Witchhammer

1970 [CZECH]

Action / Drama / History / Horror

11
IMDb Rating 7.7/10 10 3286 3.3K

trezorové filmy witch based on novel or book witch burning torture chamber witch trial

Plot summary

In the 1600s, an overzealous clergy hauls innocent women in front of tribunals, forces them to confess to imaginary witchery, and engages in brutal torture and persecution of their subjects.

Director

Otakar Vávra Photo
Otakar Vávra

Top cast

Jan Pohan Photo
Jan Pohan as (uncredited)
Jaroslava Obermaierová Photo
Jaroslava Obermaierová as Líza
Jirí Lír Photo
Jirí Lír as (uncredited)
Karel Belohradský Photo
Karel Belohradský as (uncredited)
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
980.48 MB
1280*538
Czech 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 46 min
Seeds ...
1.78 GB
1904*800
Czech 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 46 min
Seeds 21

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by derek-duerden 7 / 10

A Tough Watch

Whether we are talking about the real "witch trials" of the past, or alluding to more recent government (or other) uses of torture to advance or "prove" their causes, we quickly drift into very murky territory, IMHO. Even when used by a "good guy" such as Jack Bauer (in "24") to expedite things there's an inherent concern that, if people will say anything to escape the pain, then what's the point, and what is "proved"?As this film well illustrates - whether it's about Communism or Witches - the wider issues of power, greed and societal control can provide ample cause for those willing to go down that path. Personally, I found it a tough (and somewhat depressing) watch, even though there is sparing use of graphic violence - but enough to get the point and add to the escalating mood of oppression.Not for children, but otherwise recommended.
Reviewed by Octopussy78 8 / 10

I liked it more than any other movie about persecution of witches.

I have just seen the movie and I liked it more than any other movie about catholic persecution of witches. The last one I saw (and I think last one made) was The Crucible - that one wasn't bad, but I could not feel as much despair, corruption and that fear to speak up your mind as in this one. Kladivo na Carodejnice - with all the brutality, torture and all that injustice is real and very hard to forget. It is very well played and made. "Kladivo na Carodejnice" is a movie, that definitely catches your attention even when it's nearly 40 years old (not as if it was a bad thing)...that pathetic way in which some movies were made in 60's (I think it is about the lightning in these black&white movies) makes it look so threatening, so dark and sad....and so beautiful.
Reviewed by dmlucifer 9 / 10

Bleak, dark and allegorical

While the setting and the historical source of the movie is that of the late 17th century, don't be fooled, this is a movie about communism. More accurately, about the wretched logic the communist justice system has used to imprison and kill hundreds of people in the Czechoslovakian 50s. The forced confessions, self-accusal, torture and naming of innocent accomplices were all part of communist processes in which such as Milada Horáková perished.There are plenty of analogies in the movie which I don't intend to spoil. The atmosphere is crafted masterfully, giving the film a bleak and dark look and amplifying the effects of its story. The performances are very good, however I don't know how well does the original czech translate into the subtitles. What keeps this from being a 10 out of 10 is the pacing. In a certain point of the movie, the end becomes obvious and the rest is just a hammer that drives the nail of absolute despair into your brain.
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