A Bruxa que Veio do Mar

Restored classic; one of the infamous video nasties banned in Britain.

Those looking for the juicy parts that were excised by the censors will be disappointed, as the stuff, even the castration with a razor blade, is tame by today's standards.

The film will be a little talkie as it is a tale of an abused child's descent into madness.

In a constant state of inebriation, Molly (Millie Perkins) suffers numerous flashbacks of abuse and pain.

Director Matt Cimber achieved his greatest status a couple of films later with three Razzie nominations for Butterfly with Pia Zadora.

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.

"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.

This movie can come from no decade but. There is very little action and some weird trippy sequences in it. I will not rehash the plot but I will say that this movie is worth seeing. If you are tired of the bland boring thriller/chiller pieces that are being made today, this is definitely worth renting. Subversive Video has released a cleaned up version on DVD so it is more readily available than in the past. Of note in the film is Millie Perkins, of Diary of Anne Frank fame. She plays the clichéd role of psycho on the verge but she does it with such muted tones and acting that makes you forget how many times the role of Molly has been rehashed in the horror genre.

Also, I would say a word on the production value. While other reviews have noted its shodiness. Let me just remind you this movie was made in 1976. As anyone who has seen 70's movies are aware, a lot of them look like they were made for nothing.

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.