Virgin Witch
| Virgin Witch | |
|---|---|
 Promotional film poster | |
| Directed by | Ray Austin |
| Produced by | "Ralph Solomons" |
| Written by | Klaus Vogel (novel) |
| Starring |
Ann Michelle Vicki Michelle Patricia Haines |
| Music by | Ted Dicks |
| Cinematography | Gerald Moss |
| Edited by | Phillip Barnikel |
| Distributed by | Tigon Film Distributors Ltd. |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Virgin Witch is a 1971 British horror exploitation film about a prospective model who ends up joining a coven of witches. The film was directed by Ray Austin, and stars sisters Ann Michelle and Vicki Michelle.
Plot
Betty (Vicki Michelle) and her sister Christine (Ann Michelle) are two young models who are lured by a lecherous lesbian to spend a weekend at a country house being photographed by a trendy photographer. In reality, Christine is being set up for a virgin sacrifice and induction into a witch's coven.
Cast
- Ann Michelle - Christine
- Vicki Michelle - Betty
- Patricia Haines - Sybil Waite
- Neil Hallett - Gerald Amberley
- Keith Buckley - Johnny
- James Chase - Peter
- Helen Downing - Abby Darke
Production
The producer was "Ralph Solomons" (a pseudonym of Kent Walton),[1] whose other producing credits include The Green Shoes, It's the Only Way to Go, and A Persian Fairy Tale. While Hazel Adair’s name appears on the credits (as co-writer of the song "You Go Your Way"), she did not admit to co- producing the film until 1975, when she featured in an episode of the BBC's Man Alive concerning sex films. The revelation that prompted Cinema X magazine (Vol 4. No. 4) to remark that her films "are far removed from Miss Adair’s more cozy world of Crossroads, Hazel Adair’s other films include Clinic Exclusive (1971), Can You Keep It Up For a Week? (1974), Keep It Up Downstairs (1976), and the more mainstream Game for Vultures (1979).
"Klaus Vogel", who wrote the script and the film's tie-in novelisation, was in fact Crossroads producer Beryl Vertue.
Virgin Witch was filmed in Surrey during 1970 and previewed in the December editions of Mayfair and Continental Film Review (in which the title was referred to as "The Virgin Witch"). However, the film is copyrighted as a 1971 production, and censorship problems would mean it was not widely seen until 1972. The country house location, Pirbright, Admiral's Walk[2] would be later used in Satan's Slave (1976) and Terror (1978), which were both directed by Norman J. Warren.
Censorship history
Virgin Witch was rejected by the BBFC in April 1971, but was passed with an X rating by the Greater London Council for a limited release in the capital. The British Censor eventually relented and passed a cut version for general release in January 1972.
The film has been disowned by its sibling stars Ann and Vicki Michelle. Vicki's website[3] makes no reference to the film, while Ann's refers to it as "not an experience Ann cares to remember".[4]
The 1990s video release(s) on the Redemption/Salvation labels are uncut, as are the current UK and US DVD releases. Glamour model Teresa May appeared on the cover of the 1993 UK video release of the film on the Redemption video label (she also modelled for the cover of their video release of Baron Blood and the never issued release of Don’t Deliver Us From Evil).