"The Devonsville Terror" is a 1983 film directed by Ulli Lommel. The film's narrative plays into ideas similar to the Salem Witchcraft Trails in formulation, with an added narrative of a curse that affects the town for centuries thereafter. As we are introduced in the begging of the film to three witches as they are being subjected to a series of quick trials/judgements, we are then flash forwarded to the town of Devonsville 300 years later to see the town's ancestors still fascinated by the curse. Donald Pleasence plays the towns doctor and ancestor of lead inquisitor who also dabbles in hypnosis to be in direct connection with the events as it appears that a new cycle of terror is coming. This comes complete with three out of town women who have moved in and uphold independent ideals that provoke the men in town to take action once again. As an interesting side note, with all the context and any of the villainy being a clear element of the men in town, some film scholars actually view this film as feminist horror in one of the earliest examples.The film itself carries a modest budget, and in all actuality, as it doesn't do anything really crazy to impress, it actually carries through with some good pacing and a pretty connective plot to keep viewership in check. It doesn't really have to lean upon gore to tell its story, really some showmanship of some pretty decent writing for the level it's trying to obtain. Don't get me wrong, the film didn't reinvent the wheel (just put a witch on it and lit it on fire) but it's still a pretty connective film.
