Ultraculture

Unlock Your Magick

Start Learning Magick and the Occult

Start Learning Chaos Magick & the Occult

  • About
  • Best Of
  • Articles
    • Magick & Occult
    • Meditation & Enlightenment
    • Gods, Goddesses & Esoteric Lore
    • Psychonaut & Altered States
    • Self-Liberation
  • Classes
  • Books
  • Podcast

Simon King of the Witches: One of the Greatest (and Mostly Hilariously Campy) Movies About the Occult Ever Made

April 17, 2013 by Jason Louv Leave a Comment

Simon King of the Witches

Simon Sinistrari, the Magus Who Lives in a Storm Drain, is the Star of 1971 Ultra-Obscuro Occult Cinema Classic “Simon King of the Witches”

Since hearing about it last week (via Brooklyn’s new occult shop Catland), I’ve watched this early 70s B-movie “masterpiece” several times—I would say that it’s of its time, but I’m amazed that “Simon King of the Witches” was ever made, even in psychedelic 1971.

The film follows the ever-so-subtly named Simon Sinistrari (Andrew Prine), a practicing ceremonial magician who lives in a storm drain underneath Los Angeles, where he hoards his occult gear and emerges to scrape out a few dollars by selling talismans and giving tarot readings to bored LA socialites. It’s all to support his secret magical plan to harvest the power of the Gods, of course. He picks up a new protege in prison, Turk (George Paulsin), a male prostitute, who he brings to his storm drain to train in the basics of ceremonial and sexual magick. The sequence was almost certainly the inspiration for the first four issues of Grant Morrison’s The Invisibles (they even summon a giant pulsating red ball in one sequence, just like the “Barbelith” satellite in The Invisibles).

 

More hijinks ensue as Simon and Turk get caught up in all kinds of entanglements with high society and the cops; Simon attempts sex magick with both the DA’s pill-popping daughter and a gay hustler; a witches’ orgy led by Warhol superstar Ultra Violet is attended—and, when the heat comes down, Simon uses magick to curse… the whole establishment, man!

RELATED: Here’s 9 Great Movies About Magick and the Occult

It’s utterly, ineffably, pricelessly and even non-ironically wonderful. In addition to the influence on The Invisibles, the cynical magus Simon also had to be the prototype from which Alan Moore drew John Constantine, and quite probably the impetus behind the name “Simon” used for the mass-market Necronomicon put out by Avon Books in the late 70s.

Simon King of the Witches

If you dig this kind of shit—and you know who you are—watch this beyond-amazing movie. It’s all on YouTube (I’ve embedded the first part below)—except, sadly, the bit with the naked orgy and gay sex magick, which somebody apparently decided was too much for YouTube. “Simon King of the Witches” is, however, available on DVD.

 
Check out our free guide to chaos magick here.

 



Chaos Magick Book

Here’s a FREE course on Chaos Magick.

Everything you need to become a practicing chaos magician: sigils, rituals, altered states and lots more.

Start Learning Magick


Chaos Magick Book

Here’s a FREE course on Chaos Magick.

Everything you need to become a practicing chaos magician: sigils, rituals, altered states and lots more.

Start Learning Magick

About Jason Louv

Jason Louv is the editor-in-chief of Ultraculture and has written for Boing Boing, VICE News, Motherboard and more. His books include Monsanto vs. the World, Queen Valentine, Thee Psychick Bible, Ultraculture Journal and Generation Hex.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Learn Magick, Chaos Magick and the Occult

ESSENTIAL READING

Sex Magick in Seven Steps

The Psychonaut Field Manual: A Cartoon Guide to Chaos Magick

Here’s 8 Celebrities Who Practice Chaos Magick

The 7 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Learning Magick

FOLLOW US FOR EXCLUSIVE OFFERS

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
Podcast

JOIN OUR DISCORD CHAT

Discord

© 2012-2017 Ultraculture Incorporated. | About Us | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy