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Cry of the Banshee (1970)
Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1970
Running Times: 87 mins
Format: colour 35mm
Ratio:
Sound: mono
CREDITS
 PRODUCTION
Production Company: American International
Executive Producer: Gordon Hessler
Producers: Louis M. Heyward
Associate Producer: Clifford Parkes
SCRIPT
Script: Tim Kelly, Christopher
Wicking
Story: Tim Kelly
DIRECTION
Director: Gordon Hessler
Assistant Director: Ariel Levy
PHOTOGRAPHY
Lighting Cameraman: John Coquillon
Camera Operator: Les Young
Colour: Rank Film Labs
EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Oswald Hafenrichter
Assistant Editor: Ean Wood
MUSIC
Music: Wilfred Josephs
Conductor: Philip Martell
SOUND
Sound Mixer: Kevin Sutton
Dubbing Mixer: Peter Lodge
Dubbing Editor: Michael Redbourn
Sound System: RCA
MAKE-UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Tom Smith, Betty Blattner
Hair: Ivy Emmerton
Wardrobe: Dora Lloyd
SPECIAL EFFECTS
Titles: Terry Gilliam
DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: George Provis
Set Dresser: Scott Simon
Construction Manager: Bill Miller
OTHER SOURCES
Continuity: Zelda Barron
LOCATIONS
Locations: Middlesex, England, UK
CAST
The Establishment
Vincent Price (Lord Edward Whitman)
Essy Persson (Lady Patricia Whitman)
Hilary Dwyer (Maureen Whitman)
Carl Rigg (Harry Whitman)
Stephen Chase (Sean Whitman)
Marshall Jones (Father Tom)
Andrew McCulloch (bully boy)
Michael Elphick (Burke)
Pamela Moiseiwitsch (maid)
Joyce Mandre, Robert Hutton, Guy Deghy (party guests)
Witches
Elisabeth Bergner (Oona)
Patrick Mower (Roderick)
Pamela Farbrother (Margaret Donald)
Quinn O'Hara (Maggie)
Jane Deady (naked girl)
Villagers
Hugh Griffith (Mickey)
Jan Rossini (Bess)
Sally Geeson (Sarah)
Godfrey James (head villager)
Gertan Kaluber (tavern keeper)
Peter Benson (Brander)
Richard Everett (Timothy)
Louis Selwyn (apprentice)
Mickey Baker (rider)
Carol Desmond (girl)
Ann Barrass, Nancy Meckler, Hugh Portnow, Stephen Rea, Maurice Colbourne,
Dinah Stabb, Tony Sibbald, Neil Johnston, Rowan Wylie, Tim Thomas, Ron
Sahewk, Maya Roth, Philly Howell, Guy Pierce (villagers)
PLOT SUMMARY
In 16th century rural England, suspected witches
are hunted down and killed by the ruthless magistrate Lord Edward Whitman.
But the leader of the persecuted coven, Oona, gets her revenge when
she summons up a 'banshee' (no relation to the creature of Irish mythology)
in the shape of a lycanthropic young man, Roderick, who slaughters the
Whitman family one-by-one...
CAPSULE REVIEW
An extremely poor knock-of of the immeasurably superior
Witchfinder
General (1968). It begins well with
an incongruous title sequence animated by Monty Python's Terry
Gilliam but it's downhill all the way after that. Price does the best
he can with seriously sub-standard material, a disappointingly routine
script from the usual interesting Wicking, but he's the only real reason
to watch an otherwise tired and forgettable effort.
AVAILABILITY
UK
Video Distributor: Guild
USA
Theatrical Distributor: American International Pictures
Video Distributors: Home Box Office (HBO) Home Video; MGM Home Entertainment
Inc; Orion Home Video; Sinister Cinema
Laserdisc Distributor: Image Engineering Inc
DVD Distributors: MGM
(double bill with Murders in the Rue Morgue (1970))
CENSORSHIP HISTORY
Australia
Rating: R
Germany
Rating: 16
UK
Rating: X; 15
USA
Rating: R (for violence and nudity)
TIMELINE
1970
July
22: USA - theatrical release
2002
January
17: USA - television broadcast (on Showtime)
2003
April
15: USA - DVD release (MGM
(double bill with Murders in the Rue Morgue (1970)))
ALTERNATIVE TITLES
Satana in corpo - Italian title
Der Todesschrei der Hexen - German title
Zwiastun smierci - Polish title
POSTER TAGS
Edgar Allan Poe probes new depths of TERROR!
LINKS
SEE ALSO
Witchfinder General
(1968)
REFERENCES
MAGAZINES
Flesh and Blood no.2 pp.18-19 (UK)
credits, review
Halls of Horror no.27 p.19 (UK)
note
Monthly Film Bulletin January 1971 p.6
(UK)
credits, synopsis, review
Variety 5 August 1970 (USA)
credits, review
Video Viewer June 1983 (UK)
review
NEWSPAPERS
LA Times 18 September 1970 (USA)
review
BOOKS
Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies
1991 - 1992 p.84
credits, review
Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.81
credits
KEYWORDS
curses, revenge, werewolves, witches, witchfinders
Last Updated:
20 October, 2008
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