Witchfinder General(1968)
1968 · Michael Reeves · 87 min
England, 1645. The cruel civil war between Royalists and Parliamentarians that is ravaging the country causes an era of chaos and legal arbitrariness that allows unscrupulous men to profit by exploiting the absurd superstitions of the peasants; like Matthew Hopkins, a monster disguised as a man who wanders from town to town offering his services as a witch hunter.
Drama · History · Horror
6.5272 votes
TMDB score
4/5
Intensity
3/5
Gore
4/5
Stays with you
How Witchfinder General scares
The movie moves at a grim, steady pace, following a man traveling from village to village, and it never breaks into shocks or jolts along the way. Instead the dread builds quietly through cruelty, greed, and the abuse of power, with violence that feels ugly and real rather than staged for thrills. There are no ghosts or monsters here, just ordinary human cruelty dressed up in religion and law, which makes it hit harder and feel more upsetting than scary. It's a heavy, bleak watch best suited to viewers who want horror rooted in history and human evil rather than fright or fun.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, Witchfinder General rates psychological 4/5, visceral 4/5, gore 3/5, lingering effect 4/5, and overall intensity 4/5.
- Psychological: 4 of 5
- Visceral: 4 of 5
- Gore: 3 of 5
- Lingering: 4 of 5
- Intensity: 4 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 5 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 95 of 100 — leans Real-world
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 90 of 100 — leans Disturbing
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A grim, slow-building dread that steadily tightens its grip and turns punishing by the final stretch.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 4, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5.
How scary is Witchfinder General?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, Witchfinder General rates 4/5 — one of the more punishing watches in the catalog, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be moderately gory and genuinely disturbing. Expect it to stay with you for days.
Watched it? Sign in to confirm whether this profile fits.
