Witchfinder General

A witchfinder traverses 17th-century England executing those he suspects of witchcraft.

Horror favourite Vincent Price excels in one of his best roles as pious monster Matthew Hopkins, the notorious self-styled Witchfinder General.

Former lawyer Hopkins - loosely based on the exploits of a real historical figure - leaves a trail of blood, torture and murder in his wake as he travels the English countryside to cleanse it of the activities of 'witches' and their alleged accomplices. Director Michael Reeves included many scenes of intense onscreen torture and violence that were considered unusually sadistic at the time. Upon its theatrical release throughout the spring and summer of 1968, the movie's gruesome content was met with disgust by several film critics in the UK, despite having been extensively censored by the British Board of Film Censors. Witchfinder General eventually developed into a cult film, partially attributable to Reeves's death from a drug overdose at the age of 25 soon after the film's release.