WITCHCRAFT / The Doll In Brambles - 1961

Here's the first episode of the failed TV series that was supposed to compete with THE TWILIGHT ZONE, but, it could not compare to the classic show and was cancelled posthaste. Our story is about Madame Tirelou, a witch who will not allow her granddaughter, Marie, to marry her true love, Louis. Louis enlists the help of his old friend Fred to break the witch's spell. After she puts a curse on Louis after meeting Marie in the woods, Fred must figure out a way to save them for the mean old witch!

Here's your host, Franchot Tone, as he introduces the episode... Franchot had a healthy 112 acting credits from 1932-68 and was even in an episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE!

An American, Fred, played by Dungeon great Darren McGavin, visits his friend Louis in France, he is supposed to be best man at his wedding. But, Louis explains that his beloved Marie is forbidden by her grandmother to even see him!

Fred goes to visit Madame Tirelou and meets Marie, he hands her a note from Louis.

Love this shot of the grandmother, Madame Tirelou, she looks like a witch! After talking to Fred, she realizes that he is a friend of Louis and screams at him to leave her house!

The note tells Marie to meet him in the woods, which she does. Unknown to both of them, Madame Tirelou is watching the scene from a distance. Not good!

She goes back to her place and goes to her special room in the basement. She pulls out her wooden doll of Louis and wraps it in bramble branches while cackling!

Immediately though, Louis loses the use of his legs as he walks through the brambles on his way back home...

Fred goes to the witch's house to confront her, but, she is not there. Marie agrees to show him her hex room and he takes the wooden figure!

Later, after Fred is gone, the witch comes home and confronts Marie with a fireplace poker about what had happened while she was away...

Louis is found helpless where he had fallen and taken back to his home to recover, but, he has no use of his legs. The doctor thinks it is all in his mind...

The basement is also used to torture Marie when she misbehaves, Madame Tirelou has a bat ready to scare the Hell out of Marie when Fred and Louis arrive! Fred has told Louis that Marie is in extreme danger, jogging his mind to overcome his mental illness!

The witch goes crazy, putting hex after hex on Fred, but, he's not affected in an way. She keeps backing up and finally falls through the old balcony, falling to her death on the rocks below!.. YAY!!

They wait until the end to show the title card, kinda cool... Eegah!! is back tomorrow with more Cool Dungeon Cargo fur uns!

LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME WITCHES OF THE PAST 50 YEARS!

I've been doing a lot of  Grimm-bingeing for the past few weeks, and it's really getting in the way of my regular movie watching! I'm now into about a third of the final season and I have to tell you that the Hexenbeast Adalind Schade has really cast a spell on me, very similar to the jinx Samantha Stevens put on me some 50 years ago!

So this was all causing me to think about doing a post of all the 'Witch' movies and TV shows ever made, but when an IMDB search for 'Witch' kicked out 1540 titles, I decided I better try something else, So....

........Let's talk about witches!

Claire Coffee is Adilind Schade! I think she's the cutest witch of all time, and she's just really awesome in this role! It's funny, she didn't really look that pretty at the start, I guess that just shows how good of an actress she really is, because this gal is amazing!!

In the beginning, they make you hate her, then when they stick her in this dungeon, you feel sorry for her, and by the time it's all over, you're in love with her, at least I am!

 Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stevens has been my favourite witch for years, but Adilind casts a very strong spell!!

You've gotta admit that they both still look great even under the most extreme circumstances!

 Other hot witches of note are Michelle Pfeiffer as Sukie Ridgemont in the 1987 "Witches Of Eastwick!"

 Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanders in the 1993 film "Hocus Pocus!"

 Melissa Joan Hart as "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch."

Angelina Jolie as Maleficent in a 2014 movie I've yet to see!

And let's not forget the 2016 feature with Samantha Robinson as Elaine in "The Love Witch!"

 Hubba, Hubba!

Other notable witches we've discussed in these pages before are:

Luscious Libby Hall in The Larry Buchanan film, "The Naked Witch!"

 The always alluring Allison Hayes as Livia and The Witch in "The Undead!

The adorable Maria Perschy as Mariana in the 1967 Sid Pink romp "A Witch Without A Broom!"

Creepy but pretty Yvette Rees as Vanessa Whitlock in "Witchcraft!"

 And......Margaret Johnston as Flora Carr in "Burn Witch Burn!" 
Some people feel blessed, but I just feel bewitched!!

HAXAN: Witchcraft Through The Ages / Aljosha Production Company, Svensk Filmindustri - 1922

So, like, Happy Halloween Everbloody!! We'll end our October adventure with this amazing bit of Swedish/Danish silent film making from 1922! This story is part history lesson followed by re-enactments with actors depicting the history of witchcraft from its earliest days through to the present day. The result is this documentary-like film that's among the first to use re-enactments as a visual and narrative tool. From pagan worship to satanic rites to hysteria, the film takes us on a journey through the ages of witchcraft with very effective visual imagery...

Images in the movie include witches kissing the ass of Satan, boiling non-baptized babies and giving birth to demons, not to mention getting a full tour of the state-of-the-art in medieval torture devices, none of that is shown here though!

Nymphs were considered witches because they liked to run around naked in nature with their little animal friends surrounding them!

Stocks were a useful device to subdue witches while trying to figure out what the Hell to do with them!

Even the church has its problems, no place is safe from witches and even the devil hisself!

Oh boy, it's time for all the little (and big) demons to come out and play! These scenes have such a magical, surreal quality to them!

Here's the amazing entrance to the devilish underground play land where all the demons can go have a ball...

In order to get in, one must get past the greeter pigs!

Okay, so like... Let the freak show begin!!

First up is this fine piece of... err.. tail, for all the demons to drool over!

Here's the devil's platter, large enough to accommodate a nice, succulent, naked female body!.. Dinner is served!!

Oh, what the Hell.. Let's dance!!

Anyway, the scenes are all devilishly appealing, making for one very interesting flicker. The original movie was 122 minutes long! So, kids, that's all of our Halloween Countdown 2016! We're back on the regular track on Wednesday, see you then!