Witching And Bitching

Viva Espana. Remember that song by Sylvia Vrethammar ? She was right, Spain have something for everyone. good food, beautiful nature, good music ( for the most part ) and they have made many great horror films. Especially my favourite The Orphanage, i can still watch it today and feel how creepy it can be. I have travelled to Spain, and i have to say the spanish people i have met are very friendly. Let´s talk about spanish horror. We already know that spanish directors are very talented in this genre, so what if we get a horror comedy, with influences from Sam Raimi ? This sounds like fun, don´t you agree ? Director Álex de la Iglesia did a very odd movie called The Last Circus in 2010. I don´t know what category i should put The Last Circus in, but i suppose this is both a grotesque drama comedy, with some horror influences with a crazy clown. I think The Last Circus is a very original motion picture, and if you have not seen it, i suggest you rent it. Witching And Bitching is the latest motion picture from director Álex de la Iglesia. Ever since the premiere, Movie critics have praised Witching And Bitching for the fun mix of crazy horror and dark comedy. But that´s not all, this movie won a total of 8 awards at the 28th Goya Awards, talk about a successfull night. With so much positive feedback, is Withcing And Bitching a return for horror comedy on a high quality level, or is this a poor try to repeat the success of Sam Raimi ?

José ( Hugo Silva ) and Tony ( Mario Casas ), two unemployed men, commit a robbery and are forced to escape from police with José´s son Sergio ( Gabriel Angel Delgado ). They abduct a taxi, with a taxi driver and his customer, as they escape the city of Madrid. Out in the countryside, they manage to get away from police, and end up at a small bar named Maritxu. They order some soup, but notice that these local seem strange. The journey continue as the group see a sign that says Zugarramurdo. This village is known for having real witches, but Tony and José agree to continue going there, with their hostages. Unfortunately the driver hit a woman on the road with the car. This turns out to be the same woman who served them soup at Maritxu. José tries to see if she is alive, and notice a neckless, with a textile bag. José is curious what is inside, and accidently open it. A powder substance is let out, as they inhale the substance. The woman is missing, and no one knows what they just swallowed. So they continue their journey, passing the village of Zugarramurdo, and suddenly stop the car. Out on the highway, stands a woman, saying she is looking for her mother. Her name is Graci ( Carmen Maura ), and the boys offer a lift to her home. Suddenly Sergio is missing, so José begin to look around the home of Graci. The lady of the house, Graci, give them a tour around the mansion. But something is not right about this place, and José and his new friends are about to find out the truth about the village of Zugarramurdo.

I am pretty sure you will not find one single movie this spring/summer, that look anything like Witching And Bitching. This is a really crazy horror comedy, that made me laugh several times. I do not know what to compare this with, since there are so many influences thrown together, you simply have to admire how director Álex de la Iglesia make it all work. This is not for everyone, you have to enjoy the style and the influences to appreciate Witching And Bitching. We have seen movies with witches before, but here we get a completely different approach with some really weird crazy witches. Imagine a combination of The Wicker Man, Drag Me To Hell and other insane ingredients, and you have something to look forward to. The opening scene with Hugo Silva dressed up as a silver painted Jesus with a shotgun is absolutely brilliant. Why can´t we see more of that in church ? The acting delivers in almost every character, they are all crazy, and they all seem to have a nervous breakdown. Witching And Bitching is one of the craziest movies i have seen this year, you need to see this to understand why. Just released on dvd and blu ray in Sweden this week, make sure you grab yourself a copy, i promise this is a ride you will never forget. Director Álex de la Iglesia have done it again, another classic delivered from this extremely talented man, is there anything he can´t do ? As long as he stays away from romantic comedies, i will guaranteed check out his next project. Witching And Bitching is a winner, i guarantee no other horror comedy will be as good as this one in a long time.

Rating: DDDD