Rent Virgin Witch (1972)

Not much to get in a lather about ... - Virgin Witch review by NP

This stars sisters Anne and Vicki Michelle, the former long since having disowned the film, saying the producer had just wanted nude scenes. She’s absolutely right of course. This Tigon tale presents the two girls as impossibly naïve, unknowingly sexy and always willing to disrobe. The media at the time often presented young females in this way.

The disrobing ironically acts as a cover-up, because there is not much plot to speak of, outside of what you can imagine from the title. I was hoping for something a little Hammer-esque amidst the blatant exploitation, a hint of something to justify the ‘witch’ of the title. There’s nothing much - some very nice locations from a bygone era, lots of frolicking and a nicely downbeat ending.

However, I’m not sure how an exploitation movie featuring much nudity and dark rituals could turn out to be quite this dull, but Director Ray Austin and super-soap Crossroads founder Hazel Adair manage it. There are sinister moments, but they seem to be directed with such a leisurely pace, and a musical score devoid of any menace, it’s difficult to become invested.

On the acting front, there are no particularly bad performances here, but Patricia Haynes really injects some life into the role of Sybil Waite. Other than that, ‘Virgin Witch’ is distinctly average. My score is 4 out of 10.