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Ansiktet [The Face / The Magician] (Ingmar Bergman, 1958)
Jul
14
Granny Vogler (Naima Wifstrand) telling a sobbing Sara (Bibi Andersson) that yes, she may indeed be a witch. DP: Gunnar Fischer.
“I see what I see, and I know what I know. But nobody believes me.”
– Granny Vogler
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Misterios de la magia negra [Mysteries of Black Magic] (Miguel M. Delgado, 1958)
Apr
12
Two well-dressed women, one of them prostrated on a stone slab. DP: Víctor Herrera.
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Bell Book and Candle (Richard Quine, 1958)
Mar
12
Gillian Holroyd (Kim Novak) and her Siamese, Pyewacket. DP: James Wong Howe.
“I sit in the subway sometimes, on buses, or the movies, and I look at the people next to me and I think… 'What would you say if I told you I was a witch?'”
– Queenie
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The City of the Dead (John Llewellyn Moxey, 1960)
Mar
3
Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson), exploring. DP: Desmond Dickinson.
– Burn witch, burn witch, burn!
– Dig that crazy beat, man.
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Hexen bis aufs Blut gequält [Mark of the Devil] (Michael Armstrong + Adrian Hoven, 1970)
Nov
28
cheese
A very young, very pretty Udo Kier seated at a dinner table. There are various fruits on a platter and Udo's eating cheese. His outfit suggests the 18th century. DP: Ernst W. Kalinke.
“I accuse you of having trampled on the cross, of having ridden to the Sabbath, of throwing the Holy Cross of our Saviour into manure so that the skies grew dark, and the rain fell upon the earth!”
– Albino
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Kladivo na čarodějnice [Witchhammer] (Otakar Vávra, 1970)
Oct
19
apples
A woman in a tub lustfully bites into an apple, presented to her by a giddy maid. A second maid replenishes the bathwater. DP: Josef Illík.
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Il demonio [The Demon] (Brunello Rondi, 1963)
Oct
6
exorcism
While several men hold her down, Purif (Daliah Lavi) sticks out her tongue to the crucifix held up to her. DP: Carlo Bellero.
[A favourite] exorcism film*
“Blood of Christ. Demon. A curse upon this man. A curse that he will never forget me. Blood of my body. Until the grave. A curse that he will never forget me.”
– Purificazione
When a rejected young woman puts a curse on her heart's desire, the locals see nothing less than witchcraft. It is decided that Purif must be possessed, and exorcised.
* the Bales 2025 Film Challenge for October is horror-themed as opposed to date-based, and is all about favourites. Expect non-horror and films I believe to be relevant instead.
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La strega in amore [The Witch] (Damiano Damiani, 1966)
Sep
27
We, the viewer, sit at the head of a long table. Two women at the tall ends of the table stop eating to look at us. It's ominous. DP: Leonida Barboni.
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Äppelkriget [The Apple War] (Tage Danielsson, 1971)
Sep
17
National Apple Dumpling Day
Locals and a centaur – half man, half papier-mâché – enjoy a drink. DP: Lars Swanberg.
– What are you gonna do with tons of apples? They can't be sold! Ask any apple farmer! They just pile up and rot!
– The apple farmers?
– No. The apples!
A beautiful, picturesque part of Sweden will become… Deutschneyland! At least, that's the brilliant business plan Herr Volkswagner has. But the local apple farmers – a large family that's half human, half mythological creatures – have no need for an amusement park on their grounds.
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Libahunt [Лесная легенда / Werewolf] (Leida Laius, 1968)
Jan
13
soup
A dinner table shown from above. Several people, we mainly see their hands and wooden spoons, eat from a hand-carved bowl. DP: Algimantas Mockus.