THE WITCHING - Karger/Walsh - "Necromancy" (1972)

Tonight's hard to find feature is brought to you courtesy of The Trash Palace! This later B.I.G. production was originally released as "Necromancy" in 1972. It was beefed up with some added footage, and re-released in 1983 as "The Witching!"

Don't be taken in by that innocent cuddly teddy bear mug, that thing is evil! The Suspiriaish sounds of "Necromancy" were composed by Fred Karger who worked as composer or in the music department of some amazing musical flicks like "Don't Knock The Twist," Hootenanny Hoot," Elvis's "Kissin' Cousins," and "Harum Scarum," Herman's Hermits' "Hold On," "Hot Rods To Hell," "Riot On Sunset Strip," Roy Orbison's "The Fastest Guitar Alive," "Angel, Angel, Down We Go" and more! For the 1983 remake, some of the music was souped up by cartoon king Robert (My Little Pony 'n Friends, Transformers, Muppet Babies) Walsh!

The diminutive Pamela Franklin is Lori Brandon. She just had a mysterious miscarriage, and is not having a good time, nor will she ever for the rest of the movie!

It's time for a change, a time to get out of town, and start a new life, except the first thing that happens is during a disagreement with her husband, he starts driving too fast on the curvy mountain road, and causes these innocent people to crash and burn!

Somehow Lori is able to get down to the burning car, and retrieves a funny looking doll, that for some strange reason has fingernail clippings in it's pocket! Lori's loving dickhead of a husband Frank is played by Michael (Twin Peaks, Slap Shot) Ontkean!

Do these look like people you can trust?? I didn't think so! In fact, Lori's not going to meet one person she can trust, including her husband! Anybody who even leans toward trying to help her ends up dead!

At only five foot tall, Pamela was cute as a bug! Her first role was at 11 as Flora in "The Innocents." She met her husband Harvey Jason who she is still married to, on the set of "Necromancy." He had the role of the creepy Doctor Jay! He must have put some kind of spell on her!

"The Witching" was a different kind of Bert I. Gordon film, no big monsters, but you can't get much bigger than Orson Welles in stature and girth!! Just like "The Amazing Colossal Man," Orson Welles was bigger than reality!

If you don't do what Orson wants, and he just might eat you too!!

Supposedly Frank Brandon got a job as a toymaker in this little guarded town of Lillith, but in reality, he is in cahoots with Orson Welles as the mysterious Mr. Cato, to lure Lori into a Necromancy switch to bring Cato's long dead son back to life! Everything tastes bitter for a reason!!

Lori becomes very suspicious of her new friends and surroundings, and is ready to leave at any given time, but her husband keeps on coming up with excuses to stay for a few more days! Needless to say, Lori's predetermined fate is already in the cards!

This is not your average small town get-together and potluck, and nothing seems to be very sacred except how weird it all is!

Lori asks "Did you see a little boy?" and gets an answer somewhat akin to "No, what little boy? I don't see anything!!" Necro Nancy, she's so fancy, "with her children, they'll go far, she buys them toys to keep in practice, waiting on the war!" - Arthur Lee

Pam does get naked in this movie, but this is sexy enough for me!

It doesn't look good for our heroine!

Dreams, Devils, and The Damned, Lori never stood a chance! One of the many names they tried to market "Necromancy" as, was, get this, "Rosemary's Disciples!"

As the Necromancy is almost completed, Cato's son starts returning to human form!

In the days of Olde, Necromancy was considered to be one of the seven forbidden arts. The other six included Geomancy, Scapulimancy, Aeromancy, Pyromancy, Hydromancy, and Chiromancy or as it is better known, Palmistry!