Brit Horror Blu-ray Reviews: VIRGIN WITCH & KILLER'S MOON

Kino Lorber's recent acquisition of the Redemption Films' catalog was highlighted by the bundled releases of many of Jean Rollin's early films. However, Redemption goes far beyond just one filmmaker. This Tuesday sees the release of a couple of British horrors with their own reputations, quite apart from Rollin. First, from 1972 comes the supernatural/occult chiller, Virgin Witch, starring future British TV stars Vicki Michelle and Ann Michelle, unrelated. The second is a first wave slasher film from 1978 by Alan Birkinshaw called Killer's Moon. Between the pair there is nothing extraordinary, but as a pair, they reflect both the predominant attitudes in cinema in their own times as well as the vast difference a few years can make in standards and styles.

Virgin Witch is one of a slew of witchy horror films from the late '60s and early '70s. While the genre does have its bone fide classics, films like Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby, more often than not they were simply excuses to exploit the occult-o-mania that arose in the shadow of the hippie movement. Virgin Witch falls firmly in the latter camp. Another similar film from that time is Baba Yaga, which I recently reviewed and which advances on Virgin Witch in a number of ways.

The pair of films share several devices, most notably the lesbian witch with a crush. Whereas Rollin preferred vampires, the concept of the witch was actually more popular during this time. In the years leading up to and away from the Manson murders, occultism found a prominent place among the disaffected youths of the western hemisphere.  The rise of the charismatic leader of the Church of Satan, Anton LaVey, was so prominent that he counted several musicians and other artists among those under his influence.  LaVey even has a cameo as Satan himself in Rosemary's Baby. Virgin Witch is more based on this style of occult witchcraft than Baba Yaga, which explores archaic European myth. In theory, both have incredible potential for exploitation, and both attempt to get butts in seats with equal aplomb, however, they aren't equally successful.

Perhaps my having seen Baba Yaga so recently was detrimental to Virgin Witch, but I have to go with my gut when explaining why I prefer the former over the latter.  While Virgin Witch is certainly competent in it's execution, it is really not much more than that. Baba Yaga is a much more stylistically adventurous film, and something that obviously was much more of a passion project, even as it squeezed in as much sex & blood as possible.  That's not to say that Virgin Witch doesn't have its strengths.  There are a few very clever and effective effects shots, and the acting, while heavily stilted, is decent enough to keep the film together, it never attempts to reach beyond its grasp, which is a shame. All of that in mind, for fans of '70s sleaze and occult exploitation, this is a no-brainer.

The more interesting of the pair, in my mind, is Alan Birkinshaw's Killer's Moon from 1978. This film is not quite a slasher, but certainly a gory bit of exploitation history that deserves a second look. In the film, a quartet of mental patients escapes from an institution having been dosed with a psychedelic drug and under the impression that they are living in a shared dream. Meanwhile, a busload of school girls breaks down in the near vicinity and takes shelter at a local inn in their off season. Throw in a set of campers, and a ton of great dialogue and a crazy set-up, and you've got a fine way to spend 90 minutes.

Killer's Moon is a very self-aware film that seems to be mocking the conventions of the slasher before they even have a chance to appear.  The dialogue spoken by several of the characters is absolutely brilliant and shines in an otherwise somewhat dreary production. Killer's Moon isn't much to look at, but the direction is effective, and the action and dialogue are well staged. The quartet of loonies turn out to be real bastards without the conscience that real life might impose upon them, in their dream they act with impunity, or so they think. Then the heads start to roll.

The set-up of a busload of nubile teenagers stranded in the woods with a bunch of crazies on the loose couldn't be more hackneyed.  However, the execution of the film is very fun, and though it is very aware of what it is, it never veers into spoof territory.  With lines like,

"Look, you were only raped, as long as you don't tell anyone about it you'll be alright. You pretend it never happened, I'll pretend I never saw it and if we get out of this alive, well, maybe we'll both live to be wives and mothers"

and

"Blood on the moon, one mangled dog, one missing axe, and a girl who's just found a body at the wrong end of the axe. How's that for the great British outdoors?"

it's hard not to get behind this fun little film. The incredible part, and the thing that shocked audiences back in '78, is just how misanthropic the film feels.

Typically these kinds of films do exhibit strains of misogyny, but they don't usually go for broke quite as enthusiastically as Killer's Moon. As stated on the cover of the disc, there are more than subtle nods to A Clockwork Orange, specifically in the maniacs' dress. The same kind of ultraviolence practiced by Alex's Droogs in that film is on display here as well, with the characters devolving to walking ids, axes in hand, and ready to party. They rape, pillage, brutalize, and murder to their heart's content, all under the illusion that it's all just a dream.  The idea that within our dreams we act out our basest and most violent fantasies is not a new one, but it is expressed here in a very interesting and unusual way, something that I'm actually surprised hasn't been attempted more often.  An anthropological examination of Killer's Moon could prove to be very interesting indeed, and it makes the film all the richer, even though on the surface it's little more than a grimy little hack 'n slash.

These two films, only six years apart and made in the same country, are sought out the same audience in very different times. Where the early '70s Virgin Witch was still a fairly innocent exploitation film with occult and sexual themes, by the late '70s audiences had become more blood thirsty, and the new wave of British horror was there to fill that niche. These aren't the finest example of either of their genres or their times, but the very notion that films like these are making it to Blu-ray continues to astonish me. Kudos to Redemption and Kino for their efforts.

The Disc:

As much praise as I'll heap onto Kino and Redemption, I have to admit to being somewhat underwhelmed by the actual visual presentations of both of these films. I'd never seen either, but I can't truly imagine that these Blu-ray discs are any massive improvement in quality from the simultaneously released remastered DVDs. Print damage is very apparent on both films, and fine detail is scarce. I would imagine that the biggest improvement in either would be color fidelity, but I can't say that authoritatively. The audio tracks on both are perfectly adequate, though neither will blow the doors off.  Overall, I was pretty satisfied.

In terms of extras, Virgin Witch gets the shaft this time around with only a theatrical trailer on the disc while Killer's Moon gets a bit better treatment. We get a commentary track from a rather sedate Alan Birkinshaw and Joanne Good, as well as interviews with both. Killer's Moon has garnered something of a cult following in recent years and these features are not newly produced for this set, but interesting nonetheless. The fact that either film gets anything at all is pretty nice, though I'd hesitate to call either disc definitive, though I can't imagine seeing anything better for a long time.

I liked these films, obviously one more than the other. I will say, however, that unless you're a fanatic like me, the DVD editions will probably suffice. Both discs are region free.