The Witchfinder General

The village church is these days associated with everything that is benign and reassuring about the English countryside. But in this film these churches are illuminated by a different context - that of brutal persecution in the name of God. In ''Witchfinder General'', the churches stand as cold, amoral witnesses to the executions of the innocent, the stripping of their familiar sentiment accentuating the horror of the witch trials taking place around them.

There''s something else noticeable in these scenes. The crowd of onlookers is not, as is so often portrayed in the movies, a bloodthirsty mob but a gathering of solemn, scared witnesses. It rings far truer, and it is this thoughtful, considered approach to its themes that sets this film apart, and gives it the same intellectual weight as ''The Wicker Man''. ''Witchfinder General'' is a powerful, despairing picture of mankind, and a classic movie of the horror genre.

It is the C17th, the time of the English Civil War. Cromwell''s soldiers patrol the land, recently won from the Royalists, and magistrates are given the responsibility and power of hunting down witches throughout England. The film focuses on the monstrous campaign of one of those magistrates, Matthew Hopkins, and how soldier Richard Marshall attempts to stop his reign of terror.

Hopkins, played by Vincent Price (who imbues the character with a genuine air of menace in perhaps the finest performance of his career) goes from village to village, torturing confessions out of the innocent and executing them as witches. The trials are portrayed with brutal realism, the realism enhanced by the sharp dialogue which gives characters lines that sound both natural and of their time.

Meanwhile, soldier Richard Marshall (Ian Ogilvy) deserts his post to avenge Hopkins'' evil deeds and bring him to justice. He is presented as the impassioned hero, willing to risk court martial for the sake of his wife and her father - a triumph of love over fear, and the very antithesis of Hopkins. An interesting premise, and one that sets the scene for a gripping battle between good and evil.

But what makes this film so special is that avoids such easy black and white distinctions. There is saying: ''He who fights with dragon, risks being poisoned by his spittle''. It is the message of this film - that power corrupts not only those that wield it, but those it is wielded against. It is a conclusion hinted at from the outset, but branded with searing intensity into the nihilistic final scene, a scene which assures this film the longevity it deserves.