Title: Torture Witch Trial (SDMS-893)

Starring: Uncredited amateurs

Directed by: Hideyuki Shimbo

Running time: Two hours

Let's address the $64,000 question right away: In spite of its Salem-like title and the cover art showing the suspended victims surrounded by guys with torches, there is actually nothing in Torture Witch Trial that resembles women being burned at the stake.

Instead, what you get are two hours of scenes of accused witches being stripped (or forced to strip) and suffer through moments of degradation and, in some cases, sexual assault.

I have mixed feelings about Torture Witch Trial. It's a movie with both strengths and weaknesses.

On the plus side, I like the way this movie looks. It has a grainy, hand-held camcorder appearance that gives it a documentary-style feeling of authenticity and edginess. There are moments when you believe you are witnessing real events. There are also some strong scenes, particularly the parts where the accusers are stripping the clothes off the witches (each woman is stripped, or forced to strip, individually).

On the down side, much of the action in this movie could have been better. For example, the "rape" scenes near the end are vanilla-looking write-offs. Other scenes are also less effective than they could have been.

The five women who star in this movie are OK-looking, nothing special. Anyone seeking the next Maria Ozawa won't find her here but these uncredited amateurs are attractive enough, as witches go. As for the story, there isn't really much of one. The movie starts with the five witches at a nighttime judgment ceremony in the outdoors, facing a large number of men, including some with torches. One by one, the accusers force each witch to lose her clothes, followed by her dignity.

The first woman, who is wearing a blue dress, has to stand in front of the large collection of men who accuse her of being a witch, while the other accused women stand in the background. A guy with a megaphone calls out her crimes, and then three guys wearing black hoods and dark business suits surround the woman and strip off her blue dress, her black bra and black panties. The woman puts up a nice struggle, which makes this strip-down pretty effective. Once naked, the witch tries to cover herself with her arms, but a hooded guy grabs her from behind and holds her arms out to her sides. The hooded men then inspect the woman's neck for markings or something (don't ask me), followed by an inspection of her feet (again, don't ask me). As the guy with the megaphone continues to call out instructions, the woman is forced to bend forward and the men use their fingers to inspect her pussy and butt hole.

The naked witch is forced to sit on the ground. She is surrounded by five guys in business suits who pull out their wienies and piss on her, particularly in her hair and on her face. Sometimes, pissing scenes in Japanese porn are faked, and maybe this one was, but it sure looked real to me. The witch is appropriately disgusted and there are some fine moments where a guy holds the witch's head as other guys pee on the woman's face. Once the guys in the business suits are finished, some casually dressed guys surround the woman and take their turn peeing on her. By my count, a total of 17 guys piss on this woman.

In a new scene, the second accused witch is forced by the hooded guys to strip off her T-shirt and jean skirt, followed by her pink bra and panties. She is inspected in the same way the first witch was, but apparently is found innocent. The men hand the woman her clothes and send her away.

A third woman is also forced to strip and be inspected. She also passes, and is handed her clothes and sent on her way.

The fourth woman accused of being a witch tries making a dash for it, and a number of men -- including guys in black hoods and guys holding torches -- pursue her. The men catch the woman and hold her in a standing position as they quickly strip off her white blouse, plaid shorts and white bra and panties. After the mandatory inspection, which now includes checking her tongue (again, don't ask), the naked cutie is hoisted off the ground and carried over to a tree. The witch hunters tie the woman to the tree, with the woman's arms bound behind her back and ropes running above and below her large breasts. Some men throw buckets of cold water on the witch and then a guy uses a garden hose to blast her with more cold water. The guy with the hose does a particularly good job spraying water in the squealing woman's face. When the spraying is done, a guy with a huge plastic water bottle forces the woman to drink an excessive amount of water.

The woman is tied in a new position, so that she is suspended in the air in a sitting position, with her legs spread wide open. A guy with a gigantic plastic needle injects some water into the woman's ass, which she then squirts back into a bucket. This enema procedure is repeated a number of times, for those who enjoy this sort of thing.

In another new position, a pulley tied to a tree is used to hoist the bound woman up in a vertical upside-down position. The woman is hanging upside-down with her arms tied behind her back, and the men depart as the woman is left alone, crying.

The fifth and final witch was my favorite. This brown-haired beauty has a pretty face and a smoking body, with a slender waist and nice, natural breasts -- she looks quite sexy in her tight long-sleeved T-shirt and blue jeans, and a thick white belt. Similar to her friend from the previous scenes, Ms. Hottie Witch makes a dash for it and is chased by a gang of men, who capture her, force her to the ground, and strip off her clothes.

After the mandatory inspection, the men pick up the woman and carry the squirming and protesting cutie over to a tree. The woman is tied in a standing position next to the tree, with her arms bound behind her back and her left leg hoisted in the air. The guys then use vibrators on her breasts and pussy in a scene that is pretty effective (the woman does some nice squirming and struggling) but would have been better if her right leg had been tied to the tree. Nonetheless, Hottie Witch really sells this scene, and the vibrator on her pussy ultimately makes her gush. After she climaxes, her lithe body continues to quiver as the men applaud.

Hottie Witch is then hoisted upside-down, next to the fourth witch, so that both are hanging upside-down beside a tree. The ladies' faces are at crotch level, so naturally some guys seek some forced blow jobs. Unfortunately, the blow jobs look somewhat consensual.

The next morning, the now-untied women are squatted on pieces of cardboard placed in front of the tree, and some of the hooded guys (no longer wearing pants) violate them in doggie, missionary and cowgirl positions. Regrettably, this looks totally vanilla. Once the violations are completed, an off-camera guy hurls some insults at the two naked women, who then wander away looking broken.

My grade: B-