The Witches (1966)
"Give me a skin for dancing in"
Joan Fontaine gives an excellent performance as a teacher haunted by the ghosts of witch doctors from her time in Africa, when she takes a job as headmistress at a school in a sleepy English village.
Hammer's Occult thriller is quite low key, lacking much in the way of exploitation and luridness which allows a creeping air of menace to envelop proceedings.
The story unfolds at an almost leisurely pace and is focused on performances with the likes of Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies as Granny Rigg practically screaming "Witch" at the viewer. Scripted by Nigel Kneale, it's depiction of witchcraft in rural England makes the film an early example of British folk horror.
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