Superstition (The Witch) (1984)

41% of users liked it
(364 ratings)

Flamboyant, giallo-style gore effects are the only highlight of this otherwise pedestrian supernatural horror film, which was originally filmed in 1981 as The Witch and shelved for four years, before it experienced a mild midnight-movie revival in the wake of The Evil Dead's success. The ghastly… More Flamboyant, giallo-style gore effects are the only highlight of this otherwise pedestrian supernatural horror film, which was originally filmed in 1981 as The Witch and shelved for four years, before it experienced a mild midnight-movie revival in the wake of The Evil Dead's success. The ghastly goings-on begin when a clergyman (Larry Pennell) and his family move into an eerie mansion built near the lake where a powerful local witch was drowned four centuries earlier. It soon becomes evident that the spirit of this evil sorceress, whose powers have increased exponentially after her death, is not content with conducting the standard haunted-house scare tactics, and the bodies begin to pile up at an incredible rate. (These audacious death scenes peak with one poor soul's dismemberment courtesy of a flying circular saw.) When a homicide detective (Albert Salmi) and a minister (James Carl Houghton) discover the cause of the macabre mayhem, they prepare to conduct an exorcism (in the mode of The Amityville Horror), much to their own peril. Overblown performances, a scatter-shot screenplay, and hilariously messy gore effects make this movie impossible to take seriously, but it does have a certain tacky charm. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 25 min.
Directed By: James W. Roberson, James Roberson
Written By: Galen Thompson
Genres: Drama, Horror

In Theaters: Aug 26, 1982 Wide
On DVD: Oct 10, 2006
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com
If you're in the mood for a low-budget 80s curio with pretty good practical effects and inventive death scenes, Superstition is worth sitting a spell.
Scott Weinberg, DVDTalk.com
45 seconds of half-decent gore mired in a movie so lifeless it's almost scary. Almost.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Tim S

A hidden gem amongst horror films. It's definitely not perfect and it's filled with plot holes, but it's got some balls and you can't say that about all horror films of the era it came out in. First of all, everybody gets it in this one. The young, the… More
A hidden gem amongst horror films. It's definitely not perfect and it's filled with plot holes, but it's got some balls and you can't say that about all horror films of the era it came out in. First of all, everybody gets it in this one. The young, the old...even the priests. Several of the death sequences in this are spectacular, as is the soundtrack. This movie definitely reeks of an Argento rip off. Everything from the rock and roll score, the camera angles and moves, and even right down to the subject matter...it's got Dario Argento written all over it. I do believe this was intentional. If not, it's an astounding coincidence. Regardless, it still holds your interest all the way through. It has genuine jumps and scares and really delivers on the violence and gore. I can't believe this isn't a more popular underground film. It's a real shame because this one could be a great midnight circuit player. Definitely check it out if you can find it.