‘The Naked Witch’ Blu-ray Review
Stars: Anthony Eisley, Thordis Brandt, Alvy Moore, Shelby Grant, Tony Benson, Robyn Millan, Warrene Ott, Helene Winston, Burt Mustin, Rudy Haydel | Written and Directed by William O. Brown
In the 1960s, horror films made a pivot from monsters and evil scientists to supernatural evil. The 60s saw witches and warlocks, satanic rituals and human sacrifices. This was a new decade and a more real threat. These films felt real. That neighbour down the street that you seemed to never see could be that threat.
Well, at the end of the decade in 1969, director William O. Brown brought the world The Naked Witch. But this film is also known under a bunch of other names as well, including The Witchmaker, Witchkill, The Legend of Witch Hollow or The Witchmaster. Rapidly approaching its 60th anniversary, the film has been restored and released on Blu-ray thanks to the good folks at VCI Entertainment and MVD Visual.
When a series of brutal, ritualistic type murders of eight young women occur at a Louisiana swamp, Dr. Ralph Hayes, a psychic researcher, heads there with his team to begin an investigation into the dark & macabre tragedies. After learning the bodies of the women have been drained of their blood, and marked with satanic symbols, Dr. Hayes and his team suspect this is the work of a satanic coven. It doesn’t take long for them to discover that they are up against a powerful warlock who is out to fulfill a pact with his master.
When you see that tit,le most will think exploitation cinema. But in reality, the is nudity very tame in this film. William O. Brown, who surprisingly only directed one other film in his career, 1965’s One Way Wahine, does a tremendous job with this low-budget horror film. It’s dark and moody and really sticks with you!
The cast is filled with familiar faces, including Shelby Grant (Our Man Flint), Robyn Millan (The Monkees), L.Q. Jones (Gunsmoke) and Sue Bernard (Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!). But probably the most recognizable for classic TV fans would be Alvy Moore who played Hank Kimble on Green Acres and Burt Mustin who appeared in almost every classic TV show in history including Leave It To Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show, The Twilight Zone, Batman, The Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and All in the Family just to name a few.
The Naked Witch has been transferred to region-free Blu-ray in 1080p and is presented in 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The audio track is an English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio. There is also the option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. Now this new transfer isn’t just any transfer, this one is taken from a brand new 4K restoration from an archival 35mm print. In all honesty, this transfer is not perfect; there are some minor scratches, but they are so minor that it shouldn’t take away from the enjoyment of the viewing experience.
VCI and MVD added some cool bonus features on this release, they include:
- Commentary track by Robert Kelly, artist, reviewer and film buff extraordinaire!
- Poster gallery of other notable horror films of the 1960’s. “1960s Horror: A Decade of Innovation and Fear”
- Restored original Theatrical Trailer, TV Trailer and Radio Spot
- Bonus DVD of this release is included.
Robert Kelly brings a lot of insight to this release and it’s a pleasure to listen to his audio commentary. The featurette of “1960s Horror: A Decade of Innovation and Fear” takes you on a nice little ride through the 60s. The addition of the bonus DVD disc is most welcome, too! If you love 60s supernatural horror, this new Blu-ray release of The Naked Witch needs to be on your list.
**** 4/5
The Naked Witch is out now on Blu-ray from VCI/MVD.
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