La stagione della strega

Director George A. Romero is a smart guy. His movies usually have a lot more going on in them than what appears on the surface.

SEASON OF THE WITCH is about a bored, disillusioned "housewife" who dabbles in witchcraft. It's also a study of the cataclysmic changes underway in the late 1960's and early 70's. It was a time when the more puritanical structure of the 1950's was collapsing under the weight of personal and social experimentation / freedom.

Jan White's character is willing to accept new -actually, very old- ideas and a liberating lifestyle that will drive her emotionally-absent husband nuts. That is, if he even notices!

This movie explores the sexual revolution, female awakening, and several other topics of its era. Witchcraft has always been a perfect metaphor for female power, causing terror in those who would much rather keep it buried. Too late. The spell is cast...

_hungry wives_ is sorely underrated by all viewers, and commentators here. no, it doesn't come close to equaling the indelible onslaught that is _night of the living dead_ -- nothing else in romero's oeuvre does, after all, not even _dawn_ -- but as a document from its time, it's a strange balance between the films which precede it (this is not, despite what some here have suggested, romero's second film -- it's his fourth!), viz. _there's always vanilla_ and _the crazies_.

strangely calm, and maybe low-key to a fault, this examination of an alienated housewife's numbing existence and slow infatuation with witchcraft is very much a part of the "personal films" movement of its era, and suggesting a glancing similarity to cassavettes is not unfounded. the first-generation feminism is certainly heavy-handed at this point, but the careful eye for detail that distinguishes all of romero's work, his compassion for his protagonist's melancholy (call it western pennsylvania social realism) and the ambivalent tone, notably at the end (not the "surprise ending," but what follows it), give this film as uneasy balance between horror and domestic drama. definitely worth seeing, and with as few expectations as possible. 7/10

This early film from horror master George A. Romero is like a test run of various themes--alienation, identity, disaffectedness--that would mark his later work such as "Martin" and "Knightriders." For most of the way, it's a dated and talky production, but it ends with a tense and scary climax, which showcases Romero's brilliance in editing and directing to build maximum suspense. While one of Romero's weakest films overall, it still is interesting to watch and a lot better than its reputation would suggest.

A thoughtful character study with supernatural tinges, misleading marketed as a straightforward horror film due to Romero's reputation, this film raises more questions than it can answer but is involving despite its leisurely pace. Certainly a more honest confrontation of suburban anomie than the likes of American Beauty, anyway, it boasts a well-modulated lead performance from Jan White, as well as arresting dream sequences and an overall well-sustained quiet tension throughout.

In the years between his legendary "Night of the Living Dead" and his outbreak thriller "The Crazies", filmmaker George A. Romero was actually trying NOT to get pigeonholed as a horror director. This is one of his efforts from that era. It's not for hardcore horror fans; other than a few nightmare sequences, it barely flirts with that genre. It's more of a sometimes arty, sometimes exploitative drama about a suburban housewife named Joan Mitchell (Jan White). Rather dissatisfied with her lot in life, she begins to think about things such as extramarital sex, and the idea of dabbling in the occult.

The performances are better than one might expect for such an independent, regional production. Romero uses his script as a set-up for exploring themes such as self esteem & self expression, female oppression, and the generation gap. For a while, it's likely to cause some audience members to be regularly checking their watches, as it rambles on at too deliberate a pace. It begins to maintain interest more consistently after the one hour mark. Regarding its artistic ambitions, Romero does seem to be enjoying himself coming up with those dream sequences. And in terms of exploitative elements, there is nudity both female and male, but never very much violence or gore.

"Hungry Wives" is fairly serious, but not totally without humor. Fans of the directors' output may want to see it for completions' sake, but it's not going to be for every taste.

Six out of 10.