This is the kind of angry movie one expects from a young filmmaker (Michael REEVES) wanting to reveal the hypocrisy of the adult world.
The scapegoating indulged-in by failures and mediocrities is particularly well-presented and accurately portrayed by an actor (Vincent PRICE) who knows his craft. Rather than face life as men, the characters here choose to create a witchcraft menace that requires them to purge it by ultimately murdering people they simply do not like or agree with. Like all witch-hunts, it is the witch-hunter who is the incarnation of evil for the simple reason that the menace he loudly proclaims is no more than a paranoid/schizophrenic fantasy.
Needless to say, no proof is ever needed to convict anyone of witchcraft here except a negative feeling about someone - and that someone is then required to prove their innocence. However, since torture always produces confessions, no proof of witchcraft's existence is ever needed so the Ducking-stool only ever leads to execution. And since witch-hunting is quintessentially aimed at punishing women, the misogyny and gynophobia of PRICE's character is palpable throughout. Like all true believers, he endlessly tries to kill his conscience by killing those who know that he is, in fact, a sado-masochistic death-worshipper.
Inevitably, such behavior leads to the very corruption it is purportedly designed to alleviate since it is done to fleece the gullible (executions are chargeable on the rates) by exploiting their fear and ignorance. Like The Crucible and The Devils, the basis for such a sick culture is Christianity and its desire for earthly power when it has none of the spiritual kind.
The acting is very good - as in all the best British horror/historical movies and this is a fine example of making such a generic piece work by incorporating a convincing love story. The ultimate horror here is that not even the hero and heroine escape the insidious pseudo-ethical behavior on show since the cruelty is institutionalized. An angry film about something that should make one angry - especially when one realizes similar things occur today.
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