Simon King of the Witches (1971)dir. Bruce Kessler
This is an odd and exciting find. When I rented it I expected some crazy exploitation movie with drugs, sex and maybe a wacky psychedelic sequence. I got all of those things plus an incredibly engaging lead performance that keeps this film moving and awkwardly grounded in a sense of reality. Simon is played by Andrew Prine with a charm and sense of humor that wins you over pretty quickly.
Simon is on a quest to become a god , but along he way meets and befriends a hustler named Turk who introduces him to a society of hipsters, fake Wiccans and free lovin' hippies. Simon is accepted by some, doubted by others and ends up reciting a curse that sticks it to the man. It's all groovy, baby.
This isn't a horror film as much as it is a satire about the sixties and all of the craziness going on behind closed doors. There is one fabulous scene where they crash a Wiccan ceremony that Simon breaks up with humorous fervor. It it very reminiscent of Frank Langella's performance in The Ninth Gate. I would not be surprised if it was inspiration for the scene.
Sure this film can be lumped into all of those occult movies that were coming out in the late sixties early seventies that were made for a few bucks and hoping to "blow your mind"; but Simon King of the Witches is a surprise for anyone hoping to have a film to laugh at. Instead, you'll end up laughing along with it and even find something to chew on when you come to a conclusion that can cause some discussion.
It's well worth the purchase
. It's like having cloves in your spice rack. You may not use it all the time, but it's cool to have around.
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