Film

The Witches

Name: The Witches
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery, Drama
Released: 1966
Cast: Joan Fontaine, Kay Walsh, Alec McCowen, Ann Bell, Ingrid Boulting

Other titles called The Witches: the 1990 film.

A tense, paranoid thriller about a fragile woman recovering from breakdown who discovers her picturesque new village harbours a satanic cult. Deliberately paced, creepy without gore, it trades jump scares for dread and isolation. For patient viewers who enjoy slow-burn horror and don't need jump scares or gore.

TMDb rating

3.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love slow-burning British chillers where dread builds from quiet village routines and a fragile heroine's unreliable perception, closer to Robert Wise's The Haunting than to jump-scare horror.

Skip it if you want brisk pacing or constant set pieces, since much of the 89 minutes is spent on unhurried conversation, rural atmosphere and a protagonist slowly doubting her own sense of things.

What it asks of you: It asks for patience with a gentle, deliberate build and a tone that stays eerie and restrained rather than lurid, so settle in and let the unease accumulate.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Night of the Demon1957

A British occult thriller with similar DNA: a sceptic confronting genuine supernatural malevolence in fog-bound England. Builds atmosphere through restraint and excellent character work.

But The pacing is glacial by modern standards, and the final demon reveal is genuinely awkward in a way that might pull you out.

Rosemary's Baby1968

The gold standard for paranoid horror: a woman slowly realising her community is conspiring against her. Polanski's precision and Mia Farrow's unravelling performance are exquisite.

But It's so perfectly crafted it can feel controlled rather than scary. Some find the pace methodical to the point of coldness.

The Wicker Man1973

An outsider arrives in an isolated community with dark pagan secrets. Unnerving, beautifully shot, with a finale that justifies every slow moment beforehand. Utterly unique.

But The folk-horror vibe won't click for everyone, and the ending is bleak in a way that lingers uncomfortably.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Witches

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Carnival of Souls1962

Both use isolation and a protagonist's questionable mental state as cover for genuine supernatural horror; both trust the audience to stay uncomfortable without explanation.

An obscure American micro-budget horror about a woman stalked by the undead after a car crash. Dreamlike and eerie on a shoestring, with an ending that recontextualises everything. Pure atmosphere on almost no budget.

But The acting is often stiff, the sound design is primitive, and the narrative only snaps into focus at the very end.

Suspiria1977

An American dancer discovers her school is a front for witchcraft. Dario Argento's masterpiece—visually stunning, with an unsettling score and a constant sense of supernatural wrongness.

But It's more style than plot, and the narrative is deliberately incoherent. The dubbing (on the English version) is distracting.

The Innocents1961

A governess in an isolated house begins seeing ghosts—or does she? Jack Clayton's masterpiece of ambiguity, gorgeously shot in black and white, with a performance from Deborah Kerr that destroys.

But Nothing explicit happens. If you need tangible scares or clarity about what's real, this will frustrate you intensely.

Don't Look Now1973

A couple in Venice after their daughter's death encounters a mysterious old woman who claims to see the dead. Nicolas Roeg's strangest, most hypnotic film—Venice becomes a character.

But The plot requires you to accept some very strange logic, and the famous sex scene distracts some viewers from the actual horror.

Mulholland Drive2001

David Lynch's L.A. nightmare: two women, one mystery, and reality fracturing. It's unsettling, sexy, cruel, and feels like a fever dream you can't quite wake from.

But It's deliberately obscure and doesn't resolve. If you watch it expecting answers, you'll leave angry.

The Haunting1963

Robert Wise's psychological haunted-house masterpiece. A woman of fragile mental health joins paranormal investigators in a labyrinthine mansion. The ambiguity between madness and haunting is exquisite.

But There are no spectres—just suggestion and shadow. If you need visible ghosts, you'll find it slow and inconclusive.

Repulsion1965

Roman Polanski's study of a woman's complete mental dissolution. Claustrophobic, hallucinogenic, brilliantly acted by Catherine Deneuve. A portrait of isolation that feels claustrophobic and real.

But It's bleak and deeply unpleasant, with no catharsis or relief. The final act is deliberately sickening.

Eyes Without a Face1960

Both embed grotesque evil inside a facade of normalcy (a respectable village, a respectable household). Both ask: how does a community hide atrocity in plain sight?

A French surgeon abducts women to steal their faces for his disfigured daughter. Agonisingly beautiful and disturbing—more art film than thriller, but genuinely horrifying because it never sensationalises the horror.

But It's glacially paced and very French—all mood and aesthetic rather than plot momentum. If gore bothers you, the face scenes will.

Whistle and I'll Come to You1968

Both were made for British television in the 1960s and share that era's preference for building dread through dialogue and implication rather than budget. Both trust the viewer to scare themselves.

A BBC television adaptation of M.R. James's ghost story: a professor on holiday finds a whistle with catastrophic consequences. Stagey but perfectly tense, with genuine supernatural dread and an ending that justifies it all.

But It's a 25-minute TV production from 1968, so the production values are modest. The climax relies on suggestion rather than spectacle.