A pig plague, a sick boy, and villagers who'd rather blame a witch than science. British paranoia at its finest.
When a mystery illness infects the pigs of a village farmer and a local boy is also taken ill, the villagers try to convince a veterinarian that it is caused by a curse from a woman they believe to be a witch.
Acting
Bernard Lee's weathered, desperate farmer steals every scene.
Direction
Cooper builds unease through silences and suspicious glances.
Director
John Cooper
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of the BBC's 'Dead of Night' anthology series, this represents 1970s British television's fascination with folk horror following 'Witchfinder General' and preceding 'The Wicker Man's cultural saturation.
Bernard Lee—yes, M from the Bond films—took this role between 'The Man with the Golden Gun' and 'The Spy Who Loved Me', relishing the chance to play broken and desperate rather than bureaucratic.
GB
