Ariella Broughton
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
Taha Avalos
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
Isbel
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Rainey Dawn
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
lonchaney20
One of the few films directed by Artigot, a Spanish DP who worked with industry legends like Eloy de la Iglesia and Jess Franco. It's difficult to judge the film in its current condition for a few reasons: the only copies available are brutally panned-and-scanned from the original 2.35:1 ratio, the film was so heavily censored after its premiere that the final product is borderline incoherent, and the picture is so dark on the current releases that it's often impossible to tell what's going on. Nonetheless the film (which basically involves a macho photographer and his female companion getting targeted by a coven of witches) has a pleasing, sleepy ambiance, somewhat reminiscent of Arthur Machen's weird fiction. The mountain location is stunning, and the wacko soundtrack (lots of atonal choral music, and a strangely unnerving pop song) gets you through the more uneventful passages. Easily the best thing about the movie is the ludicrously masculine Cihangir Gaffari. He's even dubbed with a hilariously deep, manly voice - I believe it's the same voice actor who dubbed Paul Naschy in Count Dracula's Great Love. The film also gave me an odd Wicker Man vibe, meaning the insane version starring my beloved Nicolas Cage. This isn't as over-the-top, but like that film this has our protagonist stumbling onto a matriarchal religious sect, complete with a feral muscle man chained up in a cave who the witches use for breeding! Nicolas Cage also claims that he wanted to play Edward Malus as a macho man with a handlebar mustache, which is another interesting connection. Anyway, it's one of those quietly weird movies that I can't help but like, but anyone not obsessed with Euro-horror or handlebar mustaches probably won't find much to appreciate.
slardea-1
There may be a more coherent version of this Spanish-made "spooker," but the version that circulated on VHS and TV in the 1970s is a mess. A photojournalist befriends a writer, and rather than drive down to Madrid and have a nice, safe, pleasant romance they hike into Witch's Mountain where the writer eventually joins with the witches and / or becomes a witch. The ending in keeping with the whole movie is unclear. Director Artigot proves his inability of telling a story by staging important dialogs and possible emotional states of the characters in long shot, and saving his closeups for lovingly composed visions of Miss Shepard's face. As the writer cum victim, Shepard isn't given much to do but her presence is the only thing worthwhile in this stinker.
stush
This movie has it all! A super macho stud and an amoral chick in the lead roles. Mod clothes, big hair, wooden acting made worse because of dubbing from Italian into English, a script that makes you wonder why the character say or do certain things, etc. While watching the movie, I could just hear what Joel, Crow, and Servo might say. It was fascinating to watch such a good BAD movie. If you like cheesy movies, then hunt this one down. English title THE WITCHES MOUNTAIN. Great fun!
