NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: VCI Blu-ray (May 2025): VCI have transferred William O. Brown's The Naked Witch to Blu-ray. It is on a single-layered disc with a supportive bitrate. Unfortunately, the film presentation is marred by consistent vertical scratches (see samples below.) They sporadically exist through the entire film. The visual style of The Naked Witch (aka The Witchmaker) creates a cohesive, unsettling tone that blends Southern Gothic decay with occult mystique. The swamp’s natural horror - its oppressive humidity and tangled wilderness - grounds the supernatural in a palpable reality, while the less-professional, giallo-inspired, lighting of ritual scenes pushes the film into surreal territory. Ritual props like daggers, chalices, and pentagram medallions are simple but functional, grounding the occult in tangible objects. The film avoids complex effects like transformations, focusing on atmosphere over spectacle. The 1080P is fairly weak band the film's low-level lighting doesn't do it many favors. Tasha’s clairvoyant episodes employ double exposures and distorted lenses, creating dreamlike overlays of faces or symbols. These low-cost effects are surprisingly effective, evoking her psychic turmoil. Overall - quite weak - soft and murky - the consistent, Grindhouse-esque, bright green scratches are hard not to notice. Colors (even colored gels) are bland with some teal infiltration.

NOTE: We have added 68 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, VCI use a lossy Dolby mono track in the original English language. It is unacceptable in 2025 not to go uncompressed or lossless. The swamp’s ambient effects (frogs, insects, lapping water) are preserved, enhancing the Southern Gothic atmosphere. Supernatural effects, like drones during Luther’s psychic attacks, retain their unsettling quality but lack modern depth due to the lesser format. It is is also hindered by original recording limitations. The Jaime Mendoza-Nava (Creature From Black Lake, The Brotherhood of Satan, Aloha Bobby and Rose, The Stewardesses, The Town That Dreaded Sundown, Grave of the Vampire and Equinox) score is a standout feature, providing much of the film’s emotional weight and supernatural ambiance. It draws on gothic and exploitation film traditions, using a mix of orchestral and experimental elements to evoke dread and mystery. Disappointingly, there is no dynamic edge to the audio transfer's output. VCI offer optional small English (SDH) subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The VCI Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Robert Kelly, a cult film enthusiast (Real Retro Cinema Column) known for his artwork (e.g., VCI’s Horrors of the Black Museum cover) and reviews, who provides a solo commentary track. he makes comparisons to Horrors of the Black Museum and discusses Claude Alexander, whose name appears in "The Naked Witch" title screen (see above) but he claims that he was the director of the 1961 film, The Naked Witch, and has no connection to this film at all. Kelly adds a passionate, informed discussion including the film’s production by LQ/JAF, its Louisiana bayou setting, the occult themes tied to 1960s counterculture, and its visual style. As an artist, Kelly emphasizes the film’s aesthetic, such as John Morrill’s (Kingdom of the Spiders, A Boy and His Dog) Techniscope and Technicolor techniques etc. Kelly provides an engaging track. The “1960’s Horror: A Decade of Innovation and Fear” extra is a 4-minuted poster gallery showcasing promotional art for notable 1960s horror films, likely including classics like Bava's Black Sunday, Village of the Damned, Eyes Without Face, X-The Man With the X-Ray Eyes, Carnival of Souls, Psycho, Night of the Living Dead and many more. It is presented as a slideshow. Lastly a restored theatrical trailer, TV trailer and radio spot encapsulate the film’s nostalgic Drive-In roots. The commentary track is the standout, offering a fan-driven perspective that should appeal to cult horror enthusiasts. The theatrical trailer and radio spot are strong nostalgic additions, while the TV trailer and poster gallery are less essential but still relevant. The package is modest compared to boutique labels like Arrow but suits the film’s niche status. A second sic DVD is included in the package.   

William O. Brown's The Naked Witch is a low-budget supernatural horror film set in the eerie Louisiana bayou. The narrative’s strength lies in its detailed occult mythology, unusual for a modestly-budgeted effort. Luther’s rituals, tied to lunar cycles and blood magic, are explained with pseudo-scientific rigor, reflecting the era’s fascination with blending science and the supernatural. The film pits rational inquiry (Hayes’ parapsychology, Victor’s skepticism) against irrational forces (Luther’s witchcraft.) This mirrors 1960s anxieties about science’s limits, as seen in films like Rosemary’s Baby (1968,) where modernity fails to counter ancient evils. The coven’s female witches, both seductive and monstrous, evoke the era’s conflicted views on female sexuality, a trope in films like The Vampire Lovers (1970.) The Naked Witch’s depiction of the bayou as a supernatural nexus draws on Southern Gothic traditions, with Luther as a demonic patriarch akin to a plantation overlord. Alvy Moore’s comedic persona (Hank Kimball on Green Acres and also associate producer of The Naked Witch) clashes with the serious tone, while John Lodge’s overblown theatricality borders on camp. Casual viewers may find the film’s slow pace and dated production less accessible. It offers significant nostalgia and an appeal for those into its rural gothic dread. The VCI Blu-ray has their usual underachieving, lackluster, a/v quality, but on-the-positive you can see the film in 1080P, warts and all, plus they 'try' with the commentary - which I found enthusiastic and elevated by appreciation. Kinda fun divergence if you are in the mood. Keep your expectations low. To each his own.

Gary Tooze