In folklore and mythology, witches are often depicted as powerful and malevolent beings who use their magic for evil purposes. They are typically portrayed as being born from human parents, but there are also tales of witches that originated from other sources. One such origin story is that of the witch who came from the sea. In this legend, the witch is said to have been born from the union of a mortal man and a mermaid. The man, a fisherman, fell in love with the beautiful mermaid when he saw her sitting on a rock by the shore. He was mesmerized by her enchanting voice and her otherworldly beauty, and the two soon began a secret affair.
This article inaugurates a regular series of contributions on genre by April Wolfe. Matt Cimber’s The Witch Who Came from the Sea (1976) is distinctly American horror, not just in its content but in how it came to be—born from desperation. Writer Robert Thom drafted the script in a manic haze from his hospital bed, an IV drip needled into his vein. Thom had grown very ill, and his then-wife, actor Millie Perkins, was struggling to pay his hospital bills. They were destitute and stressed, and the only thing Thom could do was write. So he conjured a story, half-torn from Perkins’ own childhood with a doting sailor father and half from his own fraught childhood, with a pinch of psychological horror tropes to spice it up. Whatever would sell it; they needed the money for healthcare. Perkins agreed to star in the film for a fee that would go to her husband’s hospital bills, but the script and the story—about a disturbed woman reeling from sexual abuse, who seduces then castrates men—embarrassed her. Perkins’ sister even chastised her for allowing a script that could sully their father’s honor to be written. And because Perkins would be required to get nude and act in sex scenes, she was so ashamed that she told no one else about it. “I didn’t want anyone to know I did a softcore movie,” she said. “That’s what I called it then.” The Witch Who Came from the Sea was so far from where Perkins had started. She’d made her critically lauded screen debut in George Stevens’ The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) and from that performance was destined to be a star, but the independent actress had come to the Hollywood seemingly a few years too early, when the studio system was still chaining their starlets to projects without consent. Ironically, the studios dropped her after she’d turned down a role in what she’d called a “B movie,” and a decade later she finally had to swallow her pride to make Witch. The whole process of filming became deeply humiliating for her. Aside from the money, the only reason she stayed was because Cimber and crew put her on a pedestal; Perkins was what Cimber and cinematographer Dean Cundey called a “real actress,” rare for exploitation pictures. Despite the sensationalist premise of the film, there remains a certain class and sophistication to its execution, buoyed by Perkins’ performance, which treats the material as highbrow Greek tragedy, rather than lurid exploitation. As Molly, an enigmatic barmaid who often plays cool aunt to two nephews, Perkins exudes a curious combination of fragility and strength. She oscillates from childlike naïf to a razor-wielding murderess—there is more than a little of Lady Macbeth in the latter turns. Perkins’ performance balances on a knife’s blade, and part of the thrill of watching her, here, is in wondering which side Molly will fall on in any one scene, not unlike Anthony Perkins’ work in Psycho. Both characters display a broken innocence, so that one may abhor their acts, even as one wishes to protect them. As Cimber stated in pre-production: “If [Perkins] could maintain that warmth as a person and slaughter people, I have a film.” If it were simply Perkins out there on her own, the film would have been complete enough, but even minor players in the cast step up to their lead’s levels. Character actor Lonny Chapin, who’d been a staple on TV dramas and worked with Alfred Hitchcock multiple times, brought a quiet gravitas to his character Long John, a barman in a seaman’s cap whose gentle voice and compassion ground the story. And then there’s Peggy Feury, who was coaxed out of retirement to play a bit part as Doris, a judgy, chatty-Cathy waitress and coworker of Molly’s. Feury had been and was still a prominent teacher and art director at the Actors’ Studio, instructing actors such as Michelle Pfeiffer, Anjelica Huston, and Sean Penn. She was coaching most of the major actors in Hollywood at that time and turned down the role repeatedly until it became easier to say yes to Cimber than to keep hanging up the phone. Every dry, acerbic line Feury delivers as Doris cuts deeply. She acts simultaneously as comic relief, Greek chorus, and little devil on Molly’s shoulder. Cimber, who’d built his career on outsider exploitation pictures and who would later go on to found G.L.O.W., benefitted from a charismatic personality that seemed to sweep talented collaborators into his orbit. One of those was Cundey, then a young go-getter who came to Cimber with the promise of a hookup for anamorphic lenses. The wide-angle lenses allowed Cundey to set up long shots, tracking and panning throughout, which kept Cimber on budget—fewer setups—and created the fluid, dreamlike visual style of the film. The pacing is often so pleasantly slow that the horror of what Molly will do isn’t immediately apparent until it’s actually happening. And even then, the camera stays steady, as though we are in sleep paralysis, simply floating around her and unable to awake from the dream. Before Witch, Cundey had only a few features under his belt, but he’d also shown a willingness to venture into the experimental and abstract, particularly with the low-budget horror film So Evil, My Sister, which featured camerawork that strove to put the audience into characters’ fractured and warped points of view. Here, he uses selective slow-motion and techniques like color-negative film for mystical vignettes, where we see Molly on a raft, being swept to sea. It’s difficult not to overstate what Cundey learned as a young cinematographer, shooting this low-budget exploitation pic, but two years after completing Witch, Cundey was shooting Halloween (1978) and using the same atmospheric long shots. Flash forward even further, and he’s working with John Carpenter and Steven Spielberg on some of the most advanced, experimental special and visual effects that had ever been created. The Witch Who Came from the Sea, for all its shock value and murders, is probably one of the more sensitive portrayals of mental illness and PTSD and possibly bipolar disorder in a horror film of the time, in that the character’s full history and personality is on display. Molly is not simply a one-dimensional killer; she’s a complex human whose close friends and family write off her quirkiness, rather than seek help for her. But she is beloved and at times fiercely caring and maternal. And there’s a fair bit of truth in how she idealizes the father who molests her, rewriting her own history as a coping mechanism until the truth catches up with her, and she is overcome by rage. The only unrealistic part is the resultant murder and mutilation. That The Witch Who Came from the Sea failed to find its audience upon release has much to do with its rating and marketing. Cimber battled it out with the ratings board. He said the women there were vehemently resistant to the suggestion of childhood sexual abuse depicted in the film, even though nothing is actually seen in the film. He said one woman angrily said, “Whatever gave you the idea that you could put this on film?” He was genuinely confused, finding this film to be one that actually had artistic merit and something to say, but chalked up the reaction to “a purity holdover.” He said, “Nobody back then ever dealt with [trauma]. These subjects never belong in movies. Movies are entertainment.” Unfortunately, marketing a horror movie that was primarily a serious character drama proved difficult at the time. Some theaters in the South began showing their own cuts of the film, slimming down the drama to get to the blood and terror. Even then, they had difficulty drawing a crowd until Cimber released a new, and misleading, poster, featuring a buxom warrior-witch straddling a craggy rock, a scythe in one hand and a bloody, severed head in the other. This was the epitome of false advertising and may have helped a bit with the box office but not with the reviews. Today, The Witch Who Came from the Sea has gained more positive reactions, putting it in the discussion of other lauded hysterical-woman art films, like Repulsion, Possession, and The Brood, which are themselves finding critical re-examination as directors like Jennifer Kent (The Babadook), Julia Ducournau (Raw), and Sophia Takal (Always Shine) re-invent the genre. Witch, however, still stands apart as an original, a mind-bending descent into madness with all the empathy that could ever be mustered for the trip. April Wolfe is formerly lead critic for LA Weekly. She currently hosts the Switchblade Sisters podcast, and has written for the Village Voice, AV Club, the Washington Post, and The Wrap.
He said the women there were vehemently resistant to the suggestion of childhood sexual abuse depicted in the film, even though nothing is actually seen in the film. Robert Thom s script also makes television a central piece of the film, particularly its manipulative power; an incredibly fitting theme for the time.
He was mesmerized by her enchanting voice and her otherworldly beauty, and the two soon began a secret affair. Their love was forbidden, as humans and mermaids were not meant to be together. The man's fellow fishermen warned him of the dangers of his relationship with the mermaid, but he was too infatuated to listen.
Why The Witch Who Came from the Sea is my favourite Video Nasty
Matt Cimber’s tragic tale achieves a depth and symbolism not commonly found in exploitation films of its time.
A lthough released in 1976, Matt Cimber’s The Witch Who Came from The Sea gained widespread attention in 1984 when the Director of Public Prosecution put it on the ‘Video Nasties’ list, censoring and banning it in the UK from the public. That being said, unlike most of the other films of its ilk that made the list, The Witch Who Came from The Sea has very little gore in it. While the film does have explicit nudity, it shrinks into oblivion when combined with the excruciatingly horrifying and realistic themes it delves into.
Fresh from her well-received role as Anne Frank, Millie Perkins plays Molly, a single woman who adoringly dotes on her two nephews. She paints a romanticized memory of her sailor father, idolizing him to be just as noble as the celebrities they admire on television, before ultimately dying at sea. Her sister Cathy (Vanessa Brown) gently reminds Molly that this is not exactly what happened, with the reality being that their father repeatedly inflicted sexual abuse on her, which we discover through sickening flashbacks and hallucinations.
In what turns out to be a unique way of resolving her frustrations from her traumatic past, Molly begins seducing men that society has deemed heroic (Hollywood stars, sports figures) and having her way with them before castrating and killing them, only to wake up with little to no recollection of what had happened. As we weave throughout Molly’s tragic tale, her blackouts begin to feel more real – a self-realization of her own mental illness.
While some of its ‘nasty’ contemporaries such as I Spit on Your Grave had a much more black and white rape-and-revenge approach to exploitation horror, The Witch Who Came from The Sea is distinctive for several reasons. If we’re being honest, in most cases exploitation flicks are light on the plot. The gore and nudity are essential to a ‘nasty’ and usually serve the sole purpose of titillating their audience. In the case of The Witch Who Came from The Sea, the film features not only a Freudian lens, but is riddled with mythological symbolism. Further, Molly’s harrowing past and nurturing disposition evoke sympathy and pity – emotions that the viewer misses out on in regular grindhouse entries.
Robert Thom’s script also makes television a central piece of the film, particularly its manipulative power; an incredibly fitting theme for the time. Molly’s murders are triggered by commercials and conversations about celebrities, as she’s immersed in the television’s power of idealizing masculinity in society. This mirrors her fractured memories of watching TV as a child to tune out her father’s abuse – resulting in her romanticized view of TV’s finest icons. At one point she tells one of her suitors, “television makes people so much kinder, doesn’t it?” Molly openly idolizes these picture-perfect men after seeing them on TV, parallel to her idealized view of her abusive father. Once she seduces them and they turn out to be subpar, she kills them, taking their manhood in the process.
Thom’s clever references to classical mythology in the script, along with constant metaphorical references to the sea also add a poetic element separating The Witch Who Came from The Sea from its generic ‘nasty’ brethren. We find out that the sea itself is a euphemistic term Molly’s father used to describe the sexual abuse, telling her they’ll get “lost at sea” together. At another point, we see Molly gazing intently at a reproduction of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, with one of her male admirers explaining the myth to go with it. She learns Venus’ “father was a god” who got thrown into the sea and castrated, “knocking up the sea and Venus was the kid.”
It is with this painting that Thom wraps a neat bow on the carnage that surrounds the movie, tying the theme of emasculation that so very evidently runs throughout the film. It is also to be noted that classical mythology had very gendered monsters, many of which were female. Sirens, for example, were described as birds with the heads of women, luring sailors close to shore before killing them. The overt sexuality that Molly possesses is what makes her very desirable to her suitors – yet lethal. This archetype of the deadly female would prove to dominate horror cinema in years to come.
The key theme of disillusioning oneself between fantasy and reality, particularly through media and television, still rings true to this day, in a time we’d rather be staring at a screen than facing our own ugliest realities. A tragic character study on the aftermath of childhood abuse and an examination of celebrity worship was unfortunately marketed as a horror film and wrongfully dismissed. At the end of the day, The Witch Who Came from The Sea is not a cinematic masterpiece by any means, but an intelligent film that deserves more credit than the genre it was placed in and worth a watch as a little-known psycho-slasher gem of the late ’70s.
I was enjoying it but I did fall asleep. Usually I'd say that's on me, not the movie. But I think in this case the movie should take a single percent of the blame. I will never take less than 99% of the blame, that's the Branson Promise. If I forget about this promise later on down the line shut your fucking mouth.
One night, their forbidden love led to the birth of a baby girl. The child was a half-human, half-mermaid creature, with the ability to live both on land and in the sea. As the girl grew older, she became aware of her unique powers and started using them to her advantage. She could control the weather and the tides, and could even cause ships to sink with just a wave of her hand. Her beauty was unmatched, and many men fell under her spell. However, her heart was cold and devoid of compassion. She used her powers to manipulate and control those around her, causing chaos wherever she went. The people of the nearby villages soon came to fear and despise the witch. They saw her as a threat to their way of life, and began to blame her for any misfortune that befell them. It was said that she had made a pact with dark forces, and had become a vessel of evil. Legends arose of the witch's origins, with some stories claiming that she was a cursed mermaid who had been banished from the undersea kingdom. Ultimately, the witch's reign of terror came to an end when a brave young man stood up to her. He saw through her facade of beauty and power, and recognized the darkness that lay within her. With the help of his allies, he devised a plan to defeat the witch and break her hold on the village. It was a difficult battle, but in the end, they were successful in vanquishing her and restoring peace to the land. The legend of the witch who originated from the sea serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked power and the consequences of forbidden love. It reminds us that beauty can be deceiving, and that true inner beauty comes from kindness and compassion. The witch may have been born from the sea, but it was her actions and choices that defined her as a character..
Reviews for "The Sea Witch: A Tale as Old as Time"
1. John - 2 stars
"The Witch That Originated from the Sea" was a complete disappointment for me. The film lacked a cohesive plot and relied too heavily on shock value and graphic content. The characters were poorly developed, making it hard to connect or empathize with any of them. Additionally, the pacing was incredibly slow, causing the movie to drag on and lose my interest. Overall, I found it highly unengaging and would not recommend it to others.
2. Sarah - 1 star
I watched "The Witch That Originated from the Sea" expecting a thrilling horror film, but I was left feeling deeply disturbed and disgusted instead. The excessive violence and grotesque scenes were unnecessary and seemed to be included purely for shock value. It overshadowed any potential storyline or character development, leaving me feeling unsatisfied and disturbed. If you are looking for a tasteful and enjoyable horror movie, this is definitely not the one.
3. Mike - 1 star
I cannot believe I wasted my time watching "The Witch That Originated from the Sea". The film was poorly made, with amateurish acting and a confusing plot. The supposed horror elements were more disgusting than scary, and I found myself cringing at the unnecessary gore. The whole experience was unpleasant and left me with a feeling of regret. Save yourself the time and avoid this movie at all costs.