The Witch Who Came from the Sea

This one's a real weirdie. It's unique, surreal and genuinely disturbing, and Millie Perkins gives a memorably intense and bizarre performance as Molly. It goes out of its way to shock the viewer, and largely succeeds. It also features the single most upsetting childhood trauma flashback I've ever seen.

It's probably too much for most people's tastes, but if you enjoy flawed one-of-a-kind low budget '70s horror, it's worth a look if you can find it. I am a bit dubious about the exploitative way it uses the subject of child abuse device to shock and disturb the viewer, so be warned.

Like many films on the BBFC's "Video Nasty" list back in the eighties; The Witch Who Came from the Sea baffles the viewer because there really isn't anything in the film that should have lead to its banning. Sure, there's a little bit of blood and the suggestive child abuse scenes are a bit shocking, but this film is never going to corrupt or deprave. Anyway, while the shocks are disappointing, and I can understand why this isn't a widely liked cult classic; I've got to say that I really enjoyed it...and I should also mention that I'm not really sure why. The film features the age-old storyline of someone going insane and turning to murder, but it's surprisingly more relaxed in pace and content that many other similar movies. This one is also different because, rather than seeing a man butcher women; we've got a woman exacting violence against men. Molly is a young lady corrupted by memories of her seafaring father. She turns to drink, and soon becomes a killer after spending the night with two footballers. We then follow her on her dissent into alcoholism and insanity.

The film has that classic, gritty low budget look about it, which bodes well with the atmosphere presented. One of the main reasons why I liked this film is because it seems that writer Robert Thom and director Matt Cimber actually care about the plot and characters, and this is shown by the fact that a lot of the movie is spent building up the situation around the lead character. The movie remains interesting throughout because certain facts about the lead's past are fed to the audience bit by bit, and these help us to see why the character acts as she does. The lead role is taken by Millie Perkins, who actually does a really good job with it. It's easy to believe that she is the character we are seeing on screen, and her performance is above the average for this sort of film. The scenes of gore aren't all that shocking, and only the one that sees a man butchered with his razor is likely to provoke any kind of reaction from the audience. The castration sequences and the child abuse are what this film became notorious for, but I don't know why as they both are put forward in a very casual manner. Overall, however, I feel that The Witch Who Came from the Sea has been unfairly treated and should be remembered with a bit more respect.

"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.

Millie Perkins is a disturbed young woman plagued by disturbing visions.She hates men and castrates them because she was the victim of incest during her childhood."The Witch Who Came from the Sea" is a strange and moody exploitation flick with dream-like atmosphere and strong symbolism.Millie castrates two popular football players in fantastically oneiric sequence of sexual violence.The film is slow-moving and deeply unpleasant character study of woman's torment.The central performance of Millie Perkins is fantastic as is the supporting cast.If you are into beautiful and highly subversive 70's US horror you can't miss this oddity.8 mermaids out of 10.

This is a strange one, that just misses the mark because the script is somewhat scatter shot. If things regarding the delusional and irrational behavior of incest victim Millie Perkins had been more focused, the film would have benefited. As it is, the acting by Ms Perkins is convincing, and for a horror / psychological drama most of the acting is above average. The horror crowd will be disappointed, but those looking for the offbeat, will have found gold, with this twisted tale of hallucinations and mutilations. Special mention must be made of the poster art, which is outstanding. "The Witch Who Came From the Sea" is a bizarre oddity that has a limited, but devoted cult following. - MERK