film review: virgin witch (1970)

VIRGIN WITCH (a.k.a. Lesbian Twins) (1970, released 1972)
Directed by Ray Austin, with Ann Michelle, Vicki Michelle, Keith Buckley, Neil Hallett.


Virgin Witch hails from an era when witchcraft was depicted as a new novelty in the world of swinging suburbia. The topic had already spawned several tabloidish sex paperbacks sold from the back pages of Continental Film Review. Filmmakers were also quick to get in on the act, the enigmatic Malcolm Leigh directed the documentary The Legend of the Witches (1969) while Wife Swappers auteur Derek Ford helmed Secret Rites (1971) a 47 minute featurette on self proclaimed ‘witch king’ Alex Sanders. Both these films were heavily promoted on the back of their nudity content, not unjustly, if the still sets are anything to go by the two reoccurring themes in the Ford film are bald men in face make-up and female pubic hair. This sub-genre also got its own magazine in Witchcraft, the ‘monthly chronicle of Horror, Satanism and the Occult’. Witchcraft was a mixture of surprisingly literate articles on vampires and witch hunting alongside pictorials of recognisable sexploitation actresses posed in satanic tableau. One article pricelessly entitled ‘Initiation into an Essex Coven’ features shots of swingers with blacks bars over their eyes to protect their identity and drawn on Y-fronts to protect their modesty. Virgin Witch replays the contents of an issue of Witchcraft within a traditional horror film narrative. It’s an early ‘Elton Hawke’ production; Hawke was the appropriately occult sounding pseudonym of Crossroads creator Hazel Adair and wrestling commentator Kent Walton.

‘Made on location in Surrey, England’ the film features Vicki and Ann Michelle as two girls fresh from the provinces looking to break into modelling. Despite warnings to avoid ‘backstreet photographers’, Ann goes to a casting call in which she’s required to go nude for the head of an advertising agency. In a gender twist the person in question isn’t some salivating bloke, but Sybil Waite (Patricia Haines) a stern and intimidating middle aged lesbian. Using her position of power to prey on young models, Sybil’s office is a veritable Bond villain set-up, full of gadgets designed to spy on girls undressing. Sybil insists on taking Ann’s measurements, all the while trying and failing to feign apathy with statements like ‘just for the record’. As a reward for playing along with the scenario Ann gets a modelling gig shooting a cider advert at a country house, Vicki tags along too.

The ad involves Ann sprawled naked over a car. Peter a sexually desperate looking photographer with a comb over snaps away trying to get the right shot. And there’s not a drop of cider in sight…. funny old game advertising. Getting ‘carried away’ Ann and Peter enjoy an amorous roll around in the grass much to the annoyance of Sybil. Peter is taken aback nay horrified to discover Sybil has a Sapphic eye on Ann ‘she’s a normal, healthy girl’ he protests. Sybil, who seems to go through the film with fixed scowl on her face, reminds Peter of his low end of the pecking order status within the household. If anyone’s getting their hands on the sisters during the weekend it’s either her or the house’s owner Dr Gerald Amberley ‘an authority’ on the subject of witchcraft played by the extremely likeable Neil Hallett. The inquisitive sisters eventually discover Gerald, Sybil and Peter are all part of a witch’s coven in which Gerald is the chief white witch. Over dinner Gerald reassures the girls that the coven only use their powers for good, dropping swinger expressions like ‘friendship’ and ‘give pleasure’ as other attributes to his lifestyle. Ann wants in on the sexy scene. As Gerald, Hallett is the epitome of the charming, non-threatening English gent with a raised eyebrow for the ladies. While Gerald is seemingly serious with regards to his lifestyle and religious beliefs you suspect stripping off and ‘initiating’ giggling virgins into the coven by having sex with them on altars have great appeal for the old fox as well.

A fairly mellow horror film (compare and contrast to Satan’s Slave shot several years later on the same country estate), Virgin Witch’s intensions aren’t far removed from that of the Hallett character. It has a shamelessly leery fixation on its lead actresses and is perfectly in touch with the Dirty Mac sensibility. The Michelle sisters spend most of the film in a state of undress or in a state of just about to get undressed. In rare occurrences when they are allocated a costume, it includes some of the shortest skirts in cinema history. Ann’s considerable coolness in handling advances from both genders means she’s much more than a mere sex object though. The need for a dramatic plot thread sees upstart Ann trying to knock Sybil off her position of power within the coven. Ann has hither to unsuspected psychic powers and uses them to naturally defend younger sibling Vicki against creepy men and give Sybil a taste of her own medicine. The film subscribes to the wishful fantasy of young vulnerable girls eventually gaining the upper hand over sexual predatorily casting agent types. It all ends with a psychic showdown between Ann and Sybil amidst the rest of the coven madly shagging away in the bushes. Virgin Witch was directed by Ray Austin, a former bit part actor of ‘bruiser’ appearance, who had helmed episodes of The Saint and Randall and Hopkirk Deceased. He approaches Virgin Witch very much like a horny ITC episode. His talent lay in creating atmosphere whether it’s the hero’s bright red sports car thundering down dark country roads, a blues music interlude, or the psychedelic flavoured orgies. Austin also shows a flare for offbeat compositions such as a scene framed by a milk float.

Very much directed from a heterosexual male perspective the film views lesbianism as somewhat abhorrent, yet hilariously at the same time has no hang ups with regards to young girls embracing the occult. Ann reacts to the news that she’s been accepted into the coven with all the hop, skip and a jump of a brownie who has just received her first badge. “Now I’m a witch, now I can please myself”, she tells a male acquaintance. The film was the first in the ‘Elton Hawke trilogy’ of Virgin Witch, Can You Keep It Up For a Week and Keep It Up Downstairs, three films loosely linked and greatly benefited by Neil Hallett’s reoccurring performances as the genre’s most suave and charismatic swinger. In turn the film also kick started Ann Michelle’s mini British horror film career, still a working actress she leaves Virgin Witch off her CV these days and refers to the film as an experience she doesn’t care to remember.

Text: Gavcrimson 2004
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