I would like to think that being the descendant of a witch hunter is one of the most terrifying things I can think of. The descendants of witch hunters like you did back in 1622 seem to be in even worse trouble. Based on all the fictional accounts that I have encountered, it would seem like a witch possesses some form of spirit that devoutly waits to take vengeance whenever a chance to torment the son or daughter of the hunter comes up. It’s as if getting cursed by a witch permanently binds her spirit to you. Rather than prevent more trouble for all of humanity, it would do us more good to let witches do as they do. That seems to be the only rational conclusion I can draw from all the films I have seen that contain the word “witch” in it.
Mark of the Witch is definitely not what I expected from an older film produced in the 1970s. It basically starts with the witch ‘The Witch’ (Marie Santell) being sacrificed by a group of witch hunters. Before being hanged, the witch proclaims that she is going to avenge herself on them. Fast forward a few centuries and we see the witch take control of Jill (Anitra Walsh), a college girl who is possessed after attending a rather foolish séance that her professor was hosting.
Since Jill is possessed, the time has come to locate the descendants of the foremost witch hunter. To aid her with this, she blackmails the professor and instructs him to teach her the workings of the present society. There are a couple of scenes that feel like they could have been taken straight from one of those sci-fi shows where a robot or an alien attempts to figure out the reason behind human laughter. I mean, I do not know what this witch had been doing in the spirit world, but apparently, she has not been keeping up with the changes on planet Earth. Jill’s boyfriend (Darryl Wells) has a hunch that Jill hasn’t been honest with him. Can he save her from the Witch?
Mark of the Witch is an early indie movie. It was filmed in Dallas in the 60s, and then it was placed into the proverbial pigeonhole. The cast consisted entirely of local actors, and to say that the acting was disjointed would be an understatement. That said, over the top performance as the Witch was done by Marie Santell. Anitra Walsh is as likable as Jill.
Spells and revenge and magic and a stupendous amount more all require lengthy captures, and both members do everything they can to twist even a bit of truth with the monologues. Every vaguely grandiose speech has a desperate attempt at gaining credibility. While the dialogue is extraordinary, the film itself appears too verbose to induce any fear. However, visually, there are several well-constructed shots. The opening scene where the Witch is executed has some surreal intensity encapsulated within it. It has some captivating snippets in it, but it’s definitely not a fantastic film overall.
As a primitive display of outsider cinema however, Mark of the Witch is captivating multi-fold. While the cast and crew might have been amateur and the budget was tighter than expected, the coup they managed was remarkable. Their utter devotion does make average people appreciate them. Initially, the film was only available in select Dallas drive-in theaters but now anyone with a willing heart can find it on Youtube.
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