Fans of David Hasselhoff and Linda Blair might not know about this 1988 gore-fest. Hey! You ever notice when a nubile virgin shows up at a gathering...bad things happen? They attract the wrong crowd. Cults and demons flock to them to implant their seeds. Happens. Of course, when Linda Blair shows up...well, enough said. Today we look at 1988's "Witchery" (aka "Witchcraft"), directed by Fabrizio Laurenti. Filmed in Massachusetts by an Italian director, we can consider this one half-Giallo.
The nubile virgin Leslie (Leslie Cumming) shows up at an abandoned Massachusetts inn, located on a remote island. She's a virgin and wants to research witchcraft that occurred on the island. With her is photographer, Gary (Hasselhoff). He desires to de-virginize her. In these films, abandoned places get crowded fast. A greedy family seeking to buy the inn arrives. Oh yes, a witch's ghost sort of watched out for the place...the Lady in Black (Hildegard Knef). Party time! Oh yes...of note, the sultry realtor, Linda (Catherine Hickland) is also in the party...she's a nymphomaniac. Yep, she'll die horribly during pre-marital sex.
One by one the intruders, as the Lady in Black sees them, die horribly. First they are pulled into an alternate dimension and tortured by grotesque hags. They'll be burned, impaled, have their mouths sewn shut...etc. Uh oh, Jane (Linda Blair) is pregnant and the witch seeks to possess her. Leslie will be raped and de-virginized by a demon...pretty standard. Linda's romp with a nerdy realtor will end with being impaled by a swordfish...really. One by one, the cast is eliminated in great gore. Now Leslie and Gary try to figure a way off the island but the witch seems to have them locked in. Blood will spurt, skin will bubble, and impalement will be the rule of the day.
This one starts out like a made for TV movie but stick with it...a few minutes into it the gore begins. What does this say for David Hasselhoff that a demon de-virginized Leslie before he could? Would this film have had a wider audience if a few more Baywatch actresses were in it? Shouldn't there be a law against virgins attending gatherings? Bloody and ominous, this straight to video gore-fest will surprise you with how brutal it is. For a neat Friday night horror film party, see "Witchery."
Grear review, all Baywatch fans should support this and Night Rider.
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