The Witches (1966)

Joan Fontaine's last feature film was one she might have regretted. It was a horror film from Hammer called The Witches, and while it's not terrible, it isn't particularly good. Fontaine gives the movie some class it doesn't deserve.

She stars as a teacher who, in a prologue, is beset by witch doctors in Africa. After recovering from a nervous breakdown, she lands a job in a private school in a small English village. Every thing seems fine, but she grows concerned about by one of her students--and with good reason. The girl is being prepared for ritual sacrifice.

The Witches, directed by Cyril Frankel, has moments of dread, as Fontaine begins to realize that witchcraft is behind some of the mysterious goings-on, is short on horror and relies more on paranoia. Fontaine ends up in a rest home because of a bout of amnesia, induced by witchcraft, but she gets her memory back and discovers who is behind the coven.

The cast includes some respected British actors such as Kay Walsh and Alec McCowen, but John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier couldn't have made this film any better. After some of the great Hammer films, this one is just so-so, and certainly does not add anything to the legacy of Ms. Fontaine.