Leofwine_draca THE WITCH WHO CAME FROM THE SEA is one of the films caught up in the UK's video nasties craze, where it was banned for many years due to the objectionable content. Thankfully that was long in the past and the film is now readily available both online and in the shops via a pristine Blu-ray print. As with many of these so-called video nasties, the most interesting about it is the controversy surrounding it, because it really isn't a very good film.This is a slow, psychological drama about a woman going out of her mind. The main actress, Millie Perkins, was well known for playing the title role in 1959's THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK; it's quite a difficult and challenging role for her to play here but she does a pretty convincing job, as you can fully believe that there's madness lurking behind those bright blue eyes. The supporting cast are much worse, and rather amateurish, but 99% of the film is focused on Perkins alone so that's not too big a problem.No, the main issue with THE WITCH WHO CAME FROM THE SEA is the slow nature of the script, which is given to introspection and the occasional outburst, but really isn't very interesting. The writer had the opportunity to get to the real heart of the matter by crafting an intense character study, but instead everything gets dragged out so that they can do a big reveal at the end instead. It doesn't work very well. The controversy comes from some graphic flashback sequences dotted through the narrative; the early threesome gone awry is wince-inducing indeed, but the childhood flashbacks are truly sickening due to what they reveal. As a result this is the kind of grubby film that makes you long for a shower after viewing.

HumanoidOfFlesh Millie Perkins is a disturbed young woman plagued by disturbing visions.She hates men and castrates them because she was the victim of incest during her childhood."The Witch Who Came from the Sea" is a strange and moody exploitation flick with dream-like atmosphere and strong symbolism.Millie castrates two popular football players in fantastically oneiric sequence of sexual violence.The film is slow-moving and deeply unpleasant character study of woman's torment.The central performance of Millie Perkins is fantastic as is the supporting cast.If you are into beautiful and highly subversive 70's US horror you can't miss this oddity.8 mermaids out of 10.

Witchfinder General 666 Before seeing "The Witch Who Came From The Sea" I only knew the pictures on posters and DVD covers, and that it was once on the BBFC's Video-Nasty list. I thought I was about to see a fast-paced and trashy gore-fest, but the film turned out to be quite the opposite of what I had expected. This is a rather slow-paced, weird, disturbing and also quite complex psychological Horror film whose reputation of being pure sleaze is more than unfair. Sure, the film is explicit and often engrossing in its depiction of sexual violence, but this is not the point of the film. This is vastly underrated film with a main focus on the psyche of its protagonist.Molly (Millie Perkins), who works in a sailor's tavern in a small New England nest, copes with her emotional stress by playing with her beloved nephews, and by drinking. She tells her nephews stories about their 'heroic' grandfather, a sailor, who was really a drunk child-molesting scumbag who had no scruples to abuse his own little daughter to gratify his sexual perversions. But her drinking habit is not Molly's only way of coping with her traumatic past, as the emotionally distressed woman's sex life begins to show murderous tendencies...Millie Perkins delivers a great performance as the Molly, a woman who, in spite of becoming murderous herself, is always mainly a victim. Lonny Chapman is also very good in the role of Long John, the tavern-owner, who is both a fatherly friend and a lover to Molly. The film is full of complex and interesting characters, and the photography is great. The flashbacks to Molly's terrible childhood are sad, shocking and hard to digest. Some people's desire to advocate censorship is mainly inspired by the idiotic assumption that any form of explicit on-screen violence will lead to real-life violence. "The Witch Who Came From The Sea" is a film that shows violence in a disturbing way that could in no way be misunderstood as glorifying. The fact that it was ever put on the Video Nasty list is the perfect proof for the idiocy of film-censors world wide. The film may have a few flaws, but its qualities are definitely predominant. Slow-paced and yet often shocking "The Witch Who Came From The Sea" is an underrated, disturbing and compelling psychological Horror drama that I highly recommend.

ThrownMuse Millie Perkins goes from "Anne Frank" to totally whacked-out in this strange drama about a mentally disturbed chick who can't differentiate between fantasy and reality. If you're a beach-dwellin', speedo-wearin' football playin' beefcake, you're going to want to stay far away from this little lady. The DVD cover-art makes this look like a 70s fantasy-type movie, but it's really an exploration of an abused woman's madness. It's wickedly fascinating and tackles some themes that are risqué, even by 70s horror standards. If you're looking for graphic violence, this isn't for you, but any fan of psychological horror should get a kick out of this one.