When I look over my shoulder (what happens then?)
What do you think I see?—Donovan
That’s the more recent Lana Del Rey version embedded above. In fact, when I look over my shoulder, I see FOUR films entitled Season of the Witch, and we’re reviewing all of them this bountiful weekend as a part of our Halloween Countdown.
The first and best of the lot was filmed by George A. Romero in 1971 and… more about its tortured release history appears below, along with a review.
Title: Season of the Witch (1972)
Cast and Crew
Written and directed by George A. Romero
Jan White as Joan Mitchell
Bill Thunhurst as Jack Mitchell
Joedda McClain as Nikki Mitchell
Ray Laine as Gregg Williamson
Virginia “Ginger” Greenwald as Marion
Ann Muffly as Shirley Randolph
Neil Fisher as Dr. Miller
Esther Lapidus as Sylvia
Marvin Lieber as Jerry Randolph
Dan Mallinger as Frazer
Daryl Montgomery as Larry
Ken Peters as John
Shirlee Strasser as Grace
Robert Trow as Detective Mills
Jean Wechsler as Gloria
Charlotte Carter as Mary
Lynda Marnoni as Patty
S. William Hinzman as The Intruder
A black cat as The Cat
Premise
Joan Mitchell (Jan White) is unhappy. Her husband, a local businessman, rules the household and will resort to intimidation and even (if rarely) violence if necessary. Her daughter, now nineteen, has started her own life. Mrs. Mitchell experiences nightmares of being controlled and pursued, has an affair with her daughter’s professor, becomes involved with witchcraft, and grows increasingly paranoid. Reality and fantasy begin to merge.
Film History
The studio re-edited and released it as Hungry Wives!, suggesting in the marketing that it was softcore porn. This must have disappointed a few people, since it features only a couple of very brief, non-graphic sex scenes and some fleeting nudity during a ritual. Romero’s edit was restored a year later and it was released as Jack’s Wife, hardly a BO-generating title. Much later, it received distribution in its current form, as Season of the Witch. It’s that version I am reviewing here.
High Point
The occasional suspense scenes work very well….
Low Point
..but since most of them turn out to be dreams, their effectiveness gets undercut after a while, at least until the end.
The Scores:
Originality: 4/6 The film draws upon the specific flavour of occultism that was popular in the era with many of the cultural and feminist concerns of the time. Viewers will see the influence of other media. The film directly references Rosemary’s Baby and The Graduate.
Effects: 3/6 The film has a few practical effects, cheaply and competently done.
Production: 4/6 Romero makes the most of a limited budget. I give him credit for making a suburban house looks scary, through the use of colour, angles, and lighting, and the juxtaposition of the garish wallpaper typical of the era with creepy lamps and statues (and, oddly enough, the same teapot that my mother had). Large portions of the film, unfortunately, just look cheap. That may or may not be a virtue here.
The occult rituals are campy but effective and appropriate. If you’re familiar with the manner in which neo-Pagan witchcraft had entered the pop culture of the era, and how media (especially of the less-respectable sort) depicted magick, you will see what Romero is doing.
Acting: 4/6 The leads are fine, particularly Jan White, on camera most of the time. The others vary quite a bit in their acting, and some are subpar.
The cat really comes through.
Story: 4/6 The film is slow and very talky, more of a suburban drama with some thriller elements…
Emotional Response: 5/6 …but it has an effective finale and a chillingly clever epilogue that make the viewing worthwhile. Honestly, it’s a 3-4/5 in this category, with a bonus for the last fifteen minutes.
Overall: 4/6 It’s not the greatest film of the early 1970s, but I found it worth viewing and it does help one understand its era. As regards movies entitled, Season of the Witch, it will be a downhill slag from this point onward.
In total, Season of the Witch (c. 1972) receives 28/42
Lingering Question
Was a largely independent nineteen-year-old really considered a “runaway” in 1971?
Fun Fact
This is the only Season of the Witch movie to use Donovan’s song in the soundtrack.
The Schedule
October 5/6: Abigail (2024) and Abigail (2023): JD
October 12/13: Season of the Witch (1972) and Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) and Season of the Witch (2009) and Season of the Witch (2011) : JD
October 19/20: Hocus Pocus (1993) and Hocus Pocus (2022): ‘Lex
October 26/27: The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) and Humanist Vampire Seeks Suicidal Person (2023): JD
October 31: The Love Witch (2016): ‘Lex and Sleepaway Camp (1983): JD and Dark Gathering (2023): Alexander Case
I thought this was a slog, and while I appreciated actually seeing some [spoiler]witchcraft[/spoiler] by the end, at that point it was too little, too late. That scene does seem to end up relevant later when we review The Love Witch, however.
It’s slow-moving and, honestly, I prefer The Love Witch as a piece of cinema. Of course, films from this era often appear to be a slog by contemporary standards. I’m okay with that, if the overall work pays off. I grew up with this stuff. As I’ve mentioned before, I purchased a first edition of Man, Myth, & Magic so pristine that the volumes made “crack” noises when they were opened.
And, admittedly, this one is more of a slog than it needed to be.
But ye gods, what follows….
For the record, I prefer Doctor John’s version of Season of the Witch. ;-)
Ooooh, that’s who Dr. Teeth was inspired by.