From The Verge · Terrence O'Brien · · 1m 40s
Romero's feminist witch drama was marketed as porn
George A. Romero's 1973 film Season of the Witch was a slow-burn feminist occult drama, but the studio sold it as softcore porn and cut 40 minutes, dooming it at the box office.
In brief
George A. Romero's 1973 film Season of the Witch was a slow-burn feminist occult drama, but the studio sold it as softcore porn and cut 40 minutes, dooming it at the box office. George A. Romero's 1973 film Season of the Witch, marketed as softcore porn but actually a feminist drama about a housewife turning to…
Romero made more than zombies
George A.Romero is known for inventing the modern zombie movie with Night of the Living Dead and The Crazies.Between those films, he made two lesser-known movies: There's Always Vanilla and Season of the Witch.
The studio sold it as porn
Season of the Witch, originally titled Hungry Wives, was supposed to be an exploitation film.
It flopped in nineteen seventy-three
Hungry Wives was an undeniable flop upon its release in nineteen seventy-three. It was eventually rereleased as Season of the Witch after Romero's Dawn of the Dead sparked renewed interest in his work.
What Romero actually made
Romero's original one hundred thirty minute cut has been lost, but parts have been recovered and restored, expanding the eighty-nine minute release to one hundred four minutes.
Joan Mitchell's escape from marriage
Protagonist Joan Mitchell is trapped in an abusive marriage and unhappy with her role as submissive housewife. She eventually turns from therapy to witchcraft in an attempt to escape her humdrum life.
Low budget, uneven acting, compelling vision
The movie was made for just one hundred thousand dollars, around eight hundred thousand dollars adjusted for inflation.
What to remember
George A. Romero's 1973 film Season of the Witch, marketed as softcore porn but actually a feminist drama about a housewife turning to witchcraft, flopped because the studio misunderstood what he had made.
