Raul Artigot’s The Witches Mountain is Spanish surrealist horror in the same vein as Jess Franco, an intimate look at two characters thrust into an atmospheric tale about supernaturality that doesn’t quite gel together. The 1973 film features Cihangir (John) Gaffari and Patty Shepard as two strangers who eventually decide to travel together up the Pyranees Mountains for a random photography assignment. Once there, they experience some strange encounters, having their car stolen and staying at two eerie abodes. And that’s pretty much the gist of the plot; somewhere along the way are witches, but their involvement is minimal to say the least and the film’s overall point gets lost in what seems like either editing or scriptwriting blunders leaving out large portions of plot.
As a Eurohorror film, The Witches Mountain certainly has similarities that put it in line with Artigot’s peer. It’s a very slow burn, specifically focused on sheer atmosphere rather than setting up elaborate plotting. The setting is undeniably gorgeous, with lots of verdant greenery and Spanish countryside at its forefront; and when the film does get to its interior locales, there’s a nice Gothic/Hammer element that provides eerieness, even if there’s no payoff.
But ultimately Artigot’s surrealistic portrayal lacks a destination, and it’s clear that there’s definitely something missing in the storyline. An opening sequence with both pet and child violence is only tenuously tied to the rest of the film; a later flashback revelation of Shepard’s character chained up with a caveman seems to have no overall meaning to the rest of the story except to perhaps tease something like a past life. And the intention of the witches on the mountain is left up to the audience to decide, with a rather abrupt surprise ending that could have been spooky if there was more consequence.
While there are certain elements that work in Artigot’s film, the rest of the work is rather unfulfilling. An atmosphere of dread and supernaturality only goes so far when it’s bookended by lengthy scenes of characters ambling around the mountainside, and unfortunately The Witches Mountain suffers from getting too lost in its own overgrowth.
Blu-ray
Mondo Macabro has released The Witches Mountain on Blu-ray in a standard edition after their previous limited red case edition with an HD transfer from unspecified source in 2.35:1 aspect ratio. It’s pretty obvious that this transfer has come from an inferior print source, since it’s certainly not of the same quality as Mondo Macabro’s other works. Here, the print has some moderate damage and debris to it that lasts throughout the film, as well as a moderate grain scale and a picture that often looks quite soft. Another real problem is that the movie’s darker moments are fairly obscured; there are a number of scenes in near pitch-black darkness, making it difficult to make out a lot of detail. Overall, this is a fair transfer and a step up from previous inferior releases, but viewers should temper their expectations.
This release features both English and Spanish DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono tracks, with English being the first option. The English dub is a bit muffled, and the soundtrack is noticeably less voluminous than the Spanish counterpart; at times, it also sounds like the English soundtrack has been slowed slightly. My preference was for the Spanish version, which sounded in better condition with a more vibrant soundtrack. English subtitles are included, but they are intended for the Spanish track since some of the English dialogue has been modified.
For extras, Mondo Macabro has assembled a surprisingly large amount for this movie. A new audio commentary with David Flint (The Reprobate podcast) explores the film’s actors and crew and outlines its known production history, as well as attempting to piece together the meaning of some of the disparate elements. A new interview with Cihangir Gaffari runs about 30 minutes and outlines his entire filmography, with a small portion of time spent specifically on The Witches Mountain. An older 36-minute archival interview with Gaffari is also included. There’s also a “documentary” on the film by Francisco Herrara; however, this is sort of oddly edited together interviews with actor Victor Israel and Jose Ulloa. A new visual essay on Patty Shepard’s life work is provided by Chris O’Neill. Finally, there’s a producer’s trailer and an English credits sequence, and new cover art by Justin Coffee.
Extra Features
- English and Spanish audio choice, with optional English subtitles
- NEW Interview #1 with actor John (Cihangir) Gaffari (1080p; 30:05)
- Interview #2 (archival) with actor John (Cihangir) Gaffari (1080p; 36:00)
- A documentary about the making of the film (1080p; 24:27)
- NEW Audio commentary from David Flint
- NEW Visual essay about Patty Shepard from Chris O’Neill (1080p; 7:52)
- Producer’s Trailer (1080p; 3:04)
- English credits sequence (1080p; 1:16)
- NEW commissioned cover art from Justin Coffee
Verdict
The Witches Mountain is a difficult film to recommend, but for those interested in unique Eurohorror it may be something worth checking out. This Blu-ray doesn’t have the greatest transfer, but a large dose of extra features help it go down a bit easier.
