The She Beast (1966)
Michael Reeve’s first and youthful foray into genre filmmaking, while admittedly hamstrung by the obvious constraints of a penurious budget and inexperience, still yields up considerable entertainment. ‘The She Beast’ is a zesty, vengeful yarn of bedeviled witchery that goes beyond it being merely the tentative opening salvo from the talented auteur of the soon-to-be-legendary ‘Witchfinder General’. Unlike many creaky horrors from the mid-sixties ‘The She Beast’ merits a re-visit not only for the other-worldly beauty of, Barbara Steele, but the almost pubescent, Reeves still manages to construct some luridly effective shock moments and generates a palpable gothic sensibility which remains timeless. Yes, one can easily to point out the obvious faults; but it’s far more amusing to kick back and enjoy all the frantic retributions of our lunatic, musili-faced witch. I will always have a soft spot for ‘The She Beast’ and it’s edifying to notice that it has generated a considerable cult of personality all of its own.
Tags: Reviews