Simon, King of the Witches

While in jail, Simon (Andrew Prine) meets a man and takes him back to his homey storm drain (!), and introduces him to the dark arts. In return, the man takes Simon to a party where he sells trinkets and amulets to the guests and bewitches a woman.

When someone tries to rip Simon off, he uses his hoodoo on him, which ultimately escalates into Simon's one-man war against the police, the mayor, and the entire city.

SIMON, KING OF THE WITCHES contains: #1- Hocus pocus AND mumbo jumbo! #2- Chicken AND human sacrifice! #3- A magic mirror! #4- Effluvium! #5- Awesome silk robes AND red underwear! #6- Full-frontal female nudity! #7- Hippie lingo! #8- The floating, red glob of doom!

BEST BITS: #1- The red glob of doom killing a man with a flower pot! #2- Simon's bizarre visit with the Queen of the Witches!

This is all supremely, insanely good fun!...

It is a very odd 70's movie and I watched (parts of) it again recently after many years. What makes it unique is that it is the only movie that portrays the life of a magician in a realistic way. This is especially true for those who have been into the occult for a long time. Besides from that, it was also well acted and the story quite interesting in other ways. So it's highly recommended for those who wants to now what the life of a occultist is really like. How it becomes, the pitfalls, and the consequences that can follow from doing certain things. The name of the character is also a hint of what kind of magician he really is. Still one (at least I did) roots for him for most of the movie.

Andrew Prine, always a welcome face in B movies, has the lead role as Simon in one of the wackiest, most 'out-there' films of the early 70s. Simon is a bohemian magician who lives in a rain gutter, wowing audiences with his mystical talents. When he falls for the daughter of a prominent city official, expected problems ensue which are met head-on by a highly unorthodox rebuttal.

This is a trippy, 'turned-on' freakfest, loaded with waggish characters and situational discord...a quite likable film, too, which appropriately features Warhol Factory entouregette Ultra Violet. Sexmagic rituals, psychedelia, and gay overtones contribute to the slappy appeal of this under-appreciated counterculture wonder.

7/10

I found this movie a little disappointing because I fell for the original advertising and was under the impression that 70's cult actor Andrew Prine would be playing a Manson-like cult leader. Instead Prine's character, Simon, is an actual warlock, although obviously not a very good one since has to live in the LA storm sewers. He also doesn't have much of a cult, just one dumb kid who follows him around like a puppy. At one point he does seduce a rich politician's daughter, but he is mostly interested in using her to cast a spell and has sex with her only as an afterthought. There is also a surprising homosexual subtext for a movie made at that time (although it is balanced out with abundant female nudity).

The movie is really only half-serious. The tone is often pretty campy. Prine is good, but he often seems to be poking fun at his own character. He is actually much more entertaining when he plays these kind of characters straight. Technically, this is probably a better movie than "Centerfold Girls", "Nightmare Circus" or other Prine vehicles, but I still maintain Prine would have made a great Charles Manson.

Simon, King of the Witches is a real gem. This must be the most unusual movie of its type I have seen. I was captivated at the start when Simon introduced himself. There is so much going on in this movie you really need to see it more than once to understand the storyline, events and eventual ending. The team of Andrew Prine and his then wife Brenda Scott was fascinating and it's not the first time they have acted together. Brenda Scott has always impressed in the more unusual dramatic story lines but sadly this time the film let her down. Prine has charisma and Scott has beauty and both go well together. The only criticism I would make is that Prine "owned" this film. It was almost as though he needed to be in every scene to make sure it was a success. There could definitely have been more story lines for his co-stars but maybe that's the way it was intended. This movie is said to be hard to get and indeed my thanks go to the person who shared this on Youtube.