The Witches Mountain

This engaging (which it shouldn't be) low-grade Spanish exploitation (quite tame I might add) looks good, but huh? Let me phrase that again 'huh?'. Actually the word 'huh?' would be going through your mind quite a lot. Nothing makes sense, nor does it try too. I just don't know if its complicatedly cryptic or just a convoluted muddle, but there's no denying how laconically uneventful, strange and wordy it feels.

Unrelated sequences tied (like that nasty opening involving a little girl, dead cat and fire) in to a sparse story involving photographer Mario (played by a chest-puffing John Caffari, who's mustache is a dead ringer for Nintendo's iconic Mario. What's the odds?) that ditches his girlfriend at home and encounters a young lady (a gorgeously fixating Patty Shepard) who he asks to come with him on an photography assignment, where at this remote mountain retreat they come across some hooded witches.

Look past the unhinged plot structure and wallow in what is simply a moody piece of atmospheric mechanisms and growing unease. Raul Artigot directs few jarringly unusual visuals and creepy passages, but for most part seems sporadically non-existent and unfocused just like his writing. Ramon Sempere's striking cinematography lenses the gracefully rich scenery as we take in the scenic views and let the time leisurely grind away. However there are certain areas where it was too dark to see what was going on. Fernando Garcia Morcillo's hauntingly bombastic and overwrought score blends terrifically with compulsively dense atmosphere created. The leads are capable, but there's also a sturdy bunch (the pick being Víctor Israel) of secondary performances.

Slow with little in the way of interest, but this dreamy set-up (that seems to go on and on) manages to keep you watching until its closing.

Although not the best "B" horror flick to come out of the 70's, this is one of my favorites because it introduced me to Patty Shepard, who became my favorite star of this genre. Although it suffers from continuity problems, it retains a somewhat tense mood that makes this movie viewable. The story has an effective ending and has remained a favorite of mine throughout the years that it has aired on late night local T.V., although I have not seen it in some time. If you are not enamored of Patty Shepard, you may not think much of this import, but it will remain on my list of favorites.

Highly implausible, unbelievable, and incoherent Spanish production about...well, let me see just how close I can get to it. The film opens with a woman having one of her cat's killed by a young girl. She then begs her lover to take her somewhere on his vacation. He calls work and demands that he loses his vacation time and she says he will pay for this. What relevance this plays out to is anybody's guess at the film's end, because the guy, a swarthy photographer, spies a beautiful Patty Shepard, queen of Spanish horror films it seems, taking her bikini top off momentarily so he can snap a picture, ask her out to lunch, and then to his assignment to Witches Mountain - for reasons again we are never privy to. Before they go, Patty must stop by the house and loud, "eerie" chanting echoes in our hero's ears. Again, this is never explained. The film goes on with these two stopping at an inn, going on to the mountain, and finally realizing why the mountain is called Witches Mountain. You know, there are several aspects to this film which make it better than a bad film. It has some atmosphere, some of the character actors are really quite good(especially the deaf innkeeper and the old woman), the leads are at least adequate, and the climax - though it makes absolutely no sense at all - is well-choreographed(literally) with the witches in white brassieres and long black hair. It just doesn't make any sense though, and that is a huge detractor to me. I could watch the film another ten times and still not know more now than I did after the first viewing. That is a major problem. The Witches Mountain is a curious film from the long line of cheap, atmospheric European horror films that blanketed that decade. If you can get more out of it than me, better power to you.

The film is like other reviewers have said: Odd, strange, mesmerizing, does not make a lot of sense, watchable, weird and captivating. It's one of those European films one would have to watch to understand what is meant by watchable yet does not make a lot of sense.

Great atmosphere, appropriate music, acting not too bad, some interesting scenes, and bizarrely entertaining with a questionable script. OR maybe it's just loosing something in the translation into the English language instead of being a questionable script? I'm not sure which it is.

Anyway, if you like the older Euro-Horror films and/or movies about witches you might find something entertaining about this film as others and myself did.

The movie is NOT bloody nor gory - it's a Gothic piece with lots of eerie imagery as eye-candy.

5/10

After an angry break-up with his fiancee : Mónica Randall , a news photographer : Gaffari , takes an assignment by the Northern Spain traveling throughout Picos de Europa (Asturias) . Along the way he meets an attractive young : Patty Shepard on the beach , whom he accords to join at the suspenseful journey across the mountains by jeep . The couple stops at a ruined hotel run by a suspicious man: Victor Israel . By the way they hear rumours that there is a nearly mountain where inhabits a coven of haunted witches.

Thrilling and frightening pic with atmospheric sets , creepy happenings , blood-curling scenes, twists and turns. It is an acceptable movie with some terror moments striking without warning. A passable horror movie that makes you shiver and quiver , being made during the best period of the Spanish Fantaterror in early 70s , when Jacinto Molina or Paul Naschy created his unforgettable horror flicks. The picture displays an eerie and mysterious musical score by Fernando García Morcillo , with plenty of medieval , religious and choral sounds that cause real fright and extreme fear . However , cinematography results to be lousy and worn-out , being necessary a perfect remastering because of the film copy is faded . And the locations are fantastic and gorgeous : Desfiladero de la Hermida , Cantabria , Asturias , Picos de Europa and Lagos or Lagoon de Covadonga : Enol and Ercina .

The picture was regularly directed by Raúl Artigot , but he creates nice terror images and atmosphere enough . Raúl Artigot was a notorious cameraman who photographed a lot of films such as : Requiem para un campesino, Plaza del Diamante, La Chica del Pijama Amarillo, La Espuela , Manuela , Los Demonios, Semana del Asesino, El Buque Maldito . And wrote/directed a few films as Bajo en Nicotina, Cabo de Vara and this El Monte de las Brujas .Rating : 5.5/10 . The yarn will appeal to Spanish terror fans