The Witch Who Came from the Sea (1976)

Firstly, the film deals with fantasy but it’s of the sinister, psychological, abused woman kind, not the fantastical kind implied by the modified/stolen Frazetta picture on the cover, so ignore that completely.
It’s the story of Molly, a barmaid. Molly’s emotionally screwed-up but with good reason. It shows you why that is and it pulls no punches whatsoever while doing it. It invites viewers into her tortured world and exposes them to some odd, disturbing, sexual content. The invasive camera-work makes it all the more unsettling, like a horrible dream that turns feelings of innocence into violent reactions to danger. It's exploitation cinema that pushes the important themes far above the methods used to visualise them.

4 close shaves out of 5