Cry of the Banshee (1970) User Reviews

Not top grade Price, but a pretty entertaining horror film.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 27 June 2017]

The setting is 16th century England, where obsessions with superstition and sorcery rule the day. Lord Edward Whitman (Vincent Price) is a harsh magistrate punishing any and all people who come under scrutiny for being witches. After a mass killing, he earns the wrath of a witch named Oona (Elisabeth Bergner). You guessed it: she places a curse on him and his whole family, summoning a sadistic demon.

Cult director Gordon Hessler takes a so-so script by Christopher Wicking and Tim Kelly and gives it plenty of flavorful period atmosphere. The story may not be that strong, but all the bells and whistles of this A.I.P. production help to make up for that. One can hardly fail to notice that it's not entirely unsympathetic to the witches, and portrays "the establishment" as a crass and foul bunch of people. Whitman and his entourage will amuse themselves by manipulating and embarrassing their victims in their opulent castle. The pacing is mostly effective, and the "banshee" of the title is appreciably kept as mysterious as possible; it's never very well lit. It also builds up a decent body count, and dishes out some pretty gory violence.

Price delivers a solid performance, refraining from becoming overly theatrical for the most part. Essy Persson is very good playing the unfortunate, ill-fated wife. Hilary Heath, Carl Rigg, Stephan Chase, Marshall Jones, Andrew McCulloch, Michael Elphick, and Patrick Mower comprise an excellent supporting cast. Bergner is good, if also unmemorable, as the antagonist, and Hugh Griffith makes the most of his regrettably minor role, as a grave digger and corpse robber.

"Cry of the Banshee" is not a great horror film, but it is good fun. Trivia item: the opening title sequence was animated by Terry Gilliam.

Available in both an A.I.P. theatrical version and a director's cut.

Seven out of 10.

Price is burning witches again!

[The_Void · 6/10 · 6 December 2006]

I'd seen two films from director Gordon Hessler prior to seeing this one, and they're both wildly different. One was the excellent Gothic horror The Oblong Box, while the other was the uneven and mostly terrible waste of a great of a cast, Scream and Scream Again. This film falls somewhere in the middle in terms of quality. Cry of the Banshee actually reminded me a lot more of the classic film Witchfinder General than either of Hessler's previous efforts, although it is nowhere near as good as that one. The plot features themes of witchcraft and witch hunts, as we focus on the evil Lord Edward Whitman, slaughterer of peasants and a man with an on-going war against a coven of local witches. He opts to murder a number of them in front of leader; a witch named Oona. However, this turns out to be a poor decision as Oona uses her magic powers to call up a magical being known as a 'Banshee', whom she uses - along with some members of Lord Whitman's own family - to bring a curse upon his entire household.

Obviously, my main reason for seeing this film was because of the fact that it features a starring performance from the great Vincent Price. This is not Vincent Price's greatest performance, but he still completely owns the film in every sequence that he's in (and he's in most of them). The character he plays in Cry of the Banshee isn't the most rounded character he's ever played, and therefore it isn't the most interesting - but hey! It's still Vincent Price. The way that the plot plays out is mostly good enough to hold the audience's interest; there isn't a great deal of suspense in the film, but director Gordon Hessler does a good job of creating the right atmosphere and setting up a suitable 'feel' for the film. The banshee isn't what you'd usually think of when that word springs to mind; which gives the film an element of memorability. The ending is decent enough, although it is rather predictable and overall, it has to be said that Cry of the Banshee is a more than passable. Sure, it's not brilliant - but Vincent Price fans are likely to enjoy it, and it gets a recommendation from me.

Excellent period horror

[Prof-Hieronymos-Grost · 7/10 · 3 October 2008]

Lord Edward Whitman(Vincent Price) is a wicked magistrate who why while not believing in Witchcraft, delights in accusing peasants of the crime. The punishments he dishes out are not always within the law though. Working On a tip off, his men kill many within a coven of witches, the witches leader Oona swears revenge and pleads with Satan to send her an Avenger who will smite him and his family. Such an avenger is the mild mannered stable hand Roderick(Patrick Mower), who was found as a child in the woods and brought up by the Whitmans, around his neck he wears a strange and ancient medallion of unknown origin.

Gordon Hessler has a mixed filmography in Horror, this on the face of it, is a production designed to take advantage of Michael Reeves's Witchfinder General, as wonderfully hammy Vincent Price and the beautiful Hilary Heath, both return, as does DP John Coquillon, who adds oodles of atmosphere and energy with his ever moving camera which captures the location work beautifully. Hessler learnt his trade with Hitchcock and to some extent it shows in this film, he knows when and where to provide the scares. The film itself was much rewritten and Hessler found himself getting further away from the theme of the title which had already been sold as a Banshee film before filming began, but he was reigned back in by the producers, the meddling doesn't quite ruin the film but it does have a lot going on plot-wise, as a result. The witches coven send a "Sidhe" an ancient derivative of the banshee in the form of Patrick Mower, (his make up none to convincing) to kill one by one, members of the Whitman family, not all of which are bad, some are very decent people, this effective ploy is also used with the witches, making it hard to take sides or see who the really bad guys are. Fans of period Brit Horror shouldn't be disappointed, there's copious nudity and plenty of buxom wenches that make for pleasant viewing, there's also an excellent sting in the tale.

Junk Food

[Lord_Madness · 28 September 2002]

Like many a horror movie knock-off, Cry Of The Banshee is a hopeless mish-mash of inconsistancies; and while Vincent Price has saved many such films by his mere presence alone, he does so here almost grudgingly, as if his heart really isn't in it. At the beginning of the film, he's presented as a heartless Witchfinder General soft of fellow, but at the first sign on any real witchery he at first scoffs at it, feeling that any real proof of witchcraft might "undermine his authorty". How such a vindication of his efforts could harm his character in the eyes of the people is never explained, since he's more than willing to torture innocent villagers. Eventually he does manage to get on the real witch, Oona's bad side, however, and she curses him and all his family to die. We try to like her at this point, and sympathize with her vengeance; but she is the very Evil that Vincent has vowed to destroy. So, since both sides are evil, only the victims are innocent; and when Vince makes a last minute bid to save his daughter and escape the fate of their accursed house & name, we're left to wonder why he ever placed himself in such a position in the first place since suddenly he comes off as a caring father and nothing more... It's worth seeing, but see The Conqueror Worm first...

Misleading title, but generally enjoyable classic horror.

[Muldwych · 5/10 · 5 September 2007]

Those familiar with the concept of banshees would probably agree that "Cry Of The Banshee" is an interesting title for this film. I think the film-makers probably just decided it was just too good a title to pass up. Nonetheless, those looking for a horror tale containing bona fide Celtic mythology should probably look elsewhere. There is horror to be had here however, and the film still does more or less what it promises.

"Cry Of The Banshee" is set during the height of Middle Ages England, where rampant ignorance and superstition meant anyone could be condemned and burned for alleged witchcraft, and anyone you didn't like could be targeted. However, this being in the horror genre rather than an Arthur Miller play, the local inhabitants' fears are not entirely unjustified. Nonetheless, the greater threat is the Witchfinder General (played by Price) and his family, who abuse their authority and keep the entire local population in their grip. 'Witches' are regularly found, and dispatched in the name of God. The witchfinder gets more than he bargained for however when he annoys a real witch, who decides to take revenge.

Vincent Price is an actor you can rely on to take an average film up a notch, and he does so here. His presence, his voice, his face - he doesn't even have to try very hard. Not that the story is especially bad. It's fairly basic but entertaining enough. Even so, the pantomime acting and thinly-drawn characterisation made it hard to take everything seriously. A melodramatic situation shouldn't mean over-the-top theatricality, but that's what the script and the direction unfortunately settle for.

Fortunately, the horror elements of the film are not so misplaced. Suspense is built up, the 'banshee' of the title is wisely heard rather than seen until the climax, and the end itself is very satisfying. The mood is bleak, the lighting is low, and the score helps the action along without ever being out of place. Like many Hammer Horrors, there's a lot of nudity. just in case everything else isn't enough to draw you in.

Overall, "Cry Of The Banshee" is an enjoyable example of classic horror that fans of the genre should enjoy. It's not brilliant, but it has its moments, and one of the genre's star performers to breathe life into it.

Haunting film, radiant female cast

[Dan1863Sickles · 7/10 · 3 November 2003]

Granted that the story line is fuzzy, the ending nasty, and Vincent Price as cheesy and over the top as ever. But the fact remains that the female leads in this confused mess are radiant. Hillary Dwyer in particular is the perfect English rose -- demure, yet oozing understated sex appeal as the headstrong, cheerfully promiscuous aristocrat who knows her own mind and doesn't mind getting her petticoats dirty in romping with the servants. The dismally depressing ending and the garbled, incoherent script make this movie difficult to watch all the way through, but Hillary Dwyer and Essy Pearson are both luminous and compelling enough to make it worth an occasional viewing.

Needs More Banshee

[utgard14 · 4/10 · 28 October 2014]

This is a nasty bit of business made by AIP during that dreary period where the colorful, fun horror movies of the '60s were giving way to the darker, grittier movies of the '70s. It stars Vincent Price, easily the biggest name in horror in the '60s. Despite the title, there's no banshees in this movie. It's about an evil magistrate (Price) who abuses and kills people in his village in the name of witch hunting. Similar at this point to another (better) Price vehicle from around this time called The Conqueror Worm. But the similarities end there as the main plot is about some witches summoning a demon or something to seek revenge on Price and his wicked children. No banshees to be found. Lots of sexual stuff, though, and not all of it consensual. There's even a song about rape in the movie. So...yeah...more banshees and less rape, please. This is an ugly, cheap, and unpleasant exploitation movie. It's not fun enough to be entertaining and, as for horror, it couldn't scare a five year-old. One interesting little bit of trivia is that Terry Gilliam did the opening credits. They're done in that same style Monty Python was famous for.

"You're too pretty to be a witch!"

[Stevieboy666 · 6/10 · 27 October 2019]

Vincent Price plays Lord Edward Whitman, a cruel, witch hunting English Lord in the Sixteenth Century. A curse is placed upon his family by the local sorceress. This is a role that suited him well, having already portrayed real life Matthew Hopkins. Again he hams it up, though not overly so. Michael Elphick,a well known face to viewers of British TV in the 1980's and 90's, plays his equally sadistic right hand man, and does a good job too. Though not as good Banshee does fit in well with similar movies such as Witchfinder General and Mark of the Devil. Some scenes are a little poorly staged, such as an almost laughable fight in the dungeon, and I believe that the VHS copy that I watched to be cut. Overall a good combination of horror, witches and their persecutors in old England. I shall seek out an uncut release

A Midgrade Vincent Price Film

[gavin6942 · 5/10 · 22 February 2011]

The film is set in Elizabethan England and revolves around a wicked magistrate who tries to kill all the members of a coven of witches. This makes the leader of the coven, Oona, sworn enemies of the lord and his family. To get revenge Oona calls up a magical servant, a "sidhe", to destroy the lord's family. The titular "cry of the banshee" is the signal that someone will die.

The script went through a few revisions. Tim Kelly's script had witches who were all old women and set the story in the 1700s. Christopher Wicking moved the time to the 1500s (more accurate) and made the witches varying ages and genders. Wicking also changed the wife to a stepmother rather than a mother of the Whitmans, which gives her a bit of distance to see the actions of her cruel new family.

Steve Haberman suggests that Wicking's re-write of Kelly was in part inspired by the Manson murders. The witches initially were more peaceful, but under Wicking actually invoke Satan by name. This takes the nature-worshiping cult to a whole new level... from nature to the devil himself. Director Gordon Hessler said he (and Wicking) wanted to get one more draft of the script in, but AIP was rushing the production. One wonders what might have happened with just a bit more spit and polish.

The first thing you will notice when watching this film is that it looks like the opening is from a Monty Python movie. And there is a good reason you think that: it was, in fact, animated by Terry Gilliam, the American member of Monty Python and their animator. Unfortunately, this may be the highlight of the movie.

Vincent Price carries this film, as there are no other big name actors to speak of. Unless you count AIP regular (and Academy Award winner) Hugh Griffith, who plays the drunken grave robber Mickey. Mike Mayo says Price is "not at his best" but "still fine", and that is a fair assessment. But even at just "fine", Price is more enjoyable to watch than most others of his generation.

The remainder of the cast, as I said, is hardly notable. There is Stephen Rea, who was later nominated for an Oscar, appearing in his first film role (he did a couple of television appearances before that). And there is a man named Guy Pierce in a very small role, but it is not the guy you think it is. A shame, really. Hilary Dwyer had previously been in both "Witchfinder General" (1968) and "The Oblong Box" (1969) alongside Vincent Price, but is not known outside of the AIP fan niche.

For some reason, there is a happy song sung by a man with a lute about a maiden who is raped by a huntsman, and then gets her revenge on him by castrating him. I do not know how to feel about this being sung as an uplifting ballad. Haberman says that this was a song that truly dated to the correct period, so I have to give them credit for that. And it does coincide with a maiden getting attacked by thuggish men... but no castration.

Overall, the film is okay or good, but not the best. Vincent Price has better films where he plays a witch hunter (including "Conqueror Worm") and better films in general. Still worth seeing, but do not put it at the top of your list. And do not try to find the banshee in this film, because one does not exist. Sorry.

Scream Factory, as always, has released the definitive version of this film on their Vincent Price box set. They give us both the AIP and unrated versions. So if you want to see a little extra violence, see a few more topless women, and hear the original score before AIP regular Les Baxter was hired to replace it, you now have that ability. Unfortunately, the director's cut does not substantially improve the movie's slow, poorly-conceived plot, and even director Gordon Hessler admits this is not some of his best work. (Amazingly, this was the biggest box office hit of the Hessler-Wicking team, even more than "Scream and Scream Again". Could it have been the misuse of the Poe name?)

Scream also provides a Steve Haberman audio commentary, which is very informative. He not only gives biographical information on the various people involved, but took the time to read both Kelly's and Wicking's scripts, so he knows quite well what went into developing the plot. The disc also has an archive interview with director Hessler, which is well worth checking out.

Not One Of Price's Best, But Certainly Not Bad!

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 7/10 · 12 March 2007]

Gordon Hessler's "Cry Of The Banshee" of 1970 is certainly one of the weaker films with the great Vincent Price, but it is still a pretty good horror flick, and certainly way underrated. I must add, however, that Vincent Price is my favorite actor of all-time and my personal opinion is that you can never go wrong with a film with Price in the lead.

Price stars as Lord William Whitman, a sadistic despot in Elizabethean England, who wants to terminate superstitious beliefs by brutally massacring followers of the 'old religion', a bizarre hippie-style witch cult lead by an old woman called Oona (Elisabeth Bergner). Lord Whitman, who lives in his castle with his kind-hearted daughter Maureen (Hillary Heath) his sadistic son Harry (Carl Rigg), his wife, Lady Patricia (Essy Persson), and Roderick, a young man whom the despotic lord let live with his family since childhood, shows no mercy when it comes to the persecution of the pagans living in the woods, and brutal oppression is the everyday situation in his town, where people are tortured and killed for the simple suspicion of being followers of Oona's cult.

Some parts of the movie remind a lot of Michael Reeves' masterpiece "Witchfinder General" of 1968, which also had Price in the lead and which is, of course, incomparably better than "Cry Of The Banshee". Besides Price, the movie also stars Hillary Heath, who also played the female lead in "Witchfinder General". Price is excellent as always, and Heath also delivers a good performance as his daughter. The rest of the acting differs, some performances are better, some worse, but they're certainly not terrible. The movie certainly has a few pretty cheesy moments, but it has at least as many creepy ones. Although the violence in this movie is not comparable to the violence in "Witchfinder General", the movie has some pretty brutal moments and some nudity, which gives the film a nice Exploitation feeling.

"Cry Of The Banshee" is certainly not one of the masterpieces with Vincent Price, but it is certainly not as bad as many seem to regard it. I personally found it very enjoyable, it definitely has some creepy moments, and I warmly recommend it to fans of Horror flicks and Vincent Price. 7/10

Not One of Price's Best

[BaronBl00d · 2/10 · 15 October 2000]

This film has one of the most depraved, heartless, cold centers of any film I have seen in a long time. None of the characters are likable. I mean you will not care what happens to anyone. They are one dimensional characterizations that embody this repulsiveness aforementioned. Even Vincent Price...typically a wonderful villain who can make you like him despite his evil ways...is nothing more than an atypical English aristocrat who kills for no reason at all. The film bears a striking resemblance to The Witchfinder General, but this and that film, although in spirit have much in common, are very, very different films. The Witchfinder General was well-written, had excellent direction, and , at least, some depth of characterization. You can tell director Gordon Hessler feels the film lacks depth because of his repeated need to show totally unerotic nudity. No fewer than six breasts can be seen in the first fifteen minutes of the film. Each pair in a different scene. Each dealt with in a style that only the Marquis de Sade could possibly enjoy. I guess I am giving this film a negative review. I was filled with disappointment after seeing it, because I had liked The Witchfinder General a great deal and love Vincent Price in almost every vehicle he appears. Price has a couple moments in the film where he sparkles, but they are unfortunately few and far between. Cry of the Banshee is really much more of a test....a test to see how much of it you can sit through without getting up and turning it off.

Born by Fire, Dies by Fire

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 30 August 2014]

The wicked and powerful magistrate Lord Edward Whitman (Vincent Price) is a witch hunter with his cruel sons Sean (Stephan Chase), Burke (Michael Elphick) and Bully Boy (Andrew McCulloch) in a small village in England. His wife Lady Patricia Whitman (Essy Persson) is deranged with the wickedness of Edward. His daughter Maureen (Hilary Heath) is secretly in love with her stepbrother Roderick (Patrick Mower), who was an orphan found by Edward wandering on the fields.

Edward's son Harry (Carl Rigg) returns home after graduating in the university with Father Tom (Marshall Jones) that is assigned to the local parish and he is surprised with the behavior of his father and brothers. Edward hunts down the witch Oona (Elizabeth Bergner) and her harmless followers and kills many of them. Oona summons Satan seeking revenge against Edward and the Whitman family. Satan's emissary surprisingly is Roderick, who has power to control animals and was born by fire. Will Roderick be capable to harm his foster family?

"Cry of the Banshees" is a cruel horror movie one of the best performances of Vincent Price in the role of a cruel magistrate. The sets and costumes are realistic and a good replica of a medieval village. The creature looks like a werewolf and not a banshee. Oona's followers seem to be in a bacchanal and not worshiping the devil. The plot begins showing the cruelties of Edward and his sons with the poor women in the name of God but in the end it seems to support their abusive behavior showing the victims as Satanists. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Watchable, but...

[lucifer · 7/10 · 14 May 1999]

Certainly a watchable film, but generally just another run of the mill horror film set in the witch burning age. The usual stuff, like the dodgy lord (Price), decadent family (Price's), "ooh-arr" style peasants, and the usual sets and locations. There is more nudity here than usual, which is possibly why I stuck with it. Ahem.

The main saving grace however, is the strong performance by the ever watchable Vincent Price. Notice that both he and Peter Cushing were able to pull off these sort of roles with ease.

Not one of Vincent's best.

[Teknofobe70 · 4/10 · 6 April 2005]

You always know what to expect from this genre of low-budget supernatural-historical movies ... peasants with one brain between the lot of them, fine wenches being treated very, very badly, and plenty of over-acting from men wearing tights and funny hats.

Cry of the Banshee has all of these elements, and is fairly representative of the genre. It isn't on the same level as cult movies like "Witchfinder General" (also starring Vincent Price), but it does have it's moments. Here Vincent Price plays a wicked lord with a very strange family. He takes great pleasure in finding, mistreating and executing young witches, until he messes with the wrong coven and his entire family is cursed. They soon begin to get gruesomely killed off one by one by a seemingly unstoppable monster. That'll teach 'em.

Vincent Price gives a fairly memorable performance here as the evil, sadistic lord of the town. He does the best he can with the script, anyway, which is all a great actor can ever do. Nobody else on the cast is particularly noteworthy, but on the whole it's a fairly competent movie as far as the acting is concerned. On the subject of the script, it does seem to be thing that everyone involved struggled with. The movie had already been sold to the distributors, which meant that the director, re-writers and so on couldn't change it as much as they would probably have liked to, so they didn't necessary end up making the movie they wanted to make.

This accounts for the way that some aspects of the film are so much better than others. In some scenes the actors themselves seem pretty bored with it, whereas in others the relish in the opportunity to show their full talent. The scenes involving the witches coven are pretty interesting, and some of the climatic moments are particularly well-shot. Also, the opening credits sequence is instantly recognisable as the work of Monty Python's artist Terry Gilliam, which is pretty neat. However, there aren't enough great moments to elevate it above most other movies of it's kind.

If you're a fan of Vincent Price, or of those trashy period movies of the sixties and seventies, you might want to give this one a look. Otherwise, it probably won't appeal to you that much.

Cheesy acting and boobs galore

[spacemonkey_fg · 5/10 · 17 November 2005]

Title: Cry of the Banshee (1970)

Director: Gordon Hessler

Cast: Vincent Price

Review:

I'm trying to work my way through Vincent Prices body of work and I've seen some pretty impressive stuff like for example the really excellent Roger Corman directed The Fall of the House of Usher. The hokey and fun The Raven and most recently I had the chance to see Cry of the Banshee. How was it? Well the story is about this England ruler called Edward Whitman. He is a vicious and cold leader making fun of the poor and using his power to accusing pretty girls of being witches, just to watch em being tortured to death for their supposed religious practices. Of course he eventually stumbles upon a real coven of witches and when he decides to kill one of them, well, then their leader, a witch called Oona decides to take matters into her own hands and calls upon the spirit of the Banshee to execute revenge upon the house of Whitman.

After watching this film the first thing that came to mind was how similar it was in story to Tim Burtons Sleepy Hollow. In Burtons film the spirit of the headless horseman is used by an evil witch who has sold hel soul to Satan, to execute revenge and little by little kill off all the members of a rich elite family. On Cry of the Banshee the storyline is exactly the same. Only thing is here they use what they call a Banshee. A creature who howls in the night and lives in the "haunted woods" just like in Sleepy Hollow. The similarities don't stop their, so Ill just leave it up to you to find them. But these similarities make perfect sense to me since Tim Burton is such a Vincent Price fan. It seems to me that this might have been one of Burtons childhood favorites and was an obvious inspiration for Sleepy Hollow.

Banshee also deals with religious themes of Christianity vs. witchcraft. Though I must admit that you wont know who to root for in this movie since they were both bad guys in my book. First there's Whitmans religion which is obviously Christian, yet he is a cold hearted and soulless bastard who takes pleasure in torturing the poor and oppressed. And then there's the witches, and in this movie they are devil worshipers hell bent on revenge. They indulge in calling Satan their "lord and master" and use voodoo dolls to cause pain and death to their enemies. So you see, there's no good guys to root for in this movie, everyones a bastard and looking to step on the other. Which, if you ask me is the way real life is anyways.

The movie is filled to the top with cheesy acting and unrealistic performances. Its all very campy, very theatrical and over the top. But I guess most of Prices movies where done in this fashion since I've yet to see one where this wasn't the case, so I just go with it and enjoy the sheer cheesiness of it all. But of course Price outshines everyone here because he hams it up, yet he takes it so seriously! You can see the guy just relished in taking a role and elevating its cheesiness to higher levels. It was also interesting to see him do a completely evil character with no likable character traits whatsoever. I've seen Price do evil before, and even when he is evil he is often times likable...but this is not the case.

The Banshee itself, the titular creature, was left out from most of the film. He is reduced to appearing in shadows and in silhouette until the grand finale when he decides to show his ugly face. The make up is suttle yet effective.

On the bonus side, this flick has so much gratuitous breast shots that it actually become funny for me to count how many boobs they were going to show! Just when you thought you had your obligatory boob shot...up pops another one. It seemed like every time some dude wanted to ask a girl if she was a witch, it was obligatory to open up her blouse with a knife and let the boobs do most of the talking. Heh, it kept me amused but also kind of felt overdone and unnecessary.

All in all a nice film, but I'm sure Vincent Price had better films under his belt. By the way, I keep hearing Vincent Prices film The Conqueror Worm (aka Witchunter General) as a far superior "hunt down the witches and burn em" flick. I guess Ill do my best to hunt that one down.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Vincent Price is nice as a witch-hunting cursed by a nasty sorceress who seeks revenge

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 26 February 2021]

It is set in 16th Century , England , during the Elizabethan period , where a witch : Elisabeth Bergner , the high priestness of a coven , summons up an evil being : Patrick Mower to destroy her enemies . As the witch calls up a magical servant , a Banshee , and she curses a ruthless witch-hunting magistrate : Vincent Price , along with his family and descendants . Then the evil spirit exacts the relentless vengeance on witch-hunting Price . Edgar Allan Poe probes new depths of Terror !

Terror British with chills , thrills and rather opportunistic flashes of graphic mayhem. Made in style to 'Witchfinder General' that had a perfect concision, thematic richness , however , this 'Cry of Banshee' being really inferior, despite providing some extremely creepy and eerie scenes . Screenwriter Chris Wicking's third collaboration with filmmaker Gordon Hessler delivers an acceptable, but not notable script . The movie is competently photographed by John Coquillon, using colour by Movielab. Cast and support cast are prettty well . Vincent is fine , as always , playing in his usual style . Thirties' screen star Elisabeth Bergner made a comeback to the screen as a witchery ringleader . And other secondaries as Patrick Mower , Stephen Chase , Sally Gordon, Hugh Griffith , Essy Person , Robert Hutton, Peter Benson and Hilary Dwyer who starred Witchfinder General in which Price also appeared , two years earlier .

It displays a thrilling and suspenseful musical score from Lex Baxter and Wilfred Josephs . Financed by the American producer Samuel Z Arkoff from American International Pictures , Clifford Parkes, Louis Heyward and Gordon Hessler himself . The motion picture was professionally directed by Gordon Hessler , though it has some flaws and gaps. First feature film of this craftsman Hessler was 'Catatombs' 1965 . When production of the AIP Edgar Allan Poe series was shifted to England , Gordon Hessler collaborated with producer Louis Heyward and horror/enthusiast screenwriter Christopher Wicking on three Edgar Allan Poe movies and on the sci-fi shocker : 'Scream and scream again' , 'The oblong box' and 'Murders in the Rue Morgue' . Carrying on in the fantastic camp , he also made the Ray Harryhausen stop-motion swashbuckler : 'Golden Voyage of Sinbad' 1973 at his best and additional small screen suspense: 'Scream , Pretty Peggy' 1973 with Bette Davis . As well as a warlike film : 'The Misfit Brigade' 1987 . Being his last one : 'Shogun Mayeda' 1991 , a Samurai film with Sho Kosugi and Christopher Lee .

I love Vincent Price films...but not this one

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 28 December 2008]

WARNING TO PARENTS: Unlike almost all of Vincent Price's other horror films, this one has significant amounts of sex and nudity--some of which is rather violent and non-consensual. It is definitely NOT a film for young children. The nudity is all very exploitative and the torture scenes are rather intense. Exercise common sense when considering allowing your kids to see this very R-rated film.

This film is highly reminiscent of several of Price's other films of the era, such as WITCHFINDER GENERAL and DIARY OF A MADMAN. Each had to do with a magistrate who dispenses severe judgment in a sadistic and savage manner--most often with accused witches or innocent sexy ladies. And in each film, this supposed doer of good is actually much more wicked and worldly than the people he judges.

This particular film is set during the Tudor period in England. Price is lord of a manor and takes great delight in killing, torturing and raping accused witches. This time, however, he's not alone in his "duty" as his son seems to be a chip off the old block--and he, too, spends much of his time tormenting young maidens and his daughter takes delight in seducing men as well. It's so bad that the locals actually would probably prefer to have the town overrun with witches--they couldn't be nearly as wicked as Price's foul brood. So, it's up to the surviving witches to come to the rescue and purge this town of this ruling family.

Despite Price's character being 100% scum, there is a big plot hole in the film. When Oona the witch and her band of witches are caught having one of their ceremonies, half of them are hacked to death by Price's band of thugs. Then, inexplicably, he lets Oona and a few of the survivors to go!! This makes even less sense when Oona tells Price that she'll get revenge!! At this point, why didn't he just blow her head off and be done with it?! If I were this evil and someone threatened to kill me, I sure would have had them killed instantly! So apparently, Price is evil AND stupid! So it's certainly no surprise to anyone but Price when Oona releases the powers of Satan on him and his wicked family.

As you can tell by my description so far, this is not typical of Vincent Price's other horror films. While in many he plays wicked men who abuse their power, none are as sensual or sexually abusive as this film. Some may like this style of film, but many will likely be turned off by the nudity and in particular the rapes and sexual abuse. It just seems to cross the line--making the film a lot less fun than the usual Price horror film. Plus, audience members who have experienced sexual abuse themselves might find this all very disturbing indeed.

Now this isn't to say that this is a poor quality film (aside from some cheesy hell hound scenes). In fact, in many ways it's much better made than the Roger Corman films of the 1960s that made Price so famous. The cinematography, sets, twist ending and acting are all pretty good--but also very gritty and unpleasant as well--though you no doubt will enjoy seeing the hell hound rip this wicked clan to pieces and seeing others driven insane! All in all, a very scary but even more unpleasant film--one that lacks fun or charm and can be a chore to watch. I think BaronBl00d's review put it best when it described the film as "...one of the most depraved, heartless, cold centers of any film I have seen in a long time". I certainly can't recommend it and hope never to see this film again--even thought I really do like Price's horror films.

By the way, in a funny mistake in the film, watch the scene where an accused witch is being roasted over a fire. She screams and screams so much that Price's nice son comes to her rescue. Now here's the funny part--as this son fights with the torturer, the lady just hangs there and just blandly looks on--and doesn't scream at all even though she STILL is hanging over the fire!! Then, when the fight is over, she begins screaming again! It's all very poorly done and gave me a chuckle.

Vincent the misogynist?

[Coventry · 6/10 · 24 February 2012]

This was the third collaboration (in barely two years time) between director Gordon Hessler, scriptwriter Christopher Wicking and horror veteran Vincent Price, after the wondrously atmospheric Victorian tale "The Oblong Box" and the uniquely bizarre "Scream and Scream Again". "Cry of the Banshee" certainly isn't a bad effort; I for one found it very much amusing at least, but due to its lead actor, periodic setting and subject matter, it will always and automatically get compared with "The Witchfinder General" and come out as the weakest one. This isn't even so much of a disgrace, as that other Vincent Price classic which was released two years prior, is simply a bona fide masterpiece. Perhaps I'm very much biased, because I'm a) a downright fanatic Vincent Price worshiper and b) obsessed with purchasing horror movies that deal with witchery and satanic cults, and therefore I don't think "Cry of the Banshee" deserves all the harsh & negative reviews around here. Honesty does require me to admit that the film contain a couple of severe flaws, however, most notably the underdevelopment of the main characters and the overly exploitative nature. You can somewhat expect a bit of gratuitous nudity and perversion in a movie about burning witches and corrupt magistrates, but the sequences in "Cry of the Banshee" – especially those during the first fifteen minutes – are quite degrading and misogynist. Price usually didn't star in that type of cinema. At certain moments it's actually noticeable that he doesn't agree with the raw undertones of his dialogs and he tries hard to give his character of sadist magistrate Edward Whitman more depth and background. He's the patriarch of a rich and spoiled family, and abuses his magistrate position to randomly accuse innocent women of witchcraft and subsequently submits them to public humiliation and torture. When he orders to slaughter half a coven of actual Satan worshipers, the lead witch Oona puts a curse on him and his family. Her vengeance is extracted through an acquaintance of the family, the eccentric stranger Roderick who communicates with animals, as he mutates into a banshee overnight. There are really a lot of sub plots with terrific potential, but sadly they're not elaborated. There are a lot of intrigues within the Whitman family, like the oldest son who distanced himself from his father and Edward's third wife feels more affection for Roderick than for her barbaric husband. Personally, I also would have preferred a little more info regarding the banshee itself. It's a fascinating creature, with nicely grim make-up effects and aggressive personality, but we don't know too much about its mythical background. The finale is brilliant, though, and there are several moments of sheer suspense and grisly medieval ambiance.

Another Terrible Horror Film From Gordon Hessler

[carolsco · 14 January 2000]

German/British director Gordon (Scream and Scream Again) Hessler once again proves that, even given exceptional talent in front of and behind the camera, he can only make the most unappealing and repulsive of films. He has all of the late, great Michael Reeves "talent" for showing the ugliness in this world without any of the intellectual power Reeves brought to the material to make such films facsinating and honorable.

With the exception of Terry (Monty Python) Gilliam's creative titles and the unique and misunderstood music added to the American release by Les Baxter, there is nothing else worthwhile about this abominable film.

Hard to Watch

[nickm3513 · 3/10 · 3 January 2020]

Gratuitous rape scenes and a terribly constructed plot... really there is nothing redeeming here. I usually like old, campy, Vincent Price movies, but not this one.

wails of approval

[movieman_kev · 6/10 · 27 April 2007]

The Monty Python-esgue opening credit sequence somehow doesn't fit with this tale about the decidedly NOT benevolent Lord Whitman (the late great Vincent Price), his quest to kill all those who practice witchcraft at the shock and horror of his wife, and the cursed fate that one of the surviving witches put upon him and his family.While certainly not Price's best work, it still remains very watchable. The film kinda lulls in the middle, but it starts to pick up again towards the end. I found the film to be very atmospheric and had good acting by all involved.

My Grade: C+

Eye Candy: Sally Geeson, Jane Deady, Quinn O'Hara, and Essy Persson get topless

"Look father, an open tomb. Let's see what's inside..."

[richardchatten · 2/10 · 28 February 2023]

Although the posters try to pass this film off as the latest Price/Poe, Edgar Allan's contribution is actually confined to just an opening quotation.

Easily the least of the films made by Vincent Price during his time in Britain, it's a poky little shambles that only Price's presence and Les Baxter's score indicates that AIP were involved, while Gordon Hessler's direction completely lacks the flair that Price's former collaborator Roger Corman brought to his adaptations of Poe.

The actual howl of the Banshee is satisfyingly spine-chiing, while the supporting cast contains the truly remarkable presence of a very young Michael Elphick, sixties sexploitation star Essy Persson and veteran silent diva Elizabeth Bergner as a crazy old head of a collection of Druids.

(The credits, by the way, are visibly the work of an ironically uncredited Terry Gilliam.)

Pretty good horror film.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 8/10 · 30 August 2004]

The puritanical magistrate Edward Whitman puts the followers of the witch Oona to the death,although he deliberately spares her.She swears vengeance for this and calls up a manifestation of the Banshee in the guise of the young,handsome Roderick.He charms his way into Whitman's family and starts killing them off,as though to all appearances by a horrific demon."Cry of the Banshee" is an underrated AIP effort that features plenty of nasty violence and gratuitous nudity.Director Gordon Hessler manages to create several genuinely spooky moments,so fans of atmospheric British horror won't be disappointed.Once again Vincent Price is amazing as a truly evil Lord Edward Whitman.The film is pretty obscure,but if you get the chance watch it.8 out of 10.

The old Druids and the religious witch hunters!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 18 March 2020]

The director Gordon Hessler explained on a interview how he makes this picture, searching on Britain islands all about witchcraft to put on the picture, when he exposes it to the producers they stayed upset, due they already sell the picture to American distributors as the early screenplay, Hessler could change it a nearest 10%, the picture starts on medieval era where the Church enforces a bloody pursuit on those legendary heathendom that coming from the ancient Britannia, quite acceptable, that a British people keeping alive this ancient tradition, the Whitman Clan leading by the evil Lord Edward (Vincent Price) applied without mercy the witchcraft eradication by torture and burning, it arouse the wrath of Oona the high priestess of the Druids on this bloody revenge, sadly Hessler couldn't put on movie all material collected on your research, will be great having another approaching given truthfulness to the picture, somehow it was great even put the things incorrectly as the puppets punctured by pins as shown, others elements indemnify such mistake, so many nudes scenes, a hard sexual exploitation, a mysterious creature, anyway a good movie!!

Resume:

First watch: 2012 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

Worthless Garbage

[baldwood · 1/10 · 30 March 2009]

Viewers beware, this movie is nothing but gruesome murders, satanic rituals, etc & has no redeeming entertainment value at all. The only good thing about this junk is that it ended...oh well. Vincent Price made many good horror flicks in the 50's & early 60's, but as the 60's wore on into the 70's many filmmakers began showing nudity, extremely graphic violence, and even scenes of satanic worship... Sickening! What a shame that this Edgar Allan Poe story was made into an x rated filth indulgence!! If you like Poe, Hawthorne or Vincent Price I recommend that you stick with pre-70's stuff as the 60's revolution culture bred lots of anything goes type stuff at the expense of quality story-telling. If you just want porn & gruesome blood spattering I bet you can find all you want at your local xxx shop.