Post by freezenerve on Jun 29, 2006 11:47:22 GMT -5
THE WITCH'S MIRROR (1960)
NOT RATED
75 MINUTES
Director: CHANO URUETA
Starring: ROSITA ARENAS, ARMANDO CALVO
PANIK HOUSE ENTERTAINMENT
www.panikhouse.com
Casanegra
www.casanegrafilms.com
Review by Brian Yount, 2006
Being a fan of the old Universal classics I was excited when I got this old black and white Spanish horror movie. Going in, I didn't think it would stand up to the American classics I was used to. I was dead wrong. Not only does this flick stack up to the Universal movies, it even surpasses them in ways. There were some scenes that in that time period I know would have been considered extreme. In the old movie Frankenstein, you know the doc is stealing bodies to make his monster, but it's never shown. In this movie they show some gore, which makes what the doctor's doing seem even more insane. Everything about this film was impressive - even the special effects were outstanding.
Plot:
Elena's Godmother, Sara, is a witch and also her husband's housekeeper. She owns a magic mirror which shows her evil things that people are doing or are about to do. When Sara discovers that Dr. Eduardo is going to kill his wife, Elena, she tries to warn her goddaughter.
Sara begs her dark lords to not let it happen, but they tell her it's Elena's fate and she must not try to stop it.
Eduardo poisons Elena and buries her in the graveyard outside of his castle. Sara wants to avenge the death.
A short time passes and Eduardo brings his new fiancée, Deborah, to the castle to live. Sara calls on Elena and her spirit comes back to haunt her husband and his new love.
Then Eduardo accidently burns Deborah - her face and hands are destroyed. He promises her that he will make her beautiful again. He pays an assistant to steal the bodies of beautiful women who have recently died. Using their parts, he begins to transplant new skin onto his lover's scarred face.
When Eduardo's assistant finds out that a beautiful pianist in town has passed away, he rushes to tell him. They dig up her grave and when they open it, she screams. Eduardo is excited because she's alive and the fresher the parts the better.
Can Eduardo make his fiancee beautiful like he promised ? Can Sara and her black magic make him pay for his evil ways? Will Elena come back for revenge?
Favorite line in this movie:
"What belongs to death, shall return to death." (This quote sums up the movie.)
Do watch this asap if you don't mind reading subtitles. It truly is a great horror film and in my eyes, a classic. It has black magic, a mad doctor, a ghost, a creepy castle. What more could you ask for?
Reasons to watch:
1. 11:54 A scene where Sara is talking to a dark lord.
2. 25.27 Burning flowers. (For the time period, this was a good special effect.)
3. 37.35 Deborah in flames.
4. 40:04 Deborah's burnt face.
5. 54:57 Amputated Hands (gory for the time period and well done.)
Brian's Rating Scale (1-5):
Suspense: 3.5
Special Effects/MakeUp: 4.0
Creepiness: 3.5
Gore: 3.0
Directing: 4.0
Storyline: 4.5
Acting: 4.0
Soundtrack: 4.0
Horror Elements: 3.5
Overall: 4.5
Final Score: 38.5 out 50.0 points
NOT RATED
75 MINUTES
Director: CHANO URUETA
Starring: ROSITA ARENAS, ARMANDO CALVO
PANIK HOUSE ENTERTAINMENT
www.panikhouse.com
Casanegra
www.casanegrafilms.com
Review by Brian Yount, 2006
Being a fan of the old Universal classics I was excited when I got this old black and white Spanish horror movie. Going in, I didn't think it would stand up to the American classics I was used to. I was dead wrong. Not only does this flick stack up to the Universal movies, it even surpasses them in ways. There were some scenes that in that time period I know would have been considered extreme. In the old movie Frankenstein, you know the doc is stealing bodies to make his monster, but it's never shown. In this movie they show some gore, which makes what the doctor's doing seem even more insane. Everything about this film was impressive - even the special effects were outstanding.
Plot:
Elena's Godmother, Sara, is a witch and also her husband's housekeeper. She owns a magic mirror which shows her evil things that people are doing or are about to do. When Sara discovers that Dr. Eduardo is going to kill his wife, Elena, she tries to warn her goddaughter.
Sara begs her dark lords to not let it happen, but they tell her it's Elena's fate and she must not try to stop it.
Eduardo poisons Elena and buries her in the graveyard outside of his castle. Sara wants to avenge the death.
A short time passes and Eduardo brings his new fiancée, Deborah, to the castle to live. Sara calls on Elena and her spirit comes back to haunt her husband and his new love.
Then Eduardo accidently burns Deborah - her face and hands are destroyed. He promises her that he will make her beautiful again. He pays an assistant to steal the bodies of beautiful women who have recently died. Using their parts, he begins to transplant new skin onto his lover's scarred face.
When Eduardo's assistant finds out that a beautiful pianist in town has passed away, he rushes to tell him. They dig up her grave and when they open it, she screams. Eduardo is excited because she's alive and the fresher the parts the better.
Can Eduardo make his fiancee beautiful like he promised ? Can Sara and her black magic make him pay for his evil ways? Will Elena come back for revenge?
Favorite line in this movie:
"What belongs to death, shall return to death." (This quote sums up the movie.)
Do watch this asap if you don't mind reading subtitles. It truly is a great horror film and in my eyes, a classic. It has black magic, a mad doctor, a ghost, a creepy castle. What more could you ask for?
Reasons to watch:
1. 11:54 A scene where Sara is talking to a dark lord.
2. 25.27 Burning flowers. (For the time period, this was a good special effect.)
3. 37.35 Deborah in flames.
4. 40:04 Deborah's burnt face.
5. 54:57 Amputated Hands (gory for the time period and well done.)
Brian's Rating Scale (1-5):
Suspense: 3.5
Special Effects/MakeUp: 4.0
Creepiness: 3.5
Gore: 3.0
Directing: 4.0
Storyline: 4.5
Acting: 4.0
Soundtrack: 4.0
Horror Elements: 3.5
Overall: 4.5
Final Score: 38.5 out 50.0 points
