Secret Rites / Legend of the Witches (Flipside 039) - Dual Format

Legend of the Witches (1970, 85 mins): The originally X-rated film documentary which looks in detail at previously hidden magic rites and rituals. Sharing the secrets of initiation into a coven, divination through animal sacrifice, ritual scrying, the casting of a 'death spell', and the chilling intimacy of a Black Mass. It also explores Britain's hidden pagan heritage and its continued influence on our lives today.Secret Rites (1971, 47 mins): Part Mondo movie, part countercultural artefact, this strange mid-length 'documentary' by sex film director Derek Ford lifts the lid on witchcraft in 1970s Notting Hill. Mystery band The Spindle provide the groovy, psychedelic sounds while tentative occult enthusiast Penny and a serious-sounding narrator introduce the viewer to three ritual acts. Far out.Extras/Episodes:Presented in High Definition and Standard DefinitionWorldwide Blu-ray debut including the longest cut of Legend of the Witches ever releasedNewly recorded commentary on Secret Rites by Flipside founders Vic Pratt and William FowlerThe Witch's Fiddle (1924, 7 mins): possibly the first student film ever made, this tale of a magical instrument was shot by the newly formed Cambridge University Kinema ClubOut of Step: Witchcraft (1957, 14 mins): investigative journalist and charismatic Soho bon vivant Dan Farson presents this polite yet probing, nuanced TV documentary about witchcraftThe Judgement of Albion (1968, 26 mins): bold, poetic images populate this ode to resistance by the writer of Blood on Satan's Claw, Robert Wynne SimmonsGetting it Straight in Notting Hill Gate (1970, 25 mins): short but spectacular time-capsule counter-culture documentary was designed to redress negative perceptions of Notting Hill in 1970Image gallery**FIRST PRESSING ONLY** fully illustrated booklet with essays by Christina Harrington, publisher and expert on the occult Mark Pilkington, film lecturer Dr Adrian Smith, and authors of The Bodies Beneath, Vic Pratt and William Fowler. Includes full film credits