England is torn in civil strife as the Royalists battle the
Parliamentary Party for control. This conflict distracts people from
rational thought and allows unscrupulous men to gain local power by
exploiting village superstitions. One of these men is Matthew Hopkins,
who tours the land offering his services as a persecutor of witches.
Aided by his sadistic accomplice John Stearne, he travels from city to
city and wrenches confessions from "witches" in order to line his
pockets and gain sexual favors.
Vincent Price is marvelous in the sinister and creepy title role. His ruthless and calculated self preservation raises smiles from how easily he manipulates to get his wicked way, and it was apparently regarded as his own favorite horror performance. Sometimes thought of as a Hammer production, this film was actually made by Tigon and American International studios.
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