Michael Reeves

The Profile

English film director. Born October 17, 1946; died February 11, 1969. Noted for mid-1960s horror films, especially Il grande inquisitore (The Witchfinder General, 1968). Career included collaborations and films released between 1964 and 1968.

Short life; died at 26 from an overdose of barbiturates. Worked mainly in horror films in a Hammer-influenced style. Collaborated with Lorenzo Ricci on Il castello dei morti vivi (1964). Directed Il lago di Satana (1966) with Barbara Steele, The Sorcerer (1967) with Boris Karloff, and Il grande inquisitore (1968) starring Vincent Price. The original Il grande inquisitore used a melancholy madrigal by Paul Ferris; the U.S. market version omitted Ferris's music according to the review.

A single DeBaser review by moanapozzi highlights Michael Reeves as a short-lived English director of 1960s horror films. The review praises The Witchfinder General (1968) for its tone, photography and Vincent Price's performance while noting the director's premature death. Reeves' career included several horror projects between 1964 and 1968.