Burn, Witch, Burn

Overview

Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, and George Baxt adapted the Fritz Leiber novel "Conjure Wife" for this exciting and imaginative horror tale about a successful college professor who discovers that his wife has been practicing witchcraft to advance his career. When he destroys her occult paraphernalia in an attempt to make her stop her "foolishness," their lives start going to hell -- literally!

Product Details

Release Date:	05/17/2011
UPC:	0883904244561
Original Release:	1962
Source:	MGM
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[monaural]
Language:	English
Time:	1:29:00
Sales rank:	22,368

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Janet Blair	Tansy Taylor
Margaret Johnston	Flora Carr
Peter Wyngarde	Norman Taylor
Colin Gordon	Lindsay Carr
Anthony Nicholls	Harvey Sawtelle
Kathleen Byron	Evelyn Sawtelle
Reginald Beckwith	Harold Gunnison
Jessica Dunning	Hilda Gunnison
Norman Bird	Doctor
Judith Stott	Margaret Abbott
Bill Mitchell	Fred Jennings
Margaret Johnson	Actor
William Alwyn	Composer

Technical Credits

Charles Beaumont

George Baxter

Richard Matheson

George Baxt

Sidney Hayers	Director
Charles Beaumont	Screenwriter
George Baxter	Screenwriter
Richard Matheson	Screenwriter
Albert Fennell	Producer
George Baxt	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

A neglected little gem of a horror/psychological thriller, Night of the Eagle is a real find, especially for fans of the genre. Clearly not a big budget affair, Eagle makes its limited budget an asset, creating chills and tension through hints and nuances rather than special effects. (Indeed, Eagle is probably least effective when it makes the mistake of actually showing the titular bird of prey.) It's a humdinger of a scare flick, one which only rarely makes a misstep, and none of those are fatal by any means. Granted, Janet Blair's performance is a bit on the shrill and hysterical side and doesn't develop as much as one might like, but it works in context. Also, William Alwyn's score could have taken a more indirect approach in a few instances, could have created a greater effect by underplaying. Otherwise, there's nothing to complain about -- certainly not the spot-on direction from Sidney Hayers, which is in control from frame one and which is practically a textbook case in creating suspense and tension. (The inadvertent erasure of the word "not" on the blackboard in a crucial scene is especially well handled.) And the beautiful screenplay from a trio of writers with significant experience in the genre is simply marvelous, an improvement on the Fritz Leiber book in that it leaves wide open the room for doubt as to whether the events are the result of witchcraft or something else. Finally, Peter Wyngarde is all one could ask for as the likeable but egocentric professor whose belief system is given a work-out. Eagle is definitely a film worth searching out.