Season of the Witch (1972)

After watching some holiday horror, I decided that I needed to go into the time machine and check out a classic. Growing up in the Pittsburgh area, no one was bigger than George Romero, his living dead series is woven into our fabric. While this one isn’t part of that series, it is one that I remember renting on VHS in my youth, 1972s Season of the Witch AKA Hungry Wives. 

Plot: A neglected, unhappy suburban housewife gets mixed up in witchcraft with unexpected consequences.

I know this one isn’t for everyone and it is likely one of Romero’s weakest entries, but there is something about that I love. Not a true horror film by any means, this one is more artsy and almost experimental within the confines of a dark, almost exploitative drama. There are occult overtones and multiple dream sequences that dive into more horror elements, but it is definitely nowhere near horror. The performances are solid and the ideas are there to outline what he was thinking, but it is a bit wordy and slow at times. The pacing does bring the film down, likely turning off many with the way it slowly builds. The technical aspects are rather good and overall it isn’t a terrible film. In the end, this one definitely isn’t Romero’s best work and won’t be for everyone, but it is worth watching at least once. Romero laid the foundation for horror as we know it today and he could have never achieved that without his early entries like this