Plot: What’s it about?
At first glance, Molly (Millie Perkins) is as normal as anyone else in the world, but a darker side lurks just beneath the surface. She tries to live a normal life, but she is haunted by memories from her tragic past, events she has tried to bury in her mind. As she cares for her nephews, she tells them about their wonderful grandfather and praises him to no end. But at the same time, she is tortured by what she tells them, as she knows he wasn’t such a great man in her childhood. Her mind is flooded with memories of incest and rape, events she has never been able to cope with, even as an adult. She isn’t able to repress her memories anymore either, which leads to some twisted moments. As he watches television and tries to escape her life for a while, she becomes fixated on the ideal males shown on the screen. She is obsessed with male genitals and fantasizes about killing muscular men, in brutal fashion. Then when one such fantasy turns out to be real, it is obvious her mind has broken down, leaving two dead bodies in the wake. As time passes, she strikes out again and soon enough, the police are hot on the trail of her murders. She also begins to connect with the famous artwork The Birth of Venus, with beliefs that she is a mermaid herself. In what could be her final realization of her cruel fantasies, she prepares for a date with a man she has seen in commercials. Will she slice and dice him as she desires, or will she have to face her past in a different fashion?
Now that DVD has become a phenomenon, genre fans can indulge in a tidal wave of cult films, including some that were once quite rare. Yes, films that were almost impossible to find at one time are now popping up on DVD from time to time, such as this release, The Witch Who Came from the Sea. I had to beg, borrow, and steal back in the day to track down a shoddy tape of this movie, but thanks to Subversive Cinema, this twisted picture is now out in the stores. Even if you did have to go through the gauntlet however, this movie would be worth the effort, if you’re into offbeat cinema. Millie Perkins (The Diary of Anne Frank, Cockfighter) helps make this credible, but don’t expect even a remotely sane experience here. I’d file this with other exploitation driven rape & revenge style movies, but this one stands out. This film was made on a low budget, as were the others, but the production values here have much more polish. This is due to the involvement of experienced workers, in both the cast and crew, who delivered a professional product. So the visuals are more refined and effective, while the performances are better than you might expect. Perkins is reason enough to see this movie, to watch her descent into madness, but this is just a well crafted genre picture. The pace is slow however, so those in need of fast paced butchering will want to look elsewhere. Subversive Cinema has pulled out all the stops too, so this is a must have release for fans of eclectic cinema.
Video: How does it look?
The Witch Who Came from the Sea is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The only versions of this movie I’ve seen have been pan & scan disasters. Not just bad, but miserable transfers that were actually painful to watch. Subversive has crushed that trend however, striking a new brand new transfer in the original widescreen format, a revelation to say the least. The print is in superb condition, with only light grain and minimal debris, which is a minor miracle. The visuals still have a soft presence, but this was a very low budget production, so that is to be expected. The image is quite refined when compared to previous editions, with much more sharpness and overall detail evident. The colors look a tad faded and contrast is on the soft side, but for the material, I was more than shocked to see such a solid presentation. Let’s hope Subversive maintains this level of excellence, as this movie has never looked so good.
Audio: How does it sound?
A new 2.0 option has been created for this release, a soundtrack which has a little more life, but is still limited by the source material. Then again, no one could expect dynamic performance from this film and for what it is, the audio is more than acceptable. The added presence isn’t stunning, but there is more depth to the audio, to be sure. So not a total overhaul of the audio design, but a new mix that injects some presence and just makes the audio have a little more punch. The music benefits the most, as should be expected, while dialogue is clean and clear at all times. I was quite pleased to note that the soundtrack has few instances of pops, clicks, or hiss, unlike the previous editions. In case you are a purist, Subversive also included the original mono option, which doesn’t sound that bad itself.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Subversive was able to reunite director Matt Cimber, star Millie Perkins, and director of photography Dean Cundey for an audio commentary session. I was a little surprised to hear Perkins on the track, but I am glad she was able to be involved. The track has some dead space, but is quite insightful and combined with the featurette, offers an in depth look at the production. This disc also includes an extensive behind the scenes featurette, some talent files, and the film’s promotional trailer.
