Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £6.99 a month
Witchfinder General
A witchfinder traverses 17th-century England executing those he suspects of witchcraft.
Director: Michael Reeves
Overview
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.
Contains strong violence and execution scenesRelated
Starve Acre Starve Acre
Horror 2023 98 mins Director: Dan Kokotajlo
Dark and sinister forces invade a couple’s home in this wildly eerie British folk horror, with unflinching performances from Matt Smith and Morfydd Clark.
The Horrible Dr. Hichcock The Horrible Dr. Hichcock
Horror 1962 87 mins Director: Riccardo Freda
A widowed doctor has gruesome plans for his new wife in this lush, Hitchcockian Italian gothic horror.
Street Trash Street Trash
Comedy 1987 101 mins Director: Jim Muro
A deadly liquor rips through a community of vagabonds living in the junkyards of Brooklyn, in this outlandish 80s body horror.
Messiah of Evil Messiah of Evil
Horror 1972 90 mins Director: Willard Huyck
A sleepy seaside town becomes beholden to a bloodthirsty cult, in this dreamy and atmospheric horror from the writers of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Night Tide Night Tide
Fantasy 1961 85 mins Director: Curtis Harrington
A young Dennis Hopper is on shore leave from the Navy when he falls for a mysterious woman who performs as a mermaid, in this intoxicating cult classic from underground filmmaker Curtis Harrington.
The White Reindeer The White Reindeer
Horror 1953 68 mins Director: Erik Blomberg
The wife of a reindeer herder acquires a potion to make her an irresistible object of desire, but at a terrible cost, in this extraordinary vampiric fairy-tale set amongst the starkly beautiful fells of Finnish Lapland.
Akenfield Akenfield
Drama 1975 98 mins Director: Peter Hall
Peter Hall’s extraordinary, long-unseen work of sublime poetic realism traces three generations of one Suffolk family and their lives in the farming industry.
Apostasy Apostasy
Drama 2018 95 mins Director: Dan Kokotajlo
A deeply religious family must decide whether to stick by their relation or abandon her, in this striking debut from Daniel Kokotajlo - a prizewinner at BFI London Film Festival 2017.
Rare Beasts Rare Beasts
Comedy 2021 92 mins Director: Billie Piper
Billie Piper stars in her own directorial debut, a no-holds-barred, Fleabag-esque anti-romcom about a modern woman’s struggles in work and love.
Pretty Red Dress Pretty Red Dress
Drama 2022 110 mins Director: Dionne Edwards
One dress changes everything for a family in Dionne Edwards’ brilliant debut. Defiant, uplifting and with music at its core.
Visions, Dreams and Magic: The Unmade Films of Michael Powell Visions, Dreams and Magic: The Unmade Films of Michael Powell
Short documentary 2024 41 mins Director: Nic Wassell
Discover the unrealised visions and passion projects of revered British filmmaker Michael Powell, in this fascinating documentary featuring Oscar-winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker.
Sky Peals Sky Peals
Science Fiction 2023 91 mins Director: Moin Hussain
A coming-of-age tale about a father-son relationship that might just be out of this world.
Audition Audition
Documentary 1963 79 mins Director: Milos Forman
Considered the first of the Czech New Wave, launching the career of Miloš Forman and showcasing his trademark use of non-actors, focusing on ordinary people in everyday life.
Run Lola Run Run Lola Run
Drama 1998 80 mins Director: Tom Tykwer
Tom Tykwer’s breathtaking time-loop thriller, with a terrific Franka Potente as the titular runner attempting to save her boyfriend.
Tangerine Tangerine
Comedy 2015 88 mins Director: Sean Baker
A big-hearted film shot on a small phone, this LA tale of two transgender working girls out for vengeance fizzes with wild energy.
Witchhammer Witchhammer
Historical drama 1969 102 mins Director: Otakar Vávra
A notorious 17th-century witch trial turns into a powerful allegory of life under totalitarian rule, in this chilling Czech political fable.
Cop Secret Cop Secret
Comedy 2021 100 mins Director: Hannes Þór Halldórsson
Two Icelandic cops forced to work together become more than just buddies in this enjoyably explosive send-up of action movies.
Lemonade Joe Lemonade Joe
Western 1964 99 mins Director: Oldrich Lipsky
A hilarious, energetic musical parody of old-style westerns, full of twists and hidden identities, which boasts a considerable cult following in the Czech Republic.