Michael Reeves (17 October 1943 – 11 February 1969) was an English film director and screenwriter. He is best remembered for the 1968 film '' Witchfinder General'' (known in the US as ''Conqueror Worm''). A few months after the film's release, Reeves died in London at the age of 25 from an accidental alcohol and barbiturate overdose.

''Witchfinder General'' and death

''Witchfinder General''

It is for his third and final movie, '' Witchfinder General'', that Reeves is best known. He was only 24 years old when he co-wrote and directed it. In 2005, '' Total Film'' magazine named ''Witchfinder General'' the 15th-greatest horror film of all time. Made on a modest budget in

East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

and adapted from the novel by

Ronald Bassett Ronald Leslie Bassett DSM (10 April 1924 – March 1996) was a British writer and novelist. He wrote numerous works of historical fiction, sometimes under the pseudonym of "William Clive".Atkinson, Frank (1987) ''Dictionary of Literary Pseudo ...

, ''Witchfinder General'' tells the story of Matthew Hopkins, the lawyer-turned-witchhunter who blackmails and murders his way across the countryside. Reeves imbues the film with a powerful sense of the impossibility of behaving morally in a society whose conventions have broken down, and though it is by no means free of the conventions of low-budget horror, it stands as a notably powerful and evocative film. Reeves wanted Donald Pleasence to play the title role, but American International Pictures, the film's co-financiers, insisted on using their resident horror star

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

instead. This caused friction between the actor and the young director. A famous story is told of how Reeves won Price's respect: Reeves was constantly telling Price to tone down his over-acting, and to play the role more seriously. Price eventually cracked, snapping, "Young man, I have made eighty-four films. What have you done?" Reeves replied: "I've made three good ones." Reeves continued to goad Price into delivering a vicious and brilliant performance, and only upon seeing the finished film did the actor realise what the director was up to, at which point Price took steps to bury the hatchet with Reeves. ''Witchfinder General'' was released to mixed reviews, with one notably savage notice by Alan Bennett appearing in '' The Listener'', but was soon reassessed and gained generally favourable reviews.

Death

Reeves died in London a few months after the film's release. After shooting ''Witchfinder General'', he was at work on an adaptation of '' The Oblong Box'' but had difficulties getting projects off the ground, and was suffering from depression and insomnia, for which he took tablets and received a variety of treatments from medical and psychiatric practitioners. On the morning of 11 February 1969, Reeves was found dead in his bedroom, aged 25, in Cadogan Place, Knightsbridge, by his cleaning lady. The

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

's report stated that Reeves's death (from a

barbiturate Barbiturates are a class of depressant drugs that are chemically derived from barbituric acid. They are effective when used medically as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, but have physical and psychological addiction potential as we ...

overdose) was accidental, the dosage being too marginal to suggest intention.

Select filmography

Slated projects

Some films Reeves was apparently scheduled to direct or for which he was being considered were ''

The Buttercup Chain ''The Buttercup Chain'' is a 1970 British drama film directed by Robert Ellis Miller and starring Hywel Bennett, Jane Asher, and Leigh Taylor-Young. It was entered into the 1970 Cannes Film Festival. The film is an adaptation of the 1967 The But ...

'' and ''

De Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade (; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814), was a French nobleman, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer famous for his literary depictions of a libertine human sexuality, sexuality as well as n ...

''.David Pirie, ''A New Heritage of Horror: The English Gothic Cinema'', I.B. Tauris, 2008. Both of these films were completed with other directors. Also in development was a film concerning the IRA, which was announced as a forthcoming Tigon production in the trade press, with the title of ''O'Hooligan's Mob''. Reeves had talked of directing an adaptation of Walker Hamilton's novel ''All The Little Animals'', but this did not reach pre-production stage.

Notes

References

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External links

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BFI, Michael Reeves
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reeves, Michael 1943 births 1969 deaths 20th-century English screenwriters 20th-century English male writers Accidental deaths in London Barbiturates-related deaths Drug-related deaths in England English film directors English male screenwriters People educated at Radley College People from Sutton, London