Hexen bis aufs Blut Gequält (1970)
Genre: Horror / Drama
Duration: 97 minuten (uncut) / 87 minuten (cut)
Alternative titles: Mark of the Devil / Burn, Witch, Burn / De Bloedige Heksenjacht / Austria 1700 / Hexen / Satan
Country:
West Germany
Directed by: Michael Armstrong
Stars: Udo Kier, Herbert Lom and Olivera Katarina
IMDb score:
6,1 (4.484)
Releasedate: 19 February 1970
Hexen bis aufs Blut Gequält plot
"Positively the most horrifying film ever made"
In Austria, the avid witch hunter Count Cumberland travels from village to village in search of persons suspected of witchcraft or devil worship. Often innocent people are tortured in a horrific way until they can no longer bear the pain and humiliation and finally 'confess'. His young student Christian begins to doubt the justice of the witch hunt, but when he wants to rebel against his master, it is already too late...
Actors and actresses
Lord Cumberland
Count Christian von Meruh
Vanessa Benedikt
Albino
Jeff Wilkens - Executioner
Advocato
Baron Daumer
Deidre von Bergenstein
Nobleman
Nobleman's Wife
Reviews & comments
Woland
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- 4809 messages
- 3825 votes
Well, mainly a straightforward exploitation film. Notorious for its gore at the time, and admittedly it still contains some nasty bits of torture. And that seems to be the main purpose of the film: to provide a setting to show series of torture (and some nudity here and there), between, of course, the corruption, evil and cruelty of the witch hunters. I read that several people here were still (relatively) pleased with the acting, but I still thought it was an overly schmaltzy mess. The incredibly bad dubs don't help either. In terms of setting, it is actually a copy of Witchfinder General in its entirety; we follow witch persecutions in which the inquisitors on duty wrongly accuse everyone (but mainly beautiful young women) of witchcraft and torture them with a lot of cruelty. There is an assistant who tries to do something about the abuse of power, and a love story, and a somewhat different ending, but the film is mainly a lot of torture. I have now seen it once, and I am satisfied with it, but I did not find it really interesting.
Translated from Dutch · View original
knusse stoel
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- 3292 messages
- 4356 votes
8,000,000 mainly women were sentenced in the 15th to the 18th century by mainly men such as Count Cumberland and his student Christian, often to be burned at the stake or beheaded with the accusation of "Witchcraft and devilish practices". 
This film shows a fictional town with a local witch hunter and his entourage. Until Count Cumberland arrives, these gentlemen have the ladies to choose from. And if the lady in question did not want it, the accusation of witchcraft waited without any judicial process and a verdict.
Beautifully made, but somewhat outdated, which you notice in the music and image quality.
Story, set and crew were decent, hence my 7 for this film.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Collins
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- 7346 messages
- 4345 votes
At the beginning of the film it is made clear to the viewer that the film is based on truth and that the cases that will pass by in the next 96 minutes actually happened. It is a statement that cannot be proven or denied, but while watching you do wonder whether you should take this statement with a grain of salt. The film is clearly an exploitation film and this exploitation film is purely for sensation. It involves violence, torture and murder. The historical value is therefore minimal.
The film starts off idyllic with beautiful landscape images accompanied by appropriate musical sounds. That will only take a moment. The peaceful atmosphere changes and the simple storyline begins. The storyline merely functions as filler material that sticks the scenes of violence together. Not a single sophistication in sight. The excesses fly across the screen. Once expectations have been adjusted and you have accepted the format, you experience situational moments of tension here and there and you observe that the torture and violence are sometimes carried out very convincingly.
Voyeurism at its finest. Yet you also notice critical trends in the film. That is not very difficult, because spouting a critical note is not accompanied by subtleties. The totalitarian power relations, the one-sided judiciary and the role of the church are discussed as part of the spiral of violence. It is always good to expose such matters, even if it is done with the blunt axe.
Hexen bis aufs Blut gequält is a violent, banal and grubbily staged film. A voyeuristic orgy of violence. Intriguing in a perverse way, although the shocking impact diminishes as the film progresses. Excess is harmful or something like that.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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