Michael Reeves (17 October 1943 – 11 February 1969) was an English film director and screenwriter, best known for the 1968 film Witchfinder General. Reeves died in London at the age of 25 from an accidental alcohol and barbiturate overdose shortly after the film's release.
Biography from TMDB.
- October 17, 1943
- February 11, 1969 (aged 25)
- Sutton, London, UK
- Director, writer and producer
- 4 on MovieCove · 7 credits in all
What are Michael Reeves' films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4
Light 0 · Serious 1 · Dark 3
Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 1
Steady 0 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 1
Resolved 1 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Michael Reeves' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Michael Reeves' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
7 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Crescendo(1970)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
The Oblong Box(1969)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Witchfinder General(1968)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
The Sorcerers(1967)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
The She Beast (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
The Castle of the Living Dead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Intrusion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Career shape
A full career of 5 titles from 1961 to 1968.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.
How do Michael Reeves' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 45th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 4 titles divides audiences: 3 are Broadly Agreed.
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Broadly Agreed3
Reviewers score the atmosphere 70/100 and the pacing 41/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Michael Reeves work with?
People who share at least 2 of Michael Reeves' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Edgar Allan Poe shares the most, 2.
Writers
- Edgar Allan PoeShared titles: The Oblong Box (1969), Witchfinder General (1968)See all 2 shared titles with Edgar Allan Poe
- Tom BakerShared titles: Witchfinder General (1968), The Sorcerers (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Tom Baker
Actors
- Hilary HeathShared titles: The Oblong Box (1969), Witchfinder General (1968)See all 2 shared titles with Hilary Heath
- Rupert DaviesShared titles: The Oblong Box (1969), Witchfinder General (1968)See all 2 shared titles with Rupert Davies
- Vincent PriceShared titles: The Oblong Box (1969), Witchfinder General (1968)See all 2 shared titles with Vincent Price
- Ian OgilvyShared titles: Witchfinder General (1968), The Sorcerers (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Ian Ogilvy
Composers and cinematographers
- John CoquillonShared titles: The Oblong Box (1969), Witchfinder General (1968)See all 2 shared titles with John Coquillon
- Paul FerrisShared titles: Witchfinder General (1968), The Sorcerers (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Ferris
Producers
- Louis M. HeywardShared titles: The Oblong Box (1969), Witchfinder General (1968)See all 2 shared titles with Louis M. Heyward
- Arnold L. MillerShared titles: Witchfinder General (1968), The Sorcerers (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Arnold L. Miller
- Tony TenserShared titles: Witchfinder General (1968), The Sorcerers (1967)See all 2 shared titles with Tony Tenser