Virgin Witch

'Allo 'allo, it's tasty British sitcom star Vicki Michelle revealing much more than she ever did on TV, accompanied by her almost as sexy and even more uninhibited sister Ann. The curvaceous pair star as Christine (Ann) and Betty (Vicki), beautiful siblings who are drawn into a coven of witches after Christine accepts a job with lesbian modelling agent/high priestess Sybil Waite (Patricia Haines).

Despite its witchcraft theme, Virgin Witch film is less about the supernatural and more about getting its lovely stars completely naked as often as possible; as such, the film is almost completely devoid of scares but packed with nudity and sex, with hardly a minute passing without one or both of the girls stripping off for a nude photo-shoot, bath, shower, or romp in the woods. Even when they're dressed, the girls wear the shortest mini-skirts possible!

The wild Wiccan rituals in which the sisters participate are the film's sleazy high-points (or is that 'low-points'?), the girls being offered to the coven's lucky leader Gerald (Neil Hallett) for sex while his naked acolytes cavort around them in ecstasy, the scenes lit in garish primary colours, the camera swinging crazily to and fro. The frenetic finale is particularly bonkers, degenerating into a wild orgy of writhing bodies, precisely who is doing what to whom being virtually unfathomable.

7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

This is a nice piece of time-wasting British exploitation cinema with the delectable Michelle sisters becoming embroiled in witchcraft and various sexy shenanigans in a picturesque country-house setting ('filmed on location in Surrey, England').

There's a good score by Ted Dicks, including a rather seductive little tune called 'You go your way', performed by Helen Downing. And effective turns by old-hands like Neil Hallett (as the lecherous head of the coven) and Keith 'Excalibur' Buckley as the excitable investigative boyfriend. A highpoint is the scene-stealing performance by the lovely Patricia Haines ('The Night Caller') as the lesbian boss of a dodgy model agency. She, along with the sisters, disrobes in the hilarious 'initiation ritual' sequence.

Get hold of the 1993 Redempton VHS - a good, colourful print.

It seems this was made as an excuse to show plenty of nudity from two highly attractive sisters and some poorly constructed witchcraft scenes. Unlike many Hammer releases, it at least portrays sex with more then a childish giggle. Overall, this takes itself too seriously and the plot becomes too confusing towards the end. However, the dated fashion is worth a look as is the sleazy fashion photographer. Not to mention the main sisters involved, (later to be seen in the popular UK TV series 'Allo Allo').

The difference between a British sleaze film of the 1970s and an American sleaze film of the 1970s is that the British film is well acted and features interesting locations. "Virgin Witch," quite possibly the quintessential sleaze film of the 1970s, manages both. It's not that the film is not exploitative and rather insulting to women, it's just that one would have to take it seriously to take offense. The film stars real-life sisters Ann and Vicki Michelle as an ambitious career woman (Ann) and a repressed virgin (Vicki) who leave their strict parents and come to London. On the way they meet Johnny (Keith Buckley), in one of those 1970s movie coincidences, and he develops a bone for Vicki. Meanwhile, Ann answers an advert for a model and is "auditioned" by lesbian agent Sybil Waite (Patricia Haines), who invites her up for the weekend at a manor house owned by Gerald Amberly (Neil Hallet), a sort of proper Hugh Hefner, who is (of course) also the leader of a coven of witches. Ann (character name "Christine") is all for it, even the attentions of Sybil, if that's what it takes to get ahead, but Vicki (Betty) is still repressed. Sex rites ensue. In fact, the coven really isn't much into black magic at all, just sex games. Suffice it to say that the film did not have much of a costume budget. It would be a lot easier to dismiss this film as so much trash if it were not decently acted, particularly by Haines and Hallet. Ann Michelle--a kind of road company Martine Beswick--also does well under the direction...at least under the camera pointing...of stuntman-turned-director Ray Austin. There's nothing scary about this "horror" film, and truth be told, even with the vast amount of nudity, there's nothing very erotic about it either. It's a time capsule of a particular era of very strange British thriller films, but a rather disarming one.

Watchable if only for the appearance of the delectable Patricia Haines (Mrs. Michael Caine as was), Virgin Witch also subverts some 70s clichés quite neatly.

Nice music and fairly attractive photography lift this from the mire as does the Surrey location.

Some passages and attitudes obviously grate a little with 21st Century sensibilities. Be disappointing if they didn't. But all in all a pleasant and (to this viewer at least) pretty sexy hour or so.

And who wouldn't want to wake up next to the unclad Ms Haines?

Or is it just me?