10 Obscure Folk Horror Movies You Need To Watch

Witchfinder General is as unashamedly dark as Satan's armpit.

Let us be clear from the offset: there is no genuine paranormal legend of folklore at play here, at least not a tangible one. What is instead depicted in the 1968 horror is are the most sinister offshoots of human personality conceivable, set against the backdrop of witch hunts in 1600s England.

Vincent Price throws himself utterly into his role as the abhorrent lead antagonist. Matthew Hopkins is an opportunistic sadist, who by little more than turn of circumstance, finds himself as the lead witch hunter for the region, conducting a campaign of barbaric terror against the local population. Together with his depraved assistant Stearne, the pair inflict a litany of appalling torture and sexual assaults on anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves in their path, shamelessly exploiting the country's folklore concerning witches to their own benefit.

Richard Marshall and his betrothed Sara are the protagonists who inevitably fight back against Hopkins and his twisted mission, to predictably horrifying results. Witchfinder General is a blood-soaked tale of revenge and the darkest aspects of human nature in one of the sub-genre's bleakest instalments, but remains a riveting watch nonetheless, utilizing folk horror's trademark use of the hauntingly beautiful natural landscape and a chilling score to great effect. It doesn't hurt that the performances of the cast are top notch as well; particular praise must be reserved for Price's unflinching embodiment of pure wickedness.