Legend of the Witches (1970) & Secret Rites (1971) [DVD + Blu-ray)

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Asked his opinion on what we have just seen, the self-styled King of the Witches dismisses it as ‘a lot of rubbish’, before complaining about how risible many of the commonly held myths about witchcraft can be.

There were television appearances, late-night talks on radio, a sympathetic biography, record albums of his rituals and this film, LEGEND OF THE WITCHES, based on his exploits.Expecting a biased, blood thirsty and erotic account of an ancient religion condemned by the church, I was pleasantly surprised. The 39th release in the long standing BFI Flipside strand sees the release of two far out British films. It’s soundtracked by a hallucinogenic musical freak out by The Spindle and lit with lysergic lighting. This ritual includes a naked man having a blindfold put on him and his led through the dark having to trust the woman leading him. It comes with a collection of extras that will predominantly appeal to scholars in the field of cultural history or people with an interest in cultural history and witchcraft.

Although nice to see, it is difficult for the director to fully encapsulate the significance of these objects on film and the shot is simply a scan over objects as the narrator goes on to talk about spells and the doll effigies with pins stuck into them.Malcolm Leigh directed this rather interesting, if a bit slow, documentary about cults, Satanist and other such issues. A visual exploration into the origins of witchcraft in the UK and in particular the demystification of symbolism still embedded today within many modern religious artefacts and rituals. It follows the tale of a young man given a fiddle by an old hag, and how his magical music enchants the people he meets. As the film progresses, we are given first-hand experience of the initiation of two witches into the coven, one of which is Penny.

Sanders and his wife Maxine, who is also active in the coven, are real Wiccans but Penny comes across like an actor. Once the two candidates are initiated, we are given more opportunities to watch the filming of certain Wiccan rituals, including a marriage and those associated with the ancient Egyptian Gods. Leigh never established a real career in mainstream cinema but his next movie, a sex farce named Games that Lovers Play (1971) did star future national treasure Joanna Lumley.

Unlike Legend of the Witches, the pace is much quicker and because the lighting is better and it is shot in colour, it is clearer for the audience to see exactly what is happening with the tying of the three coloured cords and the ritualistic kissing of the five points. Even so, stretches of it proved intriguing enough to make it a very worthwhile, though never totally bewitching, watch. It is also more reliable in terms of accurate representation of rites and rituals within a witches’ coven. It takes place outdoors with an emphasis on the four primeval elements of earth, air, fire and water. Exploitation director Derek Ford’s ( The Wife Swappers) Secret Rites and Malcolm Leigh’s Legend of the Witches.

This is a lovely section that displays images of old churches adorned with pagan deities and information on how Pagan Sabbats were ‘magpied’ by the Christians to support the populations transition to Christianity. Although not very long, this film gives a good picture of modern witchcraft and its advancement and resurgence in 1970s Britain. If it is hard evidence of modern witchcraft practises you are looking for, this is probably not your best bet, although it does give some insight. Part Mondo movie, part countercultural artefact Secret Rites (1971) this strange mid-length ‘documentary’ by exploitation director Derek Ford lifts the lid on witchcraft in 1970s Notting Hill. Images of sea, sunrises and deer are eloquently focussed to aid the films relaxing atmosphere, and even the sacrifice of a chicken appears less harrowing than it might.With its atmosphere and visuals, this really does come off as one of the better British horror films from this period. Another woman was supposedly cured of cancer by Sanders sitting with her in the hospital for three days and nights, holding her feet and pouring “healing energy” into her. Still, I assume the staged initiation rituals that Penny undergoes are an accurate enough recreation of what a new member to a coven would experience.