Burn, Witch, Burn!, or Night Of The Eagle as it was released in Britain, is a 1962 film based on the novel Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber. Leiber’s 1943 story was then adapted for the screenplay by Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson and George Baxt. Alright. Those are some recognizable names. You expect good things from recognizable names. I won’t go in to the individual achievements of the three screenwriters here, suffice it to say you’d think something they’d worked together on would be mind-blowingly great. If you’d like to continue thinking that way, don’t watch this film. Or, better yet, watch it and explain to me what I missed because my opinion doesn’t seem to match with those who should know.
From the wikipedia article:
The New York Times called Night of the Eagle “quite the most effective ‘supernatural’ thriller since Village of the Damned” and perhaps the “best outright goose-pimpler dealing specifically with witchcraft since I Walked with a Zombie…in 1943.” and noted:
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Simply as a suspense yarn, blending lurid conjecture and brisk reality, growing chillier by the minute, and finally whipping up an ice-cold crescendo of fright, the result is admirable. Excellently photographed (not a single “frame” is wasted), and cunningly directed by Sidney Hayers, the incidents gather a pounding, graphic drive that is diabolically teasing. The climax is a nightmarish hair-curler but, we maintain, entirely logical within the context.
Are we talking about the same movie here? Even while putting aside my 2011 horror sensibilities, there are no frights in this movie. It is seldom even weird. It’s just kind of, well, up until the very end you could have replaced the allusions to witchcraft with another man, and had the ‘wife gets caught seeing another guy on the side’ kind of domestic melodrama. But I’ve gotten ahead of myself.
The movie opens with a black screen, and the distinctive voice of Paul Frees offering a few words to ward off the evil that may be attached to what we’re about to see. I fear his words may have worked too well: not only was there a disappointing lack of evil, but Mr. Frees seems to have chased away any notion of having a good time while watching it as well.
The story starts in the classroom, where psychology professor Norman Taylor is teaching his class about superstition, and the supernatural. Norman, being a learned man of science, doesn’t believe in any of it and tells the class all that is required to defeat the powers of the supernatural are four words, “I do not believe”. We’ll see about that Norman.
After learning his wife Tansy has been practicing witchcraft behind his back to assist his career, and protect him from harm, Norman demands she collect all her witchy accoutrements (dead spiders, vials of graveyard dirt, animal skulls, bells) and together they burn it all in the fireplace. Here’s when things start going south for old Norman Taylor.
After dodging a few close calls of various natures, Tansy becomes convinced Norman is in physical danger, especially since she is no longer practicing her protective magic. It turns out there are other witches running around, and Tansy takes action. Will they be able to defeat the forces of evil? Will Norman ever believe in the supernatural?
Who cares?
Burn, Witch, Burn! is an 87 minute wait. The opening spell cast by Paul Frees had me hopeful, but it was all going down the slide in slow motion from there. There are no scares here, and even those interested in witchcraft will be let down by the lack of any of that classic imagery. No pointy hats, no cauldrons, no mention of spells (other than the opening), nothing. The only thing tied to a stake and threatened here was my patience. In fact, there may have been more witchcraft performed in Bell, Book, And Candle. You know, that romantic comedy with Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak?
Maybe things were too subtle here for my taste. Or, maybe there was just nothing there. This is a horror movie for those who don’t like horror movies. It’s a ‘thriller’ that revolves around the nature of belief with a sprinkling of the supernatural. There’s nothing wrong with that if it’s what you’re after, but I’m still trying to figure out how they filled an hour and a half with it.
