Witches' Brew (1979) Reviews

Originally filmed in 1978 but shelved for several years, this story of a good housewife-witch (ala Samantha from the U.S. Bewitched TV series) finally saw the light of the small screen when it emerged on cable in 1985. Margaret (Teri Garr) is a young housewife married to Joshua (Richard Benjamin) a professor specializing in psychology. Given his field of interest, Joshua is not likely to believe that his wife's good spells are the real reason he is advancing in his chosen profession. Then one day the nasty witch Vivian (Lana Turner) knows her lifespan as a witch is ending, and so she sends her transmigrating soul with all its character traits and knowledge into Margaret's younger body. The result affects Joshua as well -- and would have been more effective if the script and dialogue had been zapped up to a higher comedic level. Whatever similarity there is to Bewitched, it's good to remember that the source story for this film, Fritz Leiber, Jr.'s classic novel Conjure Wife, was written decades before the television show premiered. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi