Cry of the Banshee (1970) torrent

Set in Elizabethan England the story revolves around a wicked magistrate, Lord Charles Whitman, who tries to kill all the members of a coven of witches. He had been hosting a feast in his great hall when two young, apparently bewitched people were brought in for amusement but ended up dying as they soon appeared to be \'devil marked\'. As his eldest son sleeps with his pretty young wife and his daughter seeks out her favorite hairy-chested servant for comfort, Lord Whitman begins mumbling that he wants to \"clean up\" the witches in the area, especially \"that decrepit old bag, Oona\" who is the coven\'s leader. But his cruel persecution of Oona and her brethren ultimately ensures the death of his entire family...with him the last to go, after witnessing them die one by one at the hands of a magical servant, a \"sidhe\", whom Oona had called up to deliver terrible vengeance...a Banshee...whose cry means death is at hand. The story is loosely based on the story \'The Conqueror Worm\' by Edgar Allen Poe (as was 1968\'s \'Witchfinder General\' also starring Vincent Price) so loosely in fact it really has little to do with the exact story. Some give this movie poor marks. They fail to see that all the female cast members, in particular, are quite wonderful and the overall atmosphere is well done and quite foreboding at times. The interesting artwork of the opening credits are thanks to Terry Gilliam, done while he was just starting to make his mark upon the World with the other members of Monty Python.

Directed by Gordon Hessler
Produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, Gordon Hessler & Louis M. Heyward
Written by Tim Kelly (story) & Christopher Wicking (screenplay)

Starring: Vincent Price, Essy Persson, Elizabeth Bergner, Hilary Dwyer, Patrick Mower, Sally Geeson,
Pamela Fairbrother, Hugh Griffith
Music by Les Baxter
Cinematography John Coquillon
Editing by Oswald Hafenrichter
Distributed by American International Pictures

Video: 4.0GB, 864x480.mpg, NTSC 29 fps
Audio: 2 channel Stereo 49kHz
Length: 1:30:45