Saturday, April 16, 2022

Witchcraft '70 (1970)

 'Witchcraft '70' is a "gonzo documentary" on witchcraft, the occult, new age hippie cults, and for some reason cryonics. For those who don't know the "gonzo documentary" is a genera that grew out of Italy, this film for example is Italian, that presents sensationalistic and fictional material in a faux documentary format. So in 'Witchcraft '70' they will present scenes from a naked Satanist wedding ceremony, but there will be 'journalistic style' narration played over it so as to provide you the veneer of an excuse for watching it, this isn't prurient, this is serious news I need to know about this. 

This film itself however hardly even bothers to keep up the pretense after the first twenty minutes or so, because everyone "interviewed", regardless of where in the world they are supposed to be from, is speaking fluent Italian. The film seems to have appropriated footage from other projects because there are sequences with the Krishna's or Anton LeVay that feel lifted from semi legitimate journalist or documentary efforts. Every bit of audio in this is dubbed over, there is no real ambient noise anywhere in this thing. 

The movie's not good, but it's interesting as a curiosity. **

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