“They’ll be blood, when it is time for blood.”
In the last two years there have been 8 women ritualistically murdered in the swamps of Louisiana. Some people believe there is a witch in the swamp. Dr. Ralph Hayes (Alvy Moore) and his team are there doing paranormal research. Hayes is a paranormal scientist who believes that something other worldly is going on and is determined to find out what. His team consists of Maggie (Shelby Grant), Owen (Tony Benson), Sharon (Robyn Millan) and a sensitive named Anastasia (Thordis Brandt), or Tasha for short. Along with them is a reporter, Victor Gordon (Anthony Eisley). The team rents a cabin at the edge of the swamp and settles in to do their research.
True to the rumors, the swamp is home to a warlock named Luther the Berserk (John Lodge). Luther is the head of a coven of witches. They have twelve members. Since the coven is supposed to have thirteen members, they are short one witch. Luther sees the beautiful Tasha and decides he wants to make her his thirteenth member. Luther plans on summoning the other witches in the coven and to indoctrinate Tasha on the next sabbat, Candlemas.
In order to initiate Tasha into the coven he needs help. The ritual needed must be performed by two people. Luther calls upon another member of the coven, Jessica (Helene Winston) to help him. In return he will give her back her youth and beauty. To give Jessica her youth back and to bring Tasha into the coven, Luther will need fresh blood. Fortunately, there are two other women in the cabin who are perfect for a blood donation.
“The Witchmaker” AKA “The Legend of Witch Hollow” AKA “Naked Witch” was released in 1969 and was written and directed by William O. Brown. It is an American horror film. The movie is a little on the obscure side having only had a limited run and never finding a cult following.
The movie is not great, but it has more atmosphere than the normal satanic film. The creepy fog laden bayou gives the movie a legitimacy that would not normally be found in a low budget “B” movie. The atmosphere is the best thing about the film. The acting is spotty, and the plot starts out as fascinating but ends up in a strange satanic orgy of clothed witches. There is no nudity in the film, even though there are some legitimate parts where it would be appropriate.
In the movie, Luther talks about the coven celebrating Candlemas. Candlemas is a Christian religious holiday. In Wicca the holiday is celebrated on February 1-2 and is referred to as Imbolic in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere it is known as Lammas. It is the half-way point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.