The Witches Mountain

Director - Raul Artigot (Bajo en Nicotina, Cabo de Vara)

Starring - Patty Shepard (Rest in Pieces, My Dear Killer), Cihangir Gaffari (Bloodsport, Hundra), and Monica Randall (Stay as You Are, Cross of the Devil)

Release Date - 1973

Genre - Horror

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've been a horror fan for as long as I can remember.  I was obsessed with zombie films as a kid when I was first introduced to Tom Savini's remake of Night of the Living Dead.  From there I dived deep into the sub-genre before migrating to slashers and other genre films.  While I'll always have a soft spot for slashers and zombie flicks I still find myself disappointed by the lack of witch films.  Several weeks back Mondo Macabro released the 1973 Spanish horror film The Witches Mountain on blu.  I was lucky enough to get a copy of this one for review.  Like always I want to thank Mondo Macabro for sending this one over.

     The film follows a photojournalist who is traveling through the beautiful Spanish countryside where he crosses paths with a beautiful woman. She agrees and they visit a secluded castle high in the mountains but when he hears strange sounds and chanting he suspects that the local lore surrounding the mountain being inhabited by witches may be true. 

      I know The Witches Mountain is not going to be a film that genre fans flock to store shelves to snag a copy to add to their collections but serious genre collectors will want to check it out. It’s a decent enough folk horror flick that may not be the most memorable film I’ve seen but it was entertaining especially for a first time watch. The acting in this one is solid but no one is winning any awards. The characters are fairly generic in an early 70s genre film kind of way. The cast is fairly small but everyone did their part and pulled it off. I was a little disappointed that our two leads didn’t have personalities that would stand out. Their performances are decent enough but the characters are easily forgettable and blend into the background at times. The story for this one doesn’t really build up to an atmospheric and suspenseful horror film with witches and Satanic imagery like you would expect. I was really looking forward to seeing a coven of wood witches resort to pagan rituals. We don’t really get that and when you mix that with the slow burn that the film is you get something that will really push the patience of the viewer. I enjoyed it for what it was but I don’t see myself revisiting it anytime soon. Finally, the film relies on the location, atmosphere, and story to drive the fear home to the viewer. We don’t really get any memorable effects or movie magic to enjoy which is a damn shame. I would have loved an early 70s witch film with some blood and gore. Overall, The Witches Mountain is not the definitive horror film about witches. Hell, it’s not even that memorable of a Spanish horror film but it is solid for a first time watch. Collectors will want to add this Mondo Macabro release to their collection but remember that it is far from perfect.