Witches tormented to the core

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Movie
Original title Witches tormented to the core
Country of production Germany
original language English
Publishing year 1970
length 97 minutes
Age rating FSK No youth approval
Rod
Director Michael Armstrong
Adrian Hoven (anonymous)
script Michael Armstrong
(as Sergio Casstner )
Adrian Hoven
(as Percy Parker )
production Adrian Hoven
music Michael Holm
camera Ernst W. Kalinke
cut Siegrun hunter
occupation

Witches tormented to the blood , also known under the international title Mark of the Devil , is a German horror , trash and exploitation film about witch hunts in Central Europe during the Baroque period, filmed in Austria in 1969 and has international cast . Herbert Lom and Udo Kier took on the leading roles . Directed by Adrian Hoven (about two thirds) and Michael Armstrong (about one third), who nevertheless received sole naming. Due to numerous sadistic torture scenes and the fact that the film was on the index in various countries for many years (and partly still is), it has developed into a cult film in exploitation fan circles. It had its world premiere on February 19, 1970.

action

A village in Austria, shortly after 1700. The witch hunts in continental Europe are reaching their climax. The first film scenes already show the full extent of the barbarism. Nuns are attacked and violated by the wayside, supposed sinners sometimes have their fingers cut off, sometimes they are tarred and feathered. And for the general amusement of the people, one or the other witch burning takes place on the market square. Albino, who is just as unscrupulous as lustful and cruel torturer and witch hunter in the name of the Catholic Church and who cannot read, does his trade with sadistic joy. He regularly abuses women and accuses them of witchcraft if they are unwilling to him.

The brunette innkeeper Vanessa, on whom the terrifying sadist has cast an eye, soon feels his power with all severity. When he approaches her in the pub and tries to reach into her cleavage, she gives him a clear rebuff. She slaps Albino in the face and sniffs at him, he warns her that it is easy for him to claim that she is a witch and in league with Satan. Vanessa is unimpressed. "That's probably the only way you can get hold of a woman!" She hisses and spits in his face. As he begins to fight her, she takes a knife and pulls it across his face. She wants to run out and is loudly accused by the wrinkled darkling of devil worship. Albino calls out to the inn guests: "Hold her tight, the witch". She is being held by two strong men. Albino begins the torture in front of the guests: he sticks a needle into the mole in the middle of her face. Vanessa bravely endures the pain without screaming. Some blood flows from the mole. "Look here", Albino shouts triumphantly, "she feels no pain!" Then he begins to stab her bare back. Suddenly the door of the inn opens and a young man appears, accompanied by the hangman Jeff Wilkens and a lawyer. The young man's name is Christian de Meron and confronts Albino. While he can temporarily free Vanessa from his clutches and invites her to the nearby castle for protection, the sadistic disposition Wilkens beats Albino with a whip full of joy.

De Meron accompanies his lord, Lord Cumberland, who has just arrived at the castle, and he means tough competition for Albino. He is also a witch hunter who, as an inquisitor, suspects the work of the devil and witchcraft all over the country (“I know a witch when I see her”). And his methods are no less brutal than the albinos. His arrival in the village only spreads fear and horror. He abuses his position of power, from the visual appearance quite noble, like Albino unscrupulously. Christian, who is at his side, should learn from him the bloody craft of witch-hunting and torture. Cumberland holds court in the castle and dispatches those accused of witchcraft or devil worship in a hurry. Cumberland leaves the daily, bloody craft to the executioner and torture specialist Wilkens. When Vanessa, who in the meantime has been attacked and whipped again by Albino, comes before the judge, her indictment is missing. During a break in negotiations, Christian explains to his master that the charges are falsified. But Cumberland considers all women accused to be witches per se - without exception.

The brutal torture in the village continues, soon it hits the young nobleman Baron Daume, who claims that the Roman Catholic Church is forging a plot against him, and Deirdre. Her offense: The pretty blonde had given birth to a child out of wedlock and was expelled from the church. Her defense is also her death sentence: "I was violated by the Archbishop". For Cumberland, who only scornfully laughs at it, a tremendous allegation that she must absolutely revoke in the torture room. For him, the child is the fruit of the devil, the result of sexual intercourse with the devil. In the torture cellar, Deirdre is put on the rack, the soles of her feet are branded with red-hot iron. In excruciating pain, she admits all sorts of things, except those that have been blamed on her. While torturer Wilkens continues to torture her with diabolical pleasure, the prosecution's lawyer, grinning contentedly, writes everything down. Beaten half to death, her battered body is dragged again in front of Cumberland. But she remains brave and steadfast and is not ready to bow to terror. Cumberland is furious and orders her to be taken back to the torture room. Finally, in front of the eyes of Cumberland and his disgusted adlatus Christian von Wilkens, the girl's tongue is torn out of her mouth with pliers.

Christian doubts more and more about the correctness of the actions of his master and master in view of the tremendous brutality with which Cumberland acts and abuses his position of power in the most shameful way. Cumberland recognizes Christian's emerging doubts and explains to him: "We must never show weakness in the implementation of God's work". The young man has long since fallen in love with Vanessa, who was rescued from albinos, and is convinced of her innocence. He confronts the witch hunter Albino with his actions. He defends himself against Christian: "She made love with the devil!" Meanwhile, the desecration of Deirdre's body comes to a terrible end. Bleeding from the mouth, the blonde beauty is stretched over a blazing pyre by means of a wooden scaffold and gradually lowered with ropes until her body burns in the flames.

The attacks are taking on increasingly grotesque forms. A wandering puppeteer is arrested because his puppets "speak" and the inquisitors and torturers present feel mocked by his children's theater. While the puppeteer was subjected to water torture, Cumberland raped his wife. Baron Daume is beaten up and has to sit down on a chair studded with iron thorns with his bare bottom. In the meantime, Christian and Vanessa spend rare moments of tenderness and happiness. Almost simultaneously, Cumberland and Albino clash violently. The dispute escalates when Albino tells the lord in the face that the only reason why he is enjoying the torture of women is because he is impotent. Cumberland then strangles him in a fit of excessive anger, Christian watches this, retreats into his room and breaks down in tears. Christian frees Vanessa and brings her out of the castle, when Christian also wants to free Baron Daume, both are caught by Cumberland and locked in dungeon.

This is the limit. Vanessa incites the residents to rebel against the arbitrariness and brutalities of the self-appointed witch hunters. A small revolution is brewing. The peasant people stand up and, armed with pitchforks, scythes, flails and poles, storm the castle where most of the torture is committed. While soldiers and peasants beat each other in the forecourt, executioner Wilkens continues his murderous work only a little away from the turmoil and, as his last act of terror, beheads Baron Daume, and the puppeteer's wife, who was raped by Cumberland, is also supposed to be beheaded in the name of the church, but she The pack reaches Wilkens and cuts him down. Both of his legs are cut off. Christian, attached to the fortress wall with a chain, is freed, as are all the other prisoners, only the two children of the puppet player remain in the open dungeon, where their mother finds them a little later.

While Lord Cumberland can save himself at the last moment with a brave jump out of a castle window and flee in a waiting carriage before the common people get their hands on him, Christian climbs over piles of corpses during his escape from the castle. When he steps outside, the angry mob is waiting in front of the gate, led by the lawyer who usually works for the witch hunters, who constantly change sides. Christian is dragged through the forest onto a meadow. There he is also tortured to death with sharp thorns. His screams echo through the forest to the castle, where Vanessa hears him. She rushes to him, but she's too late.

Production notes

The great success of Michael Reeves ' Der Hexenjäger (1968) briefly set off a small wave of witch films in Central Europe. Adrian Hovens film and the film Der Hexentöter von Blackmoor by the Spanish trash and horror film director Jess Franco with Christopher Lee in the title role, shot by the German Terra-Filmkunst Berlin with Spanish and Italian partners, were made almost at the same time . The race for the earlier premiere was won by the latter film, which debuted (in Italy) exactly two weeks before witches were tortured to the blood . The still very young British director Michael Armstrong (* 1944) had submitted his first horror film directing with goosebumps in July 1969 immediately before this production and was subsequently awarded the contract by Hoven to direct the witch film. His unreliability and drug use - which is what Reeves had already died from in early 1969 - are said to have led Hoven to take over the directing himself after about a third of the shooting. However, he refrained from being named as a director.

Witches were filmed in several places in Austria (federal states of Salzburg and Lower Austria ): Moosham Castle , Mauterndorf and Krems . Moosham Castle was actually a court seat in the Middle Ages and has a courtroom and a torture cellar from that time.

In order to increase sales opportunities abroad, the film was shot in English - which was extremely unusual for a German production at the time.

The pop singer Michael Holm ( Mendocino ), who has just achieved national fame, was commissioned by Hoven to compose the film music. The experienced film architect Max Mellin was responsible for the buildings (torture cellar, baroque palace interiors, tavern), Barbara Grupp for the various historical costumes. It was the beginning of her 50-year career.

The Yugoslav (Serbian) actress Olivera Katarina , who called herself Olivera Vučo here, was in Austria when she was hired for the female lead. Soon after, she returned to Yugoslavia and continued her film career there.

For the German version, the British by choice and native Czech Herbert Lom, who had excellent knowledge of German, dubbed himself.

The Salzburg actor Herbert Fux , who has subscribed to bizarre types, petty villains and violent criminals throughout his life, has the only comical scene in the entire film: After the puppeteer was arrested and subjected to water torture, Fux, in the role of torturer Wilkens, pushes guard in front of the dungeon and tries with him to play puppet shows for his best (and probably only) friend, a rabbit. He ties small strings on its four feet and on both ears and pulls on them like a puppet (and is surprised that it doesn't work because the rabbit is unwilling to fidget).

Co-director and producer Hoven wrote this small role for himself with the puppeteer, who is accused of being in league with the devil because of his "speaking" puppets. Together with Armstrong he also wrote the screenplay for the film - both under pseudonyms.

In the Anglo-American region, the film was shown under the titles Mark of the Devil and Burn, Witch, Burn . Spit bags were issued there as a marketing trick in the event that the moviegoers should vomit in view of the rampant scenes of violence. The particularly gruesome scene in which Deirdre Gaby Fuchs inserted a mouth lock and torturer Wilkens ripped her tongue out of her mouth with pliers, was used as a poster motif in Italy and Spanish-speaking countries.

The tremendous international success of the film had Adrian Hoven direct another witch film in 1972 - not a sequel in the true sense of the word - this time under the title Witches - desecrated and tortured to death . Once again there was among others Reggie Nalder (Albino in the first film, the witch hunter), who was particularly frightening due to his extraordinary physiognomy , but his character was given a different name this time. Adrian Hoven's son Percy , who later became a television presenter, played in both films : While the four-year-old still had the small role of his son in 1969, who kicked and punched his father's torturer, his role in 1972 was significantly larger.

Seizure and Rehabilitation

After Hexen was tortured to the bone and only legally available in a censored version for a long time, Astro Distribution GmbH released the uncensored version on VHS for the first time in the late 1990s. This version was confiscated nationwide by AG Wolfhagen with a confiscation order of July 10, 2000 due to §131 StGB (glorification of violence). Further confiscations followed in the years that followed. Legal and uncensored publication in Germany was hereby ruled out, as the confiscation prevented commercial trade. As a result, other publications, with the exception of a laser disc, only appeared on DVD in Austria from the company XT Video and could therefore only be obtained via import.

Regardless of these circumstances, Turbine Medien secured the rights for the German and Austrian market in March 2011 to publish the film legally and uncensored in Austria. In order to be able to publish the film legally in Germany, the seizure that had existed since 2000 first had to be lifted. Regardless of the legal proceedings, the film was released in May 2012 in an elaborately restored version in a 3-disc set on Blu-ray and DVD. In March 2016, Turbine Medien announced the lifting of the last seizure. The complete rehabilitation including the change of the entry from list part B to list part A of the BPjM took place about four months later. The film was finally unindexed in July 2017. In August 2017, the film was re-rated No youth approval.

Reviews

At the premiere in 1970, the film critics reacted from astonished to horrified and disgusted. After the premiere, Hoven's production was accused of enjoying scenes of violence and torture that were celebrated with relish. The use of the partly original torture tools ( stretching benches , torture pliers, branding irons , thumb screws ) was demonstrated on the living object in many ways.

The film's large personal lexicon noted with regard to witches tormented to the blood and other productions of those years from the hand of Hovens that they were "sadomasochistic erotica with a tendency to speculative, clumsy torture and sex scenes".

In Films 1965–70 and in the Lexicon of International Films you can read about the film: "Very naive, but with relish, speculating film with sadism that reveals neither critical distance nor a sense of taste."

Die-besten-horrorfilme.de comes to the following conclusion: “From today's point of view, the gore effects are rather harmless - but due to the excessive, self-intended, shameless brutality that fills the film from front to back, it is still capable today still to be shocked. "

Spain's Guia del video-cine highlighted the great commercial success and its cinematic consequences of this horror film, which was shown in Spain under the title La torturas de la inquisición : “Una realización muy popular en su momento en Europa por sus enormous dose de crueldad y violencia, hasta el punto de provocar una cuantas imitaciones y alguna secuela ".

The evangelical film observer is also appalled : “A brutality show without any humanistic tendencies. She challenges sadists as spectators. Strongest protest against this film! "

reception

The film science conference “ Mark of the Devil : On a Classic Exploitation Film” of the University of Vienna took place from April 3rd to 5th, 2014 , which dealt with witches tortured to the blood and witches - violated and tortured to death . The conference produced a special edition of the British Cine-Excess eJournal (2017), which contains a number of detailed articles on both films (including on authorship, voyeurism and censorship) as well as an interview with Joyce and Percy Hoven.

literature

  • Mark of the Devil: International Perspectives on a Cult Classic . Special issue. Cine-Excess August 2017. ( online )

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ according to Die beste Horrorfilme.de ( memento of the original from January 3, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.die-besten-horrorfilme.de
  2. ↑ http://www.schnittberichte.com/news.php?ID=10280
  3. ↑ http://www.schnittberichte.com/news.php?ID=10833
  4. ↑ http://www.schnittberichte.com/news.php?ID=12327
  5. ↑ schnittberichte.com, accessed on August 20, 2017
  6. ↑ Kay Less : The film's great personal dictionary . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 4: H - L. Botho Höfer - Richard Lester. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 , p. 77.
  7. ^ Films 1965-70, Volume 1, Handbook VIII of Catholic Film Critics. JP Bachem publishing house in Cologne 1971, page 135.
  8. ↑ Klaus Brüne (Red.): Lexikon des Internationale Films , Volume 3, Reinbek 1987, p. 1607.
  9. ↑ Witches tormented to the point of blood ( Memento of the original from January 3, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. die-besten-horrorfilme.de @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.die-besten-horrorfilme.de
  10. ↑ Carlos Aguilar: Guia del video-cine , 4th edition, Madrid 1992, p. 1147. German: “A very popular production at that time in Europe due to the enormous portion of cruelty and violence that a number of imitators and a sequel resulted. "
  11. ↑ Evangelischer Presseverband München, Critique No. 86/1970, p. 90
  12. ^ Mark of the Devil | On a Classic Exploitation Film. Retrieved October 24, 2017 (German).
  13. ^ Mark of the Devil: International Perspectives on a Cult Classic - Cine-Excess. Retrieved October 24, 2017 .