Die Hexe - The Witch

A witch of old times on the road of revenge and a "haunted" house/property - the good thing: the death toll is not a small one!

Nice little horror flick from the beginning of the 80s. No masterpiece or classic, also no Oscar material, but a good watch - if you want some horror with a good slice of nostalgia and some blood spilled on the floor. Yummy.

A 17th century executed witch kills anybody who enters a house that was built on the site of her execution. Supernatural horror that plays out like a slasher movie with many inventive deaths every 10 minutes or so. This is well paced and there is plenty of good gore, including an exploding head in a microwave, death by an escaped circular saw, spike through forehead, and so on. This was made during the Golden Age of the slasher movie and certainly gives good value for money. Give me 1980's effects and vibe any day over 21st century CGI and remakes! Original title in 1982 was Superstition. It did appear on the seizure list during the Video Nasties farce but was given a rerelease as The Witch in 1985. Sadly this film appears to be something of a forgotten one, I can't even reference in it in my collection of horror movie books. It really does deserve a DVD/BR release so that a new audience can see it.

This movie has all of the elements that you expect from a horror film--and I mean that in the best way! All right, it's admittedly low budget, but the frequent deaths, presented with almost metronomic spacing, are inventive and entertaining. Plus, it is a delight to see a film that really does have a supernatural grounding, instead of the so-tired slasher bit.

You should definitely watch this movie when you are alone at night--watching it with friends or in the daytime gives you too much chance to let the low budget distract you from the flow...

An unusual, but rather enjoyable no-nonsense and wicked low-budget cursed haunted house/witch feature. A Reverend and his family move into a strange, remote house with a horrific past. Mysterious occurrences begin to happen and people within the property start dying or disappearing to only end up dead.

The plot is quite slight, with a premise relatively basic... revenge from beyond the grave; A drowned witch who reappears in demon form hidden under a cloak with glimpses of her long green hands and evil laughter to go with it. Its set-pieces are there for nothing more than atmospheric shock effects (gory, but creative and insane deaths), but director James W. Roberson effectively handles them and suitably paces the narrative with a dark, nervy energy.

It plays out like a haunted house ride... false jumps to only pump out the real one within its predictable superstitious framework (like the all mighty cross; the torment of all evil and good for exploding doors). Also there's a real nasty streak, which doesn't hold back for anyone and this makes the downbeat ending even more fulfilling. There's a real italian horror vibe to it all. The imagery is well-photographed (especially of the witch) and the score does pack that an ominous sting that crackles with intensity. Characters are one-dimensional, but the cast are committed with James Houghton, Larry Pennell, Lynn Carlin and Albert Salmi as a stubborn, hard-pressed detective.

I thought it was silly, but lively and unpleasant 1980s horror pulp that doesn't outstay its welcome. Fans of 80s horror overabundance should love.

'Superstition' is a 1982 supernatural slasher movie that may not have any sort of originality, but makes up for some of its short comings by having some inventive death scenes, cool gore and a creepy atmosphere. The movie is rather entertaining and does deliver on the carnage.

The plot = In the 1600's where a witch is sentenced to death by crucifixion in the black pond as she swears vengeance on her persecutors. Then we flash forward to the present day of 1982 a series of bizarre murders plague the house near the lake as the witch is haunting the property from beyond the grave.

The direction by James W. Roberson is quite decent as he doesn't shy away from the shock factor, the film feels very much in the vein of the 80's slashers due to the sheer over the top murders that occur throughout which thankfully helps distract you from the utter haphazard pacing, uneven acting performances & a fairly by the numbers story. This is by no means a plot driven flick but the mystery element is sustained long enough to keep you interested.

Overall this is a fun ride dripped in pure cheese with sheer enthusiasm for its gruesome set pieces, but doesn't really offer much more than that with no characters to really root for mainly because they're just cannon fodder & none of the performances really stand out to be honest, but if you're looking for nothing more than a fun ride, then 'Superstition' is the movie for you.