I Watch Films: Cry Of The Banshee

 

Cry Of The Banshee

Lord Whitman (Vincent Price) is a wicked magistrate in the Elizabethan period, accusing people of witchcraft. On the one hand there actually is a cult of witches. But they’re mostly free-love hippies in the forest. On the other they find a dead sheep and he sends his men out to find the killers. They drag in two young people to his feast; there’s weird unearthly howling from outside and in the struggle they’re killed. Lady Whitman (Lord Whitman’s second, younger wife) isn’t happy about this.

Lord Whitman’s son Sean rapes his stepmother, blames the witches. Lord Whitman breaks up a ritual/orgy, which annoys Oona, the coven leader. She mind-controls Lord Whitman’s servant Roderick (who is also the lover of Whitman’s daughter). He begins killing people, Sean and Lady Whitman amongst them.

Lord Whitman’s other son arrives from Cambridge with a priest. After some confusion, people being locked up and unlikely escapes they kill Roderick and decide to go away. But there’s a final twist.

Sadly the film isn’t especially interested in exploring banshees, it’s a period witchcraft story. Price’s villainy begets worse from his own son, and his persecution of witches has them turn their magic against him. He’s corrupt and sadistic. The film doesn’t quite rise to meet this, the sets fine but a bit studio-ish, the supporting cast a bit wet.

Watch This: Dark supernatural period horror
Don’t Watch This: There are better period horror film (including ones staring Price)