Psychotic Cinema

Nicky and his mother's new house

Genre: Children's Entertainment with a Hint of Psychedelia

Taken from a children’s book by Harry Devlin and Wende Devlin called Old Black Witch, this 24 minute film adaptation produced by Parents Magazine Film Inc. and narrated by Burgess Meredith is a treat to watch.

Young Nicky (Roger Morgan) and his mother (Anna Strasberg) sell there apartment in the city and go to the countryside. There they visit estate agent who suggests a large house for them to buy. They agree to buy it and head off to see their new home.

The old witch

 Once Nicky and his mother have gone, the estate agent goes to the back of the office and tells his brother that they have finally sold the haunted house.

Nicky and his mother arrive at their new home and enter to find it’s in need of a good clean. They both get to work when they are interrupted by an elderly witch. The witch tells them that they can not stay there because it is her home and she’s been living there for two hundred years. Nicky’s mum refuses to go, so the witch agrees to live in the attic.

The witch spends her days and nights sitting in the attic reading the newspaper, but sadly becomes more and more depressed as she reads about the terrible things happening in the world.

One day Nicky goes up to visit her and she explains how she is old and is gradually losing her power and will eventually just fade away. She tells Nicky of the old days when the house was full of witches and she would cook magic food for them.

Nicky invites the Witch to come and cook for him and his mother

Nicky suggests that she should come down and cook some magic food for him and his mother, and they would in return make the witch feel welcome. The witch agrees and goes down to the kitchen where she cooks her magic blueberry pancakes.

Nicky’s mother tries a magic pancake which causes the picture to freeze and some strange psychedelic dots to dance around in front of her face. After she’s eaten it, Nicky’s mum feels very happy and so Nicky tries one with the same results. It should be noted that after eating the pancakes and feeling very happy, the characters are each left holding a flower (very flower power).

Nicky trips-out after eating a magic pancake

 It isn’t long before there is a knock at the door and the two local busy-bodies from the local Women's Guild arrive. They soon start putting down Nicky’s mother and so she invites them to sit in the living room and to eat some magic pancakes. This they do, which results in more psychedelic patterns and they, too, leave the house happily carrying a flower each.

Nicky and his mother decide to have a magic pancake party for everyone in the area, which is a huge success with everyone feeling very happy.

Everyone ends up holding a flower

 This was directed by Gerald Herman who has had a 40-year career in theatre, film and television in U.S.A., Europe, Australia and Asia. Since 1990, Herman has been based in Singapore and Vietnam.

Winter of the Witch (1969)