While the setting and the historical source of the movie is that of the late 17th century, don't be fooled, this is a movie about communism. More accurately, about the wretched logic the communist justice system has used to imprison and kill hundreds of people in the Czechoslovakian 50s. The forced confessions, self-accusal, torture and naming of innocent accomplices were all part of communist processes in which such as Milada Horáková perished.There are plenty of analogies in the movie which I don't intend to spoil. The atmosphere is crafted masterfully, giving the film a bleak and dark look and amplifying the effects of its story. The performances are very good, however I don't know how well does the original czech translate into the subtitles. What keeps this from being a 10 out of 10 is the pacing. In a certain point of the movie, the end becomes obvious and the rest is just a hammer that drives the nail of absolute despair into your brain.

I've seen many movies about the persecution of witches in medieval times, but this one rightly stands on top of that pile, surpassing even peer masterpieces "Mark of the Devil" and "Witchfinder General". The cinematography is gorgeous, the writing is smart and sophisticated, the performances are excellent, and the story itself is gut-wrenching and brutal. Rarely do horror films haunt my mind like this Czech production did. With its roots based in historical fact, the true evils of mankind certainly are much more diabolical than any conjured up monster or serial killer. It is quite an experience to watch a movie that is simultaneously, strikingly, so beautiful and yet so harrowing.

This is a recreation of a series of witch trials that occurred around 1600. Since it's a Czechoslovakian film, I assume it is set somewhere around there. The film begins with an odd occurrence--an old lady pretends to eat a communion wafer at church but instead shoves it into a handkerchief. When confronted about this weird behavior, folks immediately assume it's because she's involved with witches and that these devil worshipers plan on using the host for some unholy ceremony. THe woman really is just very superstitious and she's really taking the wafer to trade someone--as they want to use the wafer to supposedly cure a sick animal. This is goofy--but the priest certainly does not think it constitutes witchcraft and admonishes everyone to forget about it. However, the elders insist on bringing in a witch-finder and determining if it's all part of a demonic ceremony. From there, everything gets way out of hand and they start burning practically anyone--all due to an overzealous and evil man bent on abusing the gullibility of others.The film gets very high marks for realism. The torture and subsequent confessions seem very well done--though are a bit difficult to watch. And, the entire abuse of the silly system and complicity of the Church is quite interesting--as well as the lone priest who fights this evil tribunal. My only complaint is the opening scene. It's jam-packed full of very gratuitous nudity. Later, there is some explicit nudity but it is necessary for the film and should have been used (such as when they stripped the lady to look for 'the Devil's mark' on her as well as to humiliate her). So, the violence and nudity make it a film I would NOT recommend to your kids or mother-in-law! Otherwise, extremely well done but possibly not the sort of thing you'd want to watch (it can be a bit hard to take).

Possible Spoilers Within. I might be presuming too much about the intentions of the film makers, but given the time period of the films release, following the Prague Spring and the short-lived relaxation of the censors, this film is a clear condemnation of the Stalinist state, or at least of an autocratic regime. There are so many positive qualities to this film it is hard to comment fully on it. However, the film does depict the main inquisitioner as a man driven by avarice, greed and power. Connivingly, he used his power to usurp judicial and law-enforcing power from the town and tortured "witnesses" and "criminals" into submission, thereby being able to take their property from them as "payment" for the trials. Unfortunately, the film maker could have illustrated the pain of torture more, but he possibly might have had problems with the censors, even given the relaxation, or he might not have wanted to offend the viewer. Further, the total inaction by the Austrian government tends to make the viewer of a Kafka- esquire government, in which the people's rights and pleas go unheard. This film, if anything, astutely illustrates the power of the state and its propensity toward abuse, if gone unchecked. Also, I was constantly reminded of the US's current problem with torture in the Middle East. Who is to declare the "Truth" in such murky circumstances. One of the Guards, who supplied a running monologue throughout the film, added another layer of If you don't know Czech, you might lose a little meaning in the subtitles, but the film is still worth watching, regardless.