The Forgotten 1970s Cult Horror On Streaming By A Legendary Director

Season of the Witch (also known as Hungry Wives) follows bored 39-year-old housewife Joan Mitchell as she sees her young daughter off to college.

Joan is married to Jack, a man whose business successes are overshadowed by his domineering personality and his physical and emotional abusiveness toward his wife of nearly two decades.

The film depicts Joan as a lonely and unhappy woman quickly approaching middle age who is desperate for a change.

That change presents itself when Joan meets Marion, a new woman in her neighborhood who practices witchcraft. Joan and Marion’s friendship blossoms and Joan becomes intrigued with the dark arts as a form of escape.

Season of the Witch sees Joan transform from a sheltered and abused housewife to a woman who begins to get what she wants, both sexually and emotionally, through her newly found freedom afforded to her by the world of the occult.

Season of the Witch is a Romero film like no other. Its absence of gore certainly makes it stand out from the acclaimed director’s other notable works, as Dawn of the Dead and others in his legendary Living Dead franchise set the bar for blood and guts on the screen. But the film does weave in underlying themes that are present in many of his horror films.

Romero notoriously uses horror as a vehicle in which he can weave in social and political commentary, as well as making satire from contemporary norms.

This tactic was most evident in the first three Living Dead movies and is certainly relevant in Season of the Witch.

The film’s look at the plight of bored suburban housewives of the era is embellished in the best way, as was Joan’s turning to the occult to break out of the funk she had grown into with marriage and motherhood.

The film has a look of the drive-in softcore pornography films of the late 1960s and early 70s. The grainy quality and sexual overtones help to enshroud the production with the feel of a cheap skin flick, though the nudity in the film is quite minor. But the sexual freedom that is promoted in Season of the Witch is a theme that shouldn’t be overlooked, even though it’s presented in a way that is in sharp contrast with its messaging.

REVIEW SCORE

Romero’s directorial style shines through again and again in Season of the Witch, showing audiences and critics alike that he is more than just a splatter film creator.

His artful camera shots and dialogue-heavy screenplay give the film more of an arthouse feel than one that’s billed as a horror picture. The film has certainly gained more support and accolades since its theatrical release and holds a solid 70% rating on film review site Rotten Tomatoes.

Season of the Witch conjures up 4.0/5.0-stars and is a great addition to Romero’s body of work set apart from his zombie films.

You can stream Season of the Witch on Tubi and Kanopy.