Overview
In a time of chaos, one man's greed leads to unimaginable horror.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- harrowing
- bleak
- oppressive
- classic horror night
- historical horror marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Michael Reeves’s final film as a powerful, haunting historical folk horror distinguished by its uncompromising brutality and Vincent Price’s chilling performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film places witch-hunting, village superstition, and terror within the English Civil War period.
Matthew Hopkins exploits irrational beliefs and coerced confessions for money, influence, and sexual favors.
The English countryside contrasts with torture, persecution, and violence rather than offering refuge.
Civil conflict enables Hopkins and Stearne to exercise unchecked power over vulnerable communities.
Films like Witchfinder General, and why
The Blood on Satan's Claw
shared folk horror atmosphere, historical superstition, and institutional persecution
Mark of the Devil
shared period horror, religious hysteria, and brutal communal violence
The Devils
shared historical horror, witch-hunt paranoia, and oppressive moral absolutism
The Crucible
shared rural dread, false accusations, and critique of religious fundamentalism
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Reeves
- Release Date
- 1968-05-17
- Runtime
- 87 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (275)
Cast
- Vincent Price
- Ian Ogilvy
- Robert Russell
- Nicky Henson
- Hilary Dwyer
- Rupert Davies
- Patrick Wymark
- Wilfrid Brambell
- Tony Selby
- Michael Beint
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, ScreenPix Amazon Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Witchfinder General about?
- Amid England’s civil war, a profit-driven witch hunter turns superstition into a machinery of torture and persecution.
- What is Witchfinder General like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Witchfinder General as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Witchfinder General violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Witchfinder General as graphic.
- What did critics think of Witchfinder General?
- Critics broadly regard Michael Reeves’s final film as a powerful, haunting historical folk horror distinguished by its uncompromising brutality and Vincent Price’s chilling performance.
- Which films are like Witchfinder General?
- Films with a similar feel include The Blood on Satan's Claw, Mark of the Devil, The Devils, and The Crucible.
- How long is Witchfinder General?
- Witchfinder General runs 87 minutes.
- Where can I watch Witchfinder General?
- In United States, Witchfinder General streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, ScreenPix Amazon Channel .
