Cry of the Banshee

In Elizabethan England, Lord Edward Whitman presides over a village trial and declares the young woman a witch. He orders her branded, whipped through the streets, and placed in the stocks as the crowd watches. The brutal display signals Whitman’s ruthless approach to enforcing superstition and order.

That night Whitman hosts a feast at his home while his henchmen search the countryside for the killers of a sheep. Two poor teenagers are dragged into the hall and killed during a struggle after a wolf-like howl outside. The violent event marks the start of a village-wide hunt and foreshadows the brutality to come.

Whitman's wife, Lady Patricia, accuses her husband of murder, calling him a monster and insisting his methods are corrupt. The exchange reveals the moral decay within the Whitman household. The accusation raises the stakes of the hunt and the looming violence.

After his oldest son Sean rapes Lady Patricia, Whitman resolves to expand his 'clean up' of witches across the area. He embraces fear of sorcery as a weapon to consolidate power. The decision transforms personal grievance into a wider, sanctioned terror.

Whitman, aided by Sean, leads an armed posse into the hills to flush out supposed witches. They disrupt a gathering, kill several witches, and order the rest to scatter and never return. The raid intensifies the coven’s fury and sets the stage for retaliation.

Oona, leader of the coven, vows revenge for the massacre and summons a demonic spirit. The spirit possesses Roderick, a loyal servant, turning him into a deadly instrument against the Whitman family. The supernatural threat shifts the danger from mobs to a personal, living nightmare.

Under demonic possession, Roderick begins a systematic murder of Whitman family members, striking at Sean and Lady Patricia among others. Maureen Whitman grows increasingly anxious as the body count climbs. The possession converts trusted staff into agents of murder.

Harry, Whitman’s son from Cambridge, and a priest named Father Tom locate Oona and her coven as they conjure death over Maureen. They kill Oona and the coven, breaking a portion of the curse. Yet the fight exposes the demon’s lingering hold on the Whitmans.

As Roderick attacks, Maureen shoots the demon in the head, seemingly ending the immediate threat. The moment offers a fragile spark of hope that the curse has been lifted. However, the supernatural danger remains and the path ahead is uncertain.

Whitman plans to depart by coach with his remaining children to escape the curse. He stops at the cemetery to confirm that Roderick is dead, only to find the coffin empty. The discovery shatters his confidence and deepens the looming dread.

Beneath the coach, Whitman discovers that his driver Bully Boy was killed by Roderick and the spirit now drives the carriage. The possessed servant seizes control and accelerates the deadly pursuit. Whitman realises the danger as the driver’s voice betrays the truth.

Whitman screams the driver’s name in terror as the coach heads toward an unknown fate. The screen fades on an unresolved note, with the curse and danger hanging over the family. The ominous coach fades into the night, leaving the audience in suspense.