Simon, King of the Witches
Simon, King of the Witches is a 1971 American exploitation horror film directed by Bruce Kessler and starring Andrew Prine, Brenda Scott, George Paulsin, Norman Burton and others. The film centers on the title character as he attempts to become a god through magic rituals. Plot. Simon Sinestrari (Andrew Prine), a cynical ceremonial magician, is on a quest to become a god. Simon is living in a storm sewer, selling his charms and potions for money, when he is befriended by a young male prostitute named Turk (George Paulsin). Turk introduces Simon to his world  of drugs, wild parties, and bizarre Satanic rituals featuring Ultra Violet and a goat. Death, freak-outs and mayhem ensue, along with romance for Simon with the district attorney's daughter Linda (Brenda Scott). Simon, a degenerate practitioner of magic uses his satanic rituals to seduce Linda. Together, the two lovers search for the proper spell to make themselves into gods. Production. The misleading advertising campaign, which set up "Simon" as a demonic sex orgy film cashing in on the Charles Manson trials, seriously hurt the film at the box office. The film is practically bloodless, with only brief nudity  (which, again against the norm, actually serves a purpose in the story) but no explicit sex and no parallels whatsoever with Manson. Like many other more eccentric 1970s low budget genre films, "Simon" has become a cult film over the years, albeit an extremely marginal one. There was also a paperback novelization of "Simon" by Baldwin Hills, more than likely a pen name, which took the satirical camp of the film one step further into full-on absurd comedy. Long since out of print, the book comes up occasionally on eBay and online used book stores. Home media. "Simon, King  of the Witches" was released on special edition DVD by Dark Sky Films in 2008. It was reissued on Blu-Ray DVD in 2017 by Code Red DVD. Reception. Charles Tatum from "eFilmCritic.com" awarded the film one out of five stars, writing, “This film tries to be serious, almost like an exposé, but it fails miserably. It is often funny, without meaning to be. "Simon, King of the Witches" is all smoke and mirrors. I do not recommend it.” TV Guide gave the film 1/5 stars, criticizing the film's confusing plot. Ian Jane from DVD Talk wrote, “"Simon King  of the Witches" is a wild mix of seventies psychedelics and occult quirk that makes for a truly quirky watch. Andrew Prine is great in the lead and the film might work better as a cultural artifact than an actual horror picture but regardless, it remains an interesting and well-made movie” Jason Coffman from "Film Monthly.com" gave the film a positive review, writing, “"Simon, King of the Witches" is an entertaining film and an interesting time capsule of very early 1970s culture... It might not be a lost genre-defining masterpiece, but it is a gem that deserves to  be seen.” Debi Moore from Dread Central rated the film a score of 3.5 out of 5, commending Prine's performance, psychedelic tone, innovative effects.