The Witches Mountain

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.

A photographer with a heroically 70's 'tache travels to a supposedly haunted mountain to get some interesting pictures. Along the way he somewhat randomly picks up a girl to accompany him. Once in the mountain vicinity, spooky things begin to happen.

Without doubt this film is confusing and illogical. Much of the reason is that it seems to have been edited together with a hacksaw. Scenes are linked together in a very haphazard way indeed. While some events really make no sense whatsoever, such as the prologue with the mother and little girl – a sequence that doesn't really seem to bear any relevance to the rest of the film. Another example of senselessness is the part where the photographer hears weird music that only he can hear – this happens well before he even reaches the haunted mountain so it just doesn't make a whole lot of logical sense.

Having said all that Witches Mountain does have a certain something going for it. What it has is a very strange atmosphere. The photography is pretty good; the mountainous region looks very mysterious and evocative. There are some interesting side characters such as the goggle-eyed inn-keeper. The music is pretty spooky. While the scene where the photographer captures mysterious images of the witches in the mountain village is very well done. So really, despite the obvious structural problems inherent in this film, the atmospherics make up for it. Just don't expect a water-tight plot or really something that makes much sense at all. But as an off-kilter moody horror flick it's not too bad really.

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.

Sometimes certain films get caught in an untenable position. They want to be classy and subtle but don't have the ability to be so. Yet, they avoid elements that would make them interesting or entertaining in an effort to attain a subtlety that is far beyond their means or capabilities. "The Witches Mountain" is such a film. It so strives to attain such an atmosphere that it all but ignores any element whether it be exploitative, strange, or horrific in an effort to achieve its desired goals.

And, yet, it doesn't have the ability to generate the suspense it needs to attain such a chilling atmosphere. The film was directed by Raul Artigot, a noted cinematographer making his directorial debut. He knows how to frame a scene, and the photography is quite beautiful. But, for some strange reason, he is unable to create what a low-budget film like this needs most in it's repertoire; the haunting visual imagery so necessary to leaving an indelible mark on the memory of the viewer. All of the best low-budget horror films have indelible images, that once you think about them, shivers run down your spine. From the flesh-eating scene in "Night of the Living Dead" to the menace of Michael Meyers relentlessly pursuing Jamie Lee Curtis in "Halloween", these images create a sense of fear and dread that lasts in your subconscious. They contribute to an atmosphere of suspense that is unrelenting. Which is exactly what this movie so drastically needs. It is unable to attain the ethereal or dream-like beauty that it so longs for, thus leaving the first hour of the film suspense- less and bereft of nearly all action, leading up to a denouement that is flat and uninvolving. And, while there are a couple of surreal moments towards the end, they are much too limited to have any real impact.

As for the production itself, the cast, headed by genre stalwarts Patty Shepard, John Gaffari, and Monica Randall, is fine. But the material( A young couple encounters a witches coven while traveling through the mountainside,) is incredibly weak. Only the reliable character actor Victor Israel( "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly", "Horror Express", "Goya's Ghost") is allowed to shine through as a sinister innkeeper with a hearing problem. His complex performance is one of the few bright spots in this movie. And while the photography is beautiful, the film is so poorly paced that you literally wonder if anything is going to happen. Even the musical score is a mixed bag. The instrumentals and singing do possess a lyrical, moody beauty that should have been embraced by the movie itself, but the chanting( which is meant to terrify us, I suppose) is grating on the nerves and almost too painful to listen to,

So, all in all, this movie doesn't add up to much. The film strives to be a modern Gothic horror story but cannot achieve it. It eschews all other elements in an attempt to create an emotional impact it otherwise lacks. But the only thing it creates is a tepidness that it never recovers from.

"El monte de las brujas" (The witches' mountain) is a strange and compelling film. I've found it casually in ebay and ordered it. The transfer of the film, made from a VHS tape, is not good, and the film obviously suffered cuts, but even so I've quite enjoyed the film.

We are introduced to Carla (Monica Randall) arriving at a house. In the house, a hysterical little girl has stabbed some dolls and killed the cat. Carla tries to calm down the girl but all to no use. The little girl (so it seems) takes a snake out of somewhere. The snake slithers slowly through the girl's hair. Carla watches everything and crouches a little. Suddenly, Fire! The beginning credits of the film start to roll followed by a weird and loud chanting. What really happened is anybody's guess.

Next scene: Mario (John Gaffari), a photographer writing for a newspaper/magazine, arrives at home. When he turns the lights on, guess who's waiting for him? Carla. She wants to resume their relationship. He says no. Carla says to Mario that he'll regret his decision. Cut.

Mario starts off for Witches' Mountain. His assignment is to take good pictures of the area. On the way there, he meets a beautiful girl on a beach. She is sunbathing topless. He takes some pictures from her and invites her to go with him to Witches' Mountain. She's Delia (Patty Shepard). She accepts his invitation, and both of them head for Witches' Mountain in Mario's car. This is, very briefly told, the beginning of the film. From then on strange small things begin to happen to them (warnings?).

The more they approach Witches' Mountain, the more ominous things become, and when they arrive there.....

The film is very atmospheric. If you like off-the-beaten-track eurohorror, this film is a must. The beautiful mountainous scenery, the dreamy night scenes in the woods haunted by dark silhouettes and weird chantings, old ruined houses, fog....

"El monte de las brujas" transmits a feeling of total spontaneity. The cameras, the actors, the landscape, the wondrous soundtrack seem to belong together. John Gaffari, as Mario, and Patty Shepard as Delia, as well as all the other actors, are excellent. "The witches' mountain" is very creative and... trippy. But if you only like horror films with lots of scares and blood, then avoid this one at all costs.