YouHeart I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

kevinsinnot Very atmospheric although the acting is a little wooden. Some basic historical research would have helped to make it a little more realistic. Those accused of witchcraft were not burned at the stake in North American colonies. They were usually hanged or drowned.

mark.waltz Satanistic horror films will not be for every taste. They are spooky. They are nightmare inducing. They give you the heebie jeebies about the unknown elements of the underworld. Unlike Dracula, the Frankenstein monster, the Wolf Man or other famous horror movie creatures, Satanistic themed horror films warn us of an element of humanity out there that God-fearing Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists try to avoid. Even atheists, with their non belief of any deity (good or evil) might find themselves creeped out or uncomfortable in dealing with the feelings that emerge when confronted with the world of Satan worshipers or witchcraft or other elements of evil that involve casting spells or placing hexes. The good news is that a good majority of these show the perspective of good triumphing over evil, and if you are an audience like me, you might find yourself screaming at the TV screen as the villains get what is coming to them, especially with the element of surprise that erupts on your first viewing of films like this. Only the evil Nazi's of those propaganda filled World War II movies can stir me up more, but the reaction is the same. I want these vile people to suffer for the torment they put decent people through in order to achieve a despicable goal.I keep finding in my classic film search more gems of the horror genre that I was unaware existed. Many are wretched third rate, Z grade cheapy's, but even a few cheapy's can be quite good, and this is one of those. Fortunately color free, this becomes all the more chilling and atmospheric with its black and white photography in its Massachusetts set small community who in the 1600's attempted to burn witch Patricia Jessel at the stake. Having just seen "Saint Joan" on Broadway, the idea of anybody burning to death is cringeworthy, but this witch is a vile, cursing creature who obviously deserves her fate, and in the background, Christopher Lee is seen praying for the return of Satan after having just denounced Jessel. The skies start thundering and rain appears, resulting in laughter from the sinister looking female about to be barbecued. Fast forward 300 something years later to a modern day university, and discussions of the underworld and Satanism lead by Lee leads student Venetia Stevenson out to the small town where this took place where nothing seems to have changed but the decay of the buildings. She ends up in an old inn where Jessel reappears as the innkeeper, politely checking her in, and inevitably leading Stevenson to her fate.Like Janet Leigh in "Psycho", Stevenson makes a dramatic exit, although it's unclear as to what happened. Her brother (Dennis Lotis) sets out to find her, and meets minister's granddaughter Betta St. John who had earlier lent Stevenson a book on the occult. It becomes very clear that this town is still stuck in its 17th Century ways, that strangers are not welcome unless they are ripe for the heinous ambitions of those who remain, and that some sort of spell has turned this community into an evil variation of Brigadoon where nobody who pops in unexpectedly is guaranteed to leave alive. The tension builds up, more revelations are brought out, and some really twisted events bring Lotis and St. John together where they must pull out all their faith to fight the forces of darkness that here seem possible to destroy. The film reminds me of the two part TV movie "Dark Secret of Harvest Home" with a bit of the gothic soap opera "Dark Shadows" thrown in. Jessel reminds me of "Dark Shadows'" matriarch Joan Bennett, but there's nothing kindly about her outside her passive/aggressive politeness that is easy to see through. She's one of the great forgotten screen villains, and gets a great exit. This is one film you must watch without distraction, but not before you go to bed. It is the stuff that horrific nightmares are all about!

TheRedDeath30 This was the first movie made by Amicus Productions, who would go on to be Hammer's chief rival in the world of British horror. With such a stellar start as this, it's no wonder they quickly gained a following among the horror masses. The movie revolves around a New England town that burns a witch at the stake, but not before she has a chance to curse the town and all its' inhabitants for all time. Fast forward to present day and young, pretty college student Nan is studying witchcraft. Her professor sends her to this same town to help gather material for her term paper and, naturally, she finds that black magic still runs amok in this foggy little town.There is certainly a lot to enjoy in this movie. I have a special fondness for the satanic/witch cult movies that seemed so prevalent in the 60s and 70s and this movie is full of hooded villains doing the dark lord's bidding. Whether or not they are alive or dead is a mystery I shall leave you to find out on your own. The setting of the film is magnificent. They must have rented every fog machine in England to give this a classic Universal look, full of shadows and mist. There's almost a sense that the town exists in a world of its' own, as in several instances in the film, as travelers approach the town, the ghostly fog seems to signal their arrival in the mystical borders. The town looks great, like something lost in time, full of cobwebs, old cemeteries and a rundown church. The director does an excellent job of using the setting and a lot of chiarascuro (light and shade) to create an unsettling feeling in the movie, where you know that no one is ever quite safe.It's not without a few drawbacks, though. While the look of the movie holds up really well, there are some early 60s style marks that set it firmly in its' place. The acting is never subtle and there are a few scenes particularly (the cemetery climax for instance) where the overacting is fairly noticeable. Nan, our main heroine, seems to be far too naive about the situation she's just entrenched herself in as she cheerfully studies the town's history amidst ominous warnings. We get the obligatory scene that seemed so common in horror and sci-fi of this era where the filmmaker assumes we are idiots with no knowledge and rather than let this background info unfold organically, we are treated to a scholarly debate between two educated men who argue the reason-ability of these beliefs in a thinly veiled effort to teach us what we need to know in their dialog. In this case, a conversation between Christopher Lee and Nan's brother at the beginning of the film. Having watched a LOT of old horror, I can't tell you how many times I've seen this exact thing play out in films from BLACK LAGOON to MOLE PEOPLE. While we're discussing similarities, there are some striking similarities to a pair of movies released just a year before this. There is some tonality in common with Mario Bava's BLACK Sunday as both films revolve around a condemned witch wreaking havoc in modern times. There is also a lot of stylistic comparison to PSYCHO. In both films a young blonde goes to a small town hotel and suffers an untimely fate. In both films, we get a switch of protagonist as our first heroine (who we think will be the main character) suffers a cruel fate and another heroine steps in to solve the murder. I think these are coincidental though as all 3 of these movies would have been in production are roughly the same time.All in all, while not one of the best movies of the 60s that I have seen, this is certainly worth the viewing.

Rainey Dawn I have not seen City of the Dead in a long time. While re-viewing the film again I found my self deeply engrossed and thrilled in this mysterious movie about a Satanic Witch Cult.Even though the film was made in the 1960s, it has all the chills and thrills of any of today's well made horror films. Sorry folks, no gore and guts here but you will find an excellent story and cinematography. The movie is well worth watching if you are not out to view blood and gore.I believe if I ever run across a town called "Whitewood" I would have to stop to investigate with a friend close by. 9.5/10