Witchhammer

 (1969)

Witchhammer Blu-ray delivers stunning video and solid audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
Otakar Vávra's Witchhammer, co-written by Ester Krumbachová (Daisies, Fruit of Paradise) from Václav Kaplický’s 1963 novel, chronicles the series of notorious 17th Century Czech witch trials, undertaken using the infamous ‘Malleus Maleficarum’ (the ‘Witchhammer’ of the title), the Catholic treatise on witchcraft which endorses the extermination of witches and developed a detailed legal and theological theory for this purpose. Using genuine court transcripts from the forced confessions of those accused of sorcery and collusion with the Devil, it is a powerful and often shocking allegory of life under totalitarian rule.


For more about Witchhammer and the Witchhammer Blu-ray release, see Witchhammer Blu-ray Review published by Jeffrey Kauffman on September 27, 2022 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.0 out of 5.

Director: Otakar Vávra
Writers: Otakar Vávra, Ester Krumbachová, Václav Kaplický
Starring: Vladimír Smeral, Elo Romancik, Josef Kemr, Sona Valentová, Blanka Waleská, Lola Skrbková

» See full cast & crew

Witchhammer Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, September 27, 2022

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as a part of All the Haunts Be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror.

All the Haunts Be Ours advertises itself as "the most comprehensive collection of its kind", which may initially beg the question as to "kind of what?". But the release also comes with a front cover sobriquet proclaiming it "a compendium of folk horror", which may then beg the next obvious question as to what exactly "folk horror" is. In that regard, this set begins with a fascinating and diverse documentary which has its own subtitle referencing folk horror, Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, which provides a veritable glut of clips from international films which director (and this entire set's guiding light) Kier-La Janisse has assembled to help define the genre, but perhaps the best answer is to simply echo a certain Supreme Court Justice named Potter Stewart who was trying to decide a case involving supposed pornography, and who famously opined, "I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description, and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it. . ."



In at least some ways Witchhammer is something of an outlier in the All the Haunts Be Ours set, in that it the ostensible "folk horror" may in fact be more of a "political horror", meaning that the frightening aspects of the film result more from "authorized" human behavior more than any supernatural phenomena. In that regard, it's interesting to contrast Witchhammer with Witchfinder General, since both films essay efforts to rid communities of suspected (female) practitioners of magic and derive much of their force from the appalling treatment of women in them, something that is probably even more evident in this film than in the Vincent Price opus. One way or the other and whether rightly or wrongly, and perhaps at least in part due to its evocative title (which probably means something other than some people think), Witchhammer would seem to follow in the wake generated by Witchfinder General, especially since this film, like the Vincent Price opus, focuses on a real life historical figure, in this case Jindřich František Boblig of Edelstadt (Vladimír Šmeral).

The film opens with a text crawl stating that this is "ripped from the headlines", as it were, in that supposed actual Inquisition transcripts were utilized to craft some of the scenes involving women accused of witchcraft and other naughty behaviors. Kind of interestingly and maybe unexpectedly, there's almost the hint of a central plot point in Les Misérables at play in Witchhammer, albeit with a stolen communion wafer in place of a loaf of bread, which then sets the appropriately byzantine plot mechanics into motion. That vignette happens only after the first of several provocative rants by a hooded religious figure who would seem to be Misogynist in Chief for the local vestry.

There is an absolutely fascinating dialectic at play in this story which pits a martinet conservative Inquisitor against a local priest with a perhaps more forgiving Christian view of both sin and grace, but the film doesn't shirk from some of the excesses of the period despite providing a countervailing opinion to what ultimately happens. This is a uniquely powerful film, and while it has some graphic scenes of torture, it's the underlying psychological acuity the film offers which really gives it its visceral energy. An allegorical aspect in terms of what Czechoslovakia was experiencing in 1969 only adds more layers and nuance to the narrative, though I'd suggest it isn't absolutely necessary to being struck by the power of the film.

Witchhammer Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

Witchhammer is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Severin's insert booklet states this is an "HD restored master supplied by the Narodni filmovy archiv. There's some recurrent damage on display here, but nothing that I personally would term over concerning in a transfer that preserves a nicely organic appearance while offering some generally very good to excellent detail levels. Contrast is consistent, supporting some really evocative cinematography from Josef Illík, who uses the scope frame in some very interesting ways. There are some brief flashes at the top of the frame at certain edit points, and an occasional hair is unfortunately stuck in the gate smack dab in the middle at the top of the frame on at least one occasion, as well as noticeable flecks and speckling.

Witchhammer Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

Witchhammer features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track in the original Czech. This track shows occasional wear and tear, with some pretty loud pops at what I'm assuming were edit points, but also some passing, less startling, pops and cracks. A really evocative score featuring choral music sounds nicely full bodied, though this is another track that tends to have a pretty thin high end. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Witchhammer Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 

• Audio Commentary with Czech Film Historian and Curator Irena Kovarova


• The Womb of Woman is the Gateway to Hell (HD; 22:17) is an interesting analysis by Kat Ellinger and Michael Brooke.


• The Projection Booth Podcast - Witchhammer Episode with Host Mike White and Guest Critics Samm Deighan and Rahne Alexander basically plays as a second commentary track.

Witchhammer Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

What is so interesting about Witchhammer is how it hews to an almost quasi-documentary approach while offering really florid presentational flourishes like the hooded character offering screeds directly to the camera. This is a really interesting contribution to All the Haunts Be Ours, and may afford more opportunity to debate what exactly "folk horror" may mean. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements very appealing. Recommended.

Blu-ray Bundles/Box Sets with Witchhammer (1 bundle)

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