“Born in evil, death in burning!”

If Witchcraft teaches us anything, apart from the obligatory “don’t mess with witches” and “install fire extinguishers”, it’s that property speculation isn’t a modern phenomenon.

Witness Bill and Tracy Lanier, who have taken a punt on developing a modern housing estate right on top of the local graveyard. You’ve seen enough old horror films to know that’s a bad idea. I too know that’s a bad idea. Even Lon Chaney Jr (yes, really) knows that’s a bad idea. But Bill and Tracy? They absolutely couldn’t give a toss. It’s smiles all round, two fingers to their family’s sworn nemesis Morgan Whitlock (Chaney), and tally-ho diggers.

Well, actually not quite – because although the cheerful pair do have plans to build on the land, they also had plans to respectfully move all the graves beforehand. Whether this is at all better or actually just the same (I’d veer towards the latter, myself – what’s wrong with, for example, ANY OTHER FIELD?) is now a moot point, because their business partner Myles Forrester (Barry Linehan) has done it anyway, Whitlock is furious (“This is blasphemy!”), and it looks like a vengeful spirit has been unleashed. Oops all round.

As already mentioned, there’s a fair bit of backstory here regarding the Whitlocks and the Laniers, which goes back hundreds of years to when aforementioned vengeful spirit was buried alive as a witch. Her name? Vanessa Whitlock. Most of this history appears to be already known by the Laniers, whose cheerful English attitude that what happened in the past stays in the past isn’t shared by the still mightily pissed off Whitlocks. Which once again begs the question, why make them more cross?

Meanwhile, Bill’s brother Todd (David Weston) is busy stirring the pot even more by having a Romeo-and-Juliet style relationship with young Amy Whitlock (Diane Clare), who is apparently not quite as pissed off about the family history as the rest of her clan (make a note of this for later).

Bill wants to put things right graveyard-wise, but it’s pretty clear by the spooky music and looks to the left that Forrester is unlikely to do what he’s asked. Meanwhile in the fog-shrouded graveyard, up pops a dusty-looking (and convincingly shit-scary, in a witchy kind of way) Vanessa.

The vengeful witch immediately gets started with the witchery, using a voodoo doll to drown Forrester in his bath. The police think it’s murder and immediately arrest Morgan Whitlock (hmmm… not such a great plan then, was it?). Todd doesn’t want Amy to be on her own and invites her to stay, and next to get it is Bill’s aunt Helen, who is first haunted by Vanessa and then goes into a trance, driving her Morris Minor off a cliff to her death.

We have also found out that the village is known to be actually still RIFE with dodgy witchcraft, there’s a coven and everything – which might have been useful information earlier on, given all the satanic symbols, pop-up frogs and devil dolls that have been appearing around the place as the murders continue.

Bill and Todd decide they need to go on an excellent adventure to London, setting off in another car. Bill, driving, comes under the influence of Vanessa and heads for the same cliff (you’d have thought they might have fenced it off or something, given it is clearly a hazard), but hot Toddy is on hand to save them both.

Bill now definitely thinks it’s witchcraft (well, duh), and phones Tracy to warn her, but as she speaks to him a strange shadow approaches in the background (nice effect, this) and doors bang shut.

Amy appears to be sleepwalking, and Tracy follows her into the family crypt, which appears to be a dual-purpose burial chamber-cum-wine cellar. She finds a full-on satanic ritual taking place (is that a baby they’re sacrificing in that sack? It’s never said but you are left with that extremely unsettling thought). Tracy spots Amy in the room, and despite having followed the girl into there can’t help but give herself away by voicing her surprise.

Meanwhile old mother Lanier is tangling with Vanessa, and ends up getting pushed down the stairs. Vanessa is nothing if not thorough.

And so, as we approach Birdmass, things are set up for a good ol’ satanic sacrifice, with the village coven using the Lanier crypt as their secret base. Vanessa joins them while Bill and Todd hot-foot it back from London, which they decided to go to anyway after their near-death experience (as you would).

Things escalate pretty quickly now. Someone not quite who they seemed? Yup. Fire? Of course (and extremely spectacular fire at that). Punch-ups? Some. People standing around looking on with English reserve as all their worldly possessions go up in smoke? Would it be a British horror film if that didn’t happen?

Witchcraft is yet another hidden gem, an early 60s time capsule stuffed with scary moments and some great production values… not to mention the remarkable stunt casting of bringing in Lon Chaney Jr for his one British horror film. The realisation of Vanessa in particular is a full-on gothic joy.