Information
- BFI identifier51762
- Date1968 (Copyright)
1968-05-19 (Release) - Production countryUnited Kingdom
- Production company
- SynopsisIn 1645, during the English Civil War, the Ipswich lawyer turned Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins, and his servant John Stearne, tour the country instigating witch hunts, extracting confessions through torture. When conducting one of their witch hunts in the village of Brandeston, one of the many they accuse of witchcraft is the local priest. The priest's niece, Sara, offers herself to Hopkins in return for her uncle's life. Hopkins initially accepts her offer but Stearne persuades him otherwise and the witchfinder orders the execution to proceed. Richard Marshall, a soldier in Cromwell's army, returns to the village on leave to find Sara, his fiance, has been raped by Stearne and her uncle executed. Vowing revenge on Hopkins, Marshall goes in pursuit. Hearing of his pursuer, Hopkins arraigns both Marshall and Sara as witches and has them arrested. Marshall's army colleagues storm the jail where the two are being held and Marshall, having been freed from his chains, kills Hopkins with an axe. (Synopsis)
- Work historyOnscreen title is 'Matthew Hopkins Witchfinder General'. Budget £160,000-£175,000. Special Edition DVD released in the UK on Halloween 2001.
- Genre
- Subject
- CreditsDirected by: Michael Reeves
©: Tigon British Productions Ltd.
Production Company: Tigon British Productions Ltd.
view all - CastVincent Price (Matthew Hopkins)
Ian Ogilvy (Richard Marshall)
Robert Russell (John Stearne)
view full cast
Title
Witchfinder General (Original)
The Conqueror Worm (Alternative)
Edgar Allan Poe's Conqueror Worm (Alternative)
Matthew Hopkins Witchfinder General (Alternative)
EIDR identifier
10.5240/7266-11B0-9314-4EB8-A191-6Category
FictionThis work is included in the BFI Filmography.
This work is available to view in the Mediatheque at BFI Southbank.
- Collections
- Film / Video
- Scripts / DocumentsScript - Original story: Based on Ronald Bassett's novel - SCR-19366
Ephemera: publicity - PBS-51762
Small pressbook held. Information folder held. See PERSONALITY EPHEMERA (Michael Reeves).
view all - StillsPhotograph: print - Landscape - Black and White - bfi-00o-8j9
Photograph: print - Landscape - Black and White - bfi-00o-8j8
Photograph: print - Landscape - Black and White - bfi-00o-8j7
Photograph: print - Landscape - Black and White - bfi-00o-1nv
Photograph: transparency - Landscape - Colour - bfi-00m-r1m
view all - Articles
- Books
- Digital documentsBFI Southbank Programme Notes December 2013
available to view in BFI Reuben Library
- +Witchfinder General
Work - 51762 - 1968 (Copyright)
United Kingdom - Film - Fiction
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