Virgin Witch (1972)

Director:

Ray Austin

Writer:

Beryl Vertue (writer)

Release Date:

19 October 1973 (Finland)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

She'll take you on -- and turn you on!

Plot:

Christine gets her big chance at modelling when she applies at Sybil Waite's agency. Together with Christine's...

Plot Keywords:

Sisters | Mini Skirt | Supernatural | Lesbian Twins | Old Dark House

Cast

Ann Michelle	...	Christine
Vicki Michelle	...	Betty
Keith Buckley	...	Johnny
Patricia Haines	...	Sybil Waite
James Chase	...	Peter
Paula Wright	...	Mrs. Wendell
Christopher Strain	...	Milkman
Esme Smythe	...	Horsewoman
Garth Watkins	...	Colonel
Neil Hallett	...	Gerald Amberly
Helen Downing	...	Abby Darke
Peter Halliday	...	Club Manager
Jenny Klingman
Maria Coyne	...	Coven Member
Prudence Drage	...	Coven Member
Sheila Sands
Susan Morrall
Steve Peters
David Graham

Directed by
Ray Austin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Beryl Vertue		writer (as Klaus Vogel)

Produced by
Hazel Adair	....	co-producer (as Ralph Solomons)
Edward Brady	....	executive producer
Dennis Durack	....	executive producer
Ralph Solomons	....	producer
Kent Walton	....	co-producer (as Ralph Solomons)

Original Music by
Ted Dicks

Cinematography by
Gerald Moss

Film Editing by
Philip Barnikel

Art Direction by
Paul Bernard

Makeup Department
Stephanie Kaye	....	hair stylist

Production Management
George Fowler	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Garth Haines	....	assistant director

Art Department
Geoffrey Hill	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Derek Ball	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Hurst	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ken Lewington	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Burnell Whibley	....	conductor
Burnell Whibley	....	music arranger

Other crew
Miren Cork	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Tigon British Film Productions
• Univista Productions

Distributors

• Tigon Film Distributors (1972) (UK) (theatrical)
• Joseph Brenner Associates (1972) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinépix Film Properties (CFP) (1972) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Wm. Lange & Associates (1978) (USA: Midwest) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (UK) (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Prism Entertainment Corporation (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• Redemption Films (1993) (UK) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Lesbian Twins
Messe nere per le vergini svedesi (Italy) [it]
Neitsytnoita (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Finland:K-18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Tigon British Film Productions

Movie Connections:

Featured in Grindhouse Horrors (1992) (V)

Soundtrack:

You Go Your Way

VIRGIN WITCH (Ray Austin, 1972) *1/2

I was half-expecting this to be even worse than THE BODY STEALERS (1969) and, my viewing of it, certainly proved my fears right! This one's the pits: the title promises nudity and scares (or at least diabolism) - it provides the former in spades, though none of it is erotic, but the latter is only present, if so it can be called, in some silly late-night rituals with nude dancing en masse of old and young witches alike!

Tigon only distributed the film and, really, there are no redeeming features to this low-brow venture - whose director was actually an English aristocrat! The premise offers no surprises whatsoever and, in fact, here again we have sisters as the leading characters - one virtuous, one wicked (around this same time, Hammer Films made TWINS OF EVIL [1971] - which were played by Maltese actresses, by the way - and which, alas, I've never watched!). The other characters are stereotypes and the only one who provides any interest is Patricia Haines (formerly Mrs. Michael Caine and who died, at a fairly young age, only a few years later!) as the lesbian High Priestess of the coven.

Perhaps the most hilarious scenes are the afore-mentioned rites, Ann Michelle's photo sessions (a modeling agency serves as a front for the coven) and especially when she, a newly-inducted witch, puts a spell on her rival Haines - having suddenly become an expert in the occult merely by reading a book on the subject (Michelle burns a photograph of Haines, and we see the latter's expression in it change gradually to reflect the pain she goes through!). The film was actually shot in 1970 but the BBFC refused it a certificate - realizing, perhaps, that it was pure exploitation and not really a horror film at all; in fact, it only got released when the producers took the film to the apparently more lenient censor boards of individual towns, after which the BBFC relented!