The Touch of Satan (1971)

August 23, 1971

The Touch of Satan is a 1971 American independent horror film directed by Don Henderson and starring Michael Berry and Emby Mellay in their debut roles. The film was shot between 1968 and 1970 in the Santa Ynez, California area and featured early work by movie makeup artist Joe Blasco, cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth, and composer Robert O. Ragland. The film was relatively obscure, playing only in drive-in theaters and dollar movie houses until a 1998 appearance on the series Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Storyline

On his way to California, Jodie decides on a whim to make a brief side trip to a farm, where he meets and falls in love with Melissa, the proverbial farmer's daughter. Or so it seems. In between the overlong dramatic pauses, we learn that Melissa is in fact a 120-year-old witch, and her remarkably spry "great-grandmother," Lucinda, is actually her sister, who has been pitchforking people to death in her spare time. When Lucinda murders a local policeman, things start to get real complicated for Jodie.