Simon, King of the Witches

Simon, King of the Witches is a 1971 American exploitation horror film directed by Bruce Kessler and starring Andrew Prine. The film centers on the title character as he attempts to become a god through magic rituals.

Simon, King of the Witches
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBruce Kessler
Produced byJoe Solomon
Written byRobert Phippeny
StarringAndrew Prine
Music byStu Phillips
CinematographyDavid L. Butler
Edited byRenn Reynolds
Production
company
Fanfare Films Inc. (United States)
Astral Films (Canada)
Distributed byFanfare Films Inc.
Release date
  • 1971 (1971)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Simon Sinestrari (Andrew Prine), a cynical ceremonial magician, is on a quest to become a god. Simon is living in a storm sewer, selling his charms and potions for money, when he is befriended by a young male prostitute named Turk (George Paulsin). Turk introduces Simon to his world of drugs, wild parties, and bizarre Satanic rituals featuring Ultra Violet and a goat. Death, freakouts and mayhem ensue, along with romance for Simon with the district attorney's daughter (Brenda Scott).

Cast

Production

The misleading advertising campaign, which set up Simon as a demonic sex orgy film cashing in on the Charles Manson trials, seriously hurt the film at the box office. The film is practically bloodless, with only brief nudity (which, again against the norm, actually serves a purpose in the story) but no explicit sex and no parallels whatsoever with Manson. Like many other more eccentric 1970s low budget genre films, Simon has become a cult film over the years, albeit an extremely marginal one.

There was also a paperback novelization of Simon by Baldwin Hills, more than likely a pen name, which took the satirical camp of the film one step further into full-on absurd comedy. Long since out of print, the book comes up occasionally on eBay and online used book stores.

Home media

Simon, King of the Witches was released on special edition DVD by Dark Sky Films in 2008.[1] It was reissued on Blu-Ray DVD in 2017 by Code Red DVD.

Reception

Charles Tatum from eFilmCritic.com awarded the film one out of five stars, writing, “This film tries to be serious, almost like an exposé, but it fails miserably. It is often funny, without meaning to be. Simon, King of the Witches is all smoke and mirrors. I do not recommend it.” [2] TV Guide gave the film 1/5 stars, criticizing the film's confusing plot.[3]

Ian Jane from DVD Talk wrote, “Simon King of the Witches is a wild mix of seventies psychedelics and occult quirk that makes for a truly quirky watch. Andrew Prine is great in the lead and the film might work better as a cultural artifact than an actual horror picture but regardless, it remains an interesting and well-made movie” [4] Jason Coffman from Film Monthly.com gave the film a positive review, writing, “Simon, King of the Witches is an entertaining film and an interesting time capsule of very early 1970s culture... It might not be a lost genre-defining masterpiece, but it is a gem that deserves to be seen.”[5] Debi Moore from Dread Central rated the film a score of 3.5 out of 5, commending Prine's performance, psychedelic tone, innovative effects.[6]

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See also

Sources
  • Gods In Polyester: A Survivors' Account Of 70's Cinema Obscura ISBN 90-808700-1-3 features a chapter by Bruce Kessler on the making of Simon.

References
  1. "Simon, King of the Witches". darkskyfilms.com. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
  2. Tatum, Charles. "Movie Review - Simon, King of the Witches - eFilmCritic". eFilmCritic.com. Charles Tatum. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  3. "Simon, King Of The Witches - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  4. Jane, Ian. "Simon, King of the Witches : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVD Talk.com. Ian Jane. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  5. Coffman, Jason. "Film Monthly.com – Simon, King of the Witches (1971)". Film Monthly.com. Jason Coffman. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  6. Moore, Debi. "Simon, King of the Witches (DVD) - Dread Central". Dread Central.com. Debi Moore. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
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