention must be made of the poster art, which is outstanding. "The Witch Who Came From the Sea" is a bizarre oddity that has a limited, but devoted cult following. - MERK

Millie Perkins is a disturbed young woman plagued by disturbing visions.She hates men and castrates them because she was the victim of incest during her childhood."The Witch Who Came from the Sea" is a strange and moody exploitation flick with dream-like atmosphere and strong symbolism.Millie castrates two popular football players in fantastically oneiric sequence of sexual violence.The film is slow-moving and deeply unpleasant character study of woman's torment.The central performance of Millie Perkins is fantastic as is the supporting cast.If you are into beautiful and highly subversive 70's US horror you can't miss this oddity.8 mermaids out of 10.