What do you think she meant when she said “a huge black monster with giant claws”?
The spirit of this unfocused—and oddly endearing—Spanish creation is epitomized by the words of Mario the handlebar-mustachioed photographer. Thoughtfully staring up at the ridge of a modest incline, he declares, as if to himself: “I think I’ll climb this hill.” And up he goes: without forethought, without preparation, and without reason. The man simply acted on an idea. So too, we must assume, did the character’s creator, first time writer-director Raúl Artigot, a man with an audacious lack of concern for either plausible character motivation or narrative rationality.
Take the introduction of Delia, Mario’s traveling companion. Enroute to an assignment snapping shots of a reputedly haunted mountaintop, Mario spots the sunbathing beauty, spends a few minutes photographing her in various states of undress, and then has the gall to invite her to accompany him on his journey. And of course, she accepts with only the slightest hesitation. Her reason? She’s bored. Other characters are equally impulsive, their actions best expressed through a few invented lines of dialogue inspired by Mario’s words above: “I think I’ll kill this cat,” “I think I’ll set this little girl on fire,” and “I think I’ll hug this half-naked caveman.”
The film does incorporate a tangible, if haphazard, horror story line—the further adventures of Mario bringing him in contact with a cross-eyed innkeeper spouting dire warnings, an agoraphobic shepherd presaging danger, and the eventual discovery of an ancient mountain coven. What resonates most, however, are the moments of calm—the beautiful long shots of the lush mountainside and the intimate close-ups of Mario rumpling his impressive facial hair in deep thought. Like so many Spanish horror films of the early ’70s, The Witches Mountain—in all it’s grammatically incorrect glory—successfully relies on its unpredictable characters, casual style, and wonderfully grainy film stock to lull the viewer into overlooking its many shortcomings.
by Thomas Scalzo | Source: Mill Creek Entertainment DVD
20 Aug 2008 8:04 PM | Submit Comment