Burn, Witch, Burn | Blu-ray Review

The 1962 cult item Burn, Witch, Burn finally gets a Blu-ray transfer courtesy of Kino Lorber. Perhaps relegated to obscurity due to its unavailability for many years, and also widely known by the alternate title Night of the Eagle, this is one of two notable genre films from Sidney Hayers (the other being 1960’s Circus of Horrors), a director who mainly dabbled in television after the end of this decade.

Based on the novel Conjure Woman by Fritz Leiber, Jr. (an author whose works could be primed for future adaptations), which was also adapted into a 1944 Lon Chaney, Jr. vehicle, Weird Woman, as well as later comedic adaptation with the 1980 film Witches’ Brew, this is the most noteworthy version, a flavorful exercise in logic vs. belief. Cult author and screenwriter Richard Matheson (who wrote the original I Am Legend text, of which three film versions also exist, headlined by the likes of Vincent Price, Charlton Heston, and Will Smith, respectively) co-scribes this version with “Twilight Zone” scribe Charles Beaumont, stripping down the source text to its barest essentials.

Professor Norman Taylor (Peter Wyngarde) has been enjoying great success at the reputable institution in which he teaches. A stellar reputation and beloved by his students, especially the female ones, he’s been rumored to be next in line for the Department chair, much to the chagrin of his more seasoned colleagues and their snippy wives (though this doesn’t stop them all from heading over to the Taylor’s for weekly rounds of bridge). The faculty wives seem to be leery of his wife, Tansy (Janet Blair), and all the flurry over Taylor’ recent success at work inspires vague jokes about Taylor dealing with the devil….and, as it turns out, Tansy has been practicing a bit of witchcraft. Upon discovering his wife’s secret, Taylor insists she desist and burn all her various tools associated the black arts. But, as Tansy states, she’s no longer responsible for what happens after the protection she’s secured for them has been lifted.

Unfortunately, there are some elements of shlock potentially negating the title’s legacy as an undiscovered genre classic. Opening with a narrator’s warning (the uncredited voice of Paul Frees) over black screen as he casts a spell of safety over us before we bathe in the occultist narrative, the film also ends with an equally dodgy flourish meant to instill provocative tension, leading the casual genre purveyor to possibly dismiss the film as something we’d expect from William Castle’s bag of gimmicks. And yet Hayers impressively atmospheric film is so much better than that, actually more reminiscent of classic Val Lewton productions from decades prior.

Burn, Witch, Burn remains one of the most prolific titles in many of the cast and crew’s filmography. Screenwriter Charles Beaumont (who had quite the colorful upbringing) would die at the age of 38 in the latter part of the decade at the hands of a debilitating disease, while actresses Margaret Johnson would also retire before the end so the 1960s. Actor Peter Wyngarde was fresh off playing the insidious Peter Quint in 1961’s classic The Innocents, an adaptation of Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw (fans may also recognize him from Flash Gordon). Here, he’s the rather straight laced protagonist who just so happens to be a professor of superstition and belief also married to a secretive witch. Her dabbling originated from a trip to Jamaica, painted as a magical, mystical place of paganism, not unlike the island of heathens in the 1934 Fay Wray/Dorothy Burgess vehicle, Black Moon.

Though Wyngarde is the focal point, it’s the actresses who rather steal the show, first by an incredibly neurotic performance from Janet Blair, and then from the significantly unnerving Margaret Johnson, crafting her performance with a series of bird-like tics, resembling an evil version of something like Margaret Rutherford in Blithe Spirit.

Many have criticized the film’s special effects in the film’s grand climax, however, considering the time period, the ambitious use of live eagles is impressive.

Disc Review:

Presented in 1.85:1, this is a serviceable transfer of this classic genre title. However, the high-definition widescreen sometimes works against the film, such as the very clearly observed strings attached to some particular animals in a key sequence. For the most part, it’s a welcome step up from previous available versions, the best of which used to be the British R2 import of the title under its alternate title. Kino goes a bit further by including some extra features, including audio commentary from Richard Matheson, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 87.

Peter Wyngarde Interview:
A new twenty four minute interview with lead actor Peter Wyngarde reveals several renowned stars had been interested in starring in the role he nabbed in The Innocents, including Alec Guiness, Cary Grant, and Peter O’Toole. Wyngarde received the script for The Night of the Eagle during the period of acclaim for The Innocents. He states he hated the script, but wanted to purchase a new car, and so agreed to star after the script was pared down on supernatural elements Wyngarde found to be silly. He speaks of working with talented actresses like Blair and Johnson.

Final Thoughts:

Lovers of classic supernatural cinema should appreciate this underrated gem from Sidney Hayers.

Film Review: ★★★½/☆☆☆☆☆
Disc Review: ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆