Romero’s ‘Season of the Witch’ dabbles in occult
In his follow-up to Night of the Living Dead, iconic filmmaker George A. Romero turned his focus from flesh-eating zombies to witchcraft and the women’s movement. The result is Season of the Witch (also known as Hungry Wives and Jack’s Wife).
The 1972 film stars Jan White in an effective performance as a depressed housewife who dabbles in witchcraft. The audience first meets the character in one of her many dream sequences. She is running through the woods, while branches scratch her forehead, a baby crawls on the ground and the man in front of her eats an egg. As White says during the special features on the DVD, the film wears its message on its sleeve.
Joan Mitchell (White) is living a dull life consisting of social parties, annoying friends and an unsatisfying marriage. She can’t stand the monotony, and she wants out. Her chosen route of escape is through the occult. After meeting with a Tarot-card reader, Joan finds herself more interested in what it takes to be a witch.
Interestingly, the movie is a slow burn. The actual witchcraft doesn’t come until the end, and even then, it’s only a couple of rituals. Romero, who both wrote and directed the film, is much more interested in Joan’s meticulous disintegration. What is it that drives her to witchcraft? What does this woman do with her newly found freedom? The movie is as much about suburban malaise as it is about the rituals.
Joan is smitten by her daughter’s college professor and finds herself trying marijuana as well, but the draw of the witch proves too powerful. And she decides to commit fully to her transformation.
The final shot of the film is quite haunting, and although the movie itself is uneven, it leaves a lasting impression.
This is not Romero’s finest work. Much of the imagery is overwrought, and the acting is serviceable (White, who left show business after the movie, is actually quite good). What could feel like a cheap 1970s horror film earns some respect. In his films, Romero is obviously interested in masking some of his out-there plot elements with comments on culture, gender and society. He thankfully never hits the audience over the head with his asides, but they are always there.
Anchor Bay’s DVD of the film includes Romero’s second movie, There’s Always Vanilla. The special features are actually decent. There’s a career retrospective on Romero and an interesting behind-the-scenes interview with White. The story behind the movie’s name change (Hungry Wives, its original title, was too pornographic-sounding, White said) is fascinating.
For Romero fans, it’s worth a look. And, yes, Donovan’s title song is played during a montage.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
- Season of the Witch
- 1972
- Written and directed by George A. Romero
- Starring Jan White
- Running time: 130 minutes (though there are different versions)
- Rated R
- Rating:
Revised
