With this Mexican horror film, you very much get two genre stories for the price of one. After an introduction in which we are educated on the activities of witches, we're introduced to young bride Elena (Dina de Marco), who is unable to escape her fate of being murdered by her cheating husband Eduardo (Armando Calvo). But Elenas' Godmother Sara (Isabela Corona) is a bonafide witch, and Sara conjures Elenas' spirit for the sake of revenge.
The second half then turns into something very similar to the more well known French film of the same year, "Eyes without a Face", as Eduardo, a very bad doctor, steals corpses and harvests the body parts to aid his new wife Deborah (Rosita Arenas).
Very well directed by Chano Urueta (who later did the very weird "The Brainiac", and appeared as an actor in "The Wild Bunch"), this is a very fun horror picture. It's also well acted, and has some great atmosphere during its best moments. Corona is a standout as the housekeeper / witch who's determined to do right by her Goddaughter. Urueta is able to create good visuals in an often talky but basically entertaining story.
"The Witch's Mirror" is worth watching for genre fans; it may make a viewer interested to check out the other works of the director, who was VERY prolific from the 20s through to the 70s.
Seven out of 10.
The second half then turns into something very similar to the more well known French film of the same year, "Eyes without a Face", as Eduardo, a very bad doctor, steals corpses and harvests the body parts to aid his new wife Deborah (Rosita Arenas).
Very well directed by Chano Urueta (who later did the very weird "The Brainiac", and appeared as an actor in "The Wild Bunch"), this is a very fun horror picture. It's also well acted, and has some great atmosphere during its best moments. Corona is a standout as the housekeeper / witch who's determined to do right by her Goddaughter. Urueta is able to create good visuals in an often talky but basically entertaining story.
"The Witch's Mirror" is worth watching for genre fans; it may make a viewer interested to check out the other works of the director, who was VERY prolific from the 20s through to the 70s.
Seven out of 10.