Other extras include an interview with ‘father of Wicca’ Gerald Gardner from TV documentary Out of Step, 1957 in which he attempts to dispel the blackened view of witchcraft with reluctance from its interviewer, journalist Dan Farson.

With no connection to Witchcraft, I can only imagine this was added to the set because of the Alex Sanders connection to Notting Hill. Part Mondo movie, part countercultural artefact Secret Rites (1971) this strange mid-length ‘documentary’ by exploitation director Derek Ford lifts the lid on witchcraft in 1970s Notting Hill.

LEGEND OF THE WITCHES is a pretty interesting movie on a number of levels but I must admit that I wish the narration was a tad bit better.

Malcolm Leigh directed this rather interesting, if a bit slow, documentary about cults, Satanist and other such issues. We start, though, with a version of the Wiccan creation story of Diana the moon and Lucifer the sun. The biggest let down is the drafting in of actress Penny Beeching as the hairdresser with an interest in the Occult. The same goes to the wedding (or handfasting) conducted with the bride and groom both naked, although I have my doubts that there’s always someone dressed as a horned god in attendance. There were television appearances, late-night talks on radio, a sympathetic biography, record albums of his rituals and this film, LEGEND OF THE WITCHES, based on his exploits.

It is a home for UK cinematic oddities, offering everything from exploitation documentaries to B-movies, countercultural curios and obscure classics, If it's weird, British and forgotten, then it's Flipside.

The use of cord to tie up members and the sword to cut these cords, is however, significant in modern witchcraft, and other depictions of events in the performance of the mass’, seem accurate as far as I can tell. Mystery band The Spindle provide the groovy, psychedelic sounds while tentative occult enthusiast Penny and a serious-sounding narrator introduce the viewer to three ritual acts. This influential counter-cultural documentary of pagan belief is austere and striking in this brand-new, digitally remastered edition. Although not very long, this film gives a good picture of modern witchcraft and its advancement and resurgence in 1970s Britain.This is a lovely section that displays images of old churches adorned with pagan deities and information on how Pagan Sabbats were ‘magpied’ by the Christians to support the populations transition to Christianity. Sharing the secrets of initiation into a coven, divination through animal sacrifice, ritual scrying, the casting of a ‘death spell’, and the chilling intimacy of a Black Mass. The film opens up with a terrific sequence showing some wildlife in the forest before moving to a group of naked people doing a ritual. Looking like a cross between James Hunt and Captain Kronos, John Goodfellow wards off the Satanists, brandishing his cross at them until they cower. Legend of the Witches(1970, 85 mins): The originally X-rated film documentary which looks in detail at previously hidden magic rites and rituals.

It certainly sounds like a British film from the 1970s (which it is of course) but there's no question that it's a bit too try and a bit too much like a professor talking to himself. Finally, there is a collection of images from the film Legend of the Witches and of rare memorabilia and newspaper clippings related to the spooky 70s. Directed by Jo Gannon, Pink Floyd’s one-time light show operator, there’s an interview with Caroline Coon railing against ‘the fuzz’ for victimising pot smokers and psychedelic mandala paintings by Larry Smart. After a little insight from Sanders, the film focusses on Penny, a hairstylist living and working in Notting Hill in the 1970s and her journey from being an occult enthusiast, to joining Alex Sanders coven.BFI Flipside is dedicated to rediscovering the margins of British film, reclaiming a space for forgotten movies and filmmakers who would otherwise be in danger of disappearing from our screens forever. Sharing the secrets of initiation into a coven, divination through animal sacrifice, ritual scrying, the casting of a 'death spell', and the chilling intimacy of a Black Mass, Malcolm Leigh's film also explores Britain's hidden pagan heritage and its continued influence on our lives today. If it is hard evidence of modern witchcraft practises you are looking for, this is probably not your best bet, although it does give some insight. Even so, stretches of it proved intriguing enough to make it a very worthwhile, though never totally bewitching, watch. Similarly, to other creation stories, it tells of how life on earth began with the smallest of fish and birds, to the creation of animals and man.