'The Witch' - also known as 'The Witch in Love' (a literal translation of the original Italian title 'La strega in amore'), this psychological horror thriller involves a heartless philanderer who agrees to work in the private library of a mysterious old woman who has been following him around. The first eight minutes of the film are very well done with the protagonist, played by Richard Johnson, constantly commenting on how he can see her watching him, and yet she is always shot at extreme distance, nearly invisible to the point that we wonder whether it is all in his mind. Things only get more interesting as Johnson is invited to her abode where the camera creepily tracks around the old, near dilapidated building, and then suddenly an alluring girl claiming to be the old woman's daughter arrives and everything becomes even more uncanny. Promising as all this might sound, the film gives away a little too much too early on. The title certainly doesn't help ('Strange Obsession', another alias that the film is known by, leaves open more ambiguity) but title aside, it is fairly obvious from early on that something supernatural is up and that the two women are not really mother and daughter. As a result, the film has some pacing issues as we spend over half the movie waiting for Johnson to reach the same conclusion as us, but there are still plenty of interesting points. The seduction scenes are very well done, the aversion to sunlight is well-handled and grim ending is unpredictable in the best possible way. In short, it is flawed but encapsulating stuff from start to finish.

Not perfect but at times startling and even disturbing, this is a fine 1966 b/w film from the versatile director, Damiano Damiani, who made the very different, A Bullet For The General, the same year and later several crime films, including, How To Kill a Judge. Apparently Bunuel at one point considered making this, based upon the book by Carlos Fuentes, and he would no doubt have made it a little more sinister and a little less hysterical. Anyhow, here we have the lovely Rosanna Schiaffino, who would appear in the colourful and equally strange, Check to the Queen a couple of years later. Here she is the love/sex interest, although like her worrying elderly mistress, also takes a turn at the frighteningly weird when she becomes stressed. You will have never seen anything quite like this, despite the seeming familiar theme of possession, and should definitely check it out.

Suave and cocky male chauvinist historian Sergio (an excellent performance by Richard Johnson) is hired by aloof and strange old widow Consuelo (a fine and effectively icy portrayal by Sarah Ferrati) who lives in a moldy old castle to catalog her library. Sergio meets and becomes smitten with Consuelo's striking and seductive daughter Aura (the stunning and beguiling Rosanna Schiaffino, whose powerfully sensuous presence positively burns up the screen). Sergio soon finds himself caught in a bizarre supernatural world of dark secrets and forbidden desires. Director/co-writer Damiano Damiani relates the intriguing and unpredictable story at a gradual, yet hypnotic pace and does an expert job of creating and maintaining an arrestingly eerie and mysterious atmosphere that gets more creepy and unnerving as the narrative unfolds towards a genuinely startling surprise conclusion. Moreover, there's an intoxicating underlying eroticism to the oddball proceedings that's highlighted by an incredibly sexy scene in which Aura has Sergio undress her with his teeth. We also get a profound and poignant central message about the desperate measures someone will resort to for companionship. The three leads all give top-notch performances. Gian Maria Volonte is likewise outstanding in a substantial co-starring role as Aura's jealous and possessive former lover Fabrizio. Leonida Barboni's stark and expressive black and white cinematography offers a wealth of breathtaking visuals. Luis Enriquez Bacalov's brooding score hits the shuddery spot. Well worth a look for fright film fans seeking something different and out of the ordinary.

Italy put out some interesting horror films in the 1960s and, as Italian horror is the best in the genre as far as mood and psychological drama is concerned, The Witch is worth viewing if for no other reason.Which is not to say it is a masterpiece because it is not. The pacing is a bit slow even by the standards of the time and the English dubbing is in places atrocious. The main character Sergio, played by Richard Johnson, (the only American in the cast), is male chauvinistic to the extreme, but to be fair we must remember that not too many years ago this was thought to be a desirable quality in any self-respecting male. But even with these shortcomings I found this to be a very interesting and disturbing film, as good horror should be. The Witch also benefits from being shot in black and white, something I wish more of today's directors would realize about these types of stories and take advantage of when filming said stories which depend upon dark mood. Sergio has noticed an old woman (Consuela, played by Sarah Ferrati) who seems to be around him and near all the time and is quite surprised to learn that it was she who placed an ad in the local newspaper for somebody to chronicle her deceased husband's papers, which are quite erotic in nature. Sergio has doubts about this but accepts the job when he meets Consuela's' beautiful daughter Aura, ably portrayed by Rosanna Schiaffino, a dark-haired beauty who reminds somewhat of the great Italian horror actress Barbara Steele. The remainder of the story is the three-sided psychological duel between Aura, Consuela and Sergio. Sergio, very much a man of the world, surrenders his soul and self respect when he murders Aura's current lover in order to win the right to stay in the old woman's house to be near Aura. Only, the old woman has other plans, for she is a witch and can force Aura to come and go at will. For all practical purposes Consuela and Aura are one and the same person, and Consuela has been enamored of the handsome Sergio for a long time. I won't give the ending away, will say only that Sergio at long last re-asserts himself, hopefully to rebuild the pieces of his broken life. We are led to believe at film's end this is quite possible, probable even.Some reviewers have stated this is a film about woman hating. I do not agree as the degradation and destruction of Sergio psychologically are the main elements of the story. I would say it is a film about the hatred of men, not women.You probably won't find this one anywhere although I have been pleased to see a number of obscure films hit the market this year on DVD at very reasonable prices. My VHS copy came from Sinister Cinema. If you do find it, happy viewing. For students of obscure horror films, it is a can't miss.