“I’ve got friends that nobody else’s got.”
It’s hard to ascertain whether the awkward performances and unnatural dialogue in this strange indie are deliberate, but they certainly serve to establish an unsettling, hallucinatory vibe. Millie Perkins plays Molly, a troubled cocktail waitress with a violent, predatory double-life in which she commits sadistic acts born of her own childhood trauma.
This psychological nightmare is unrelentingly horrific and often quite disturbing. Robert Thom’s script is a bizarre mix of highly prominent themes – dysfunctional families, sexual abuse, and…sailing. The washed-out cinematography and experimental aesthetic give The Witch Who Came From The Sea a hazy, rambling Robert Altman quality. Directed by Matt Cimber, a fascinating figure who helmed many exploitation movies, was married to Jayne Mansfield, and went on to co-create the ‘80s female wrestling organization GLOW.
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