SGM Month of Halloween Horror Movie Double Feature for October 22, part I

"Halloween 2" (1981)/ "Witchfinder General" (1968)

"Halloween 2"

From the back of the box: “Picking up precisely where its predecessor left off, Halloween II follows the same ill-fated characters as they encounter the knife-wielding maniac they left for dead in the first Halloween. It seems the inhuman Michael Myers is till very much alive and out for more revenge as he stalks the deserted halls of the hospital where his sister lays waiting. As he gets closer and closer to his terrified target, Dr. Loomis discovers the chilling mystery behind the crazed psychopath’s savage actions. Written by horror masters John Carpenter and Debra Hill, Halloween II is a spine-tingling dark ride into the scariest night of the year.”

The haiku review
One, two, and seven
(Officially “H20”);
Abandon the rest.

What rocked: The scalding death scene is still pretty wicked.

What sucked: The recreation of the classic “Halloween” score that intrudes through almost every scene of this film.

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"Witchfinder General"

From the back of the box: “As superstition and fear sweet the Middle Ages, an educated rogue named Hopkins wanders from town to town proclaiming to be an official witch finder. Town leaders pay him to accuse and then execute – usually innocent – suspects. But when a brave soldier returns home to find his sweetheart on the rack, ready to burn, Hopkins realizes he may have whacked his last witch!”

The haiku review
The facts on witches:
They weigh the same as a duck.
Don't tell Mad Vinny!

Did you know? I have this book, an annotated guide to the films of Vincent Price, and according to this reference, Price and the director of "Witchfinder General" (a/k/a "The Conqueror Worm" in the US) hated each other. The director, Michael Reeves, wanted Donald Pleasance for the role of Matthew Hopkins, The Witchfinder, but the studio wanted Price.

The American title - "The Conqueror Worm" - was chosen due to the box office strength that Price's Poe films with Roger Corman had; the film has very little to do with Poe's poem of the same name.