Notable Cast: Belle Adams, Rebekah Kennedy, Tim Fox,
Clint Glenn Hummel, Danielle Kennedy, Kristina Klebe, Dina Silva, Ian Michaels,
Lindsey Rose Naves, Julien Marlon Samani
When the new Blu-Ray disc of Two Witches loaded up on
my screen, the montage of videos accompanying the menu had a flair that
immediately caught my eye. Arrow Video has been nabbing some intriguing titles
lately in terms of more modern and obscure genre material, including films like
Sleep or The Deeper You Dig. Still, Two Witches was a
title that had never crossed my path. Judging a book by its cover or, more
accurately, a film by its menu, this one had already perked my interest.
Fortunately, the film matches the menu.
Two Witches is a horrific delight. It’s a film that
combines its creepy moments with a stylish offbeat combination of visual
punches and manages to balance its world-building to be both unnerving and
often humorous. Its tone could feel a bit combative for some viewers, but it
takes some wild swings and connects on most… which is impressive for a
directorial debut.
Although the film only clocks in at just over 90 minutes, Two
Witches is paced in such an intriguing way in its narrative structure and
how it unravels its tale. It’s split into two halves which constitute two
“stories” with separate protagonists (and the two titular witches). The first
circles around a young couple and their interaction with an old woman who has
possibly hexed the young lady as they head out to a friend’s house while the
second looks at the odd relationship between two roommates when one of them
suddenly finds herself with some witchcraft-like powers.
Both stories have their merits, from their often-quirky dark
humor to their interesting character interactions around some witchy events.
Both tales retain the same style as a cohesive fabric between the two. It’s a
style that is a sly blend of old-school 70s Italian exploitation, think of the
subdued and atmospheric side of Lucio Fulci, and that clever line run of humor
and horror of Sam Raimi. And it’s this style that inherently carries the film
through its vaguer supernatural elements and the more challenging choices of
its structure. From the offbeat mugging that characters do while
under/performance witchcraft or the manner that the camera uses its steady hand
or wild visual flairs, Two Witches pulls it all off with a sense of
energetic and terrifyingly creative bliss.
It’s the structure that might throw off most viewers. When
the first story ends, it is abrupt, and if you’re not ready for the jump, then
it’s a bit of a jolt. For those who want an anthology of sorts, it will suffice
in some ways, but it’s not quite an anthology as one might expect as threads
from the first story start to weave into the second.
It is smartly constructed though and the manner that the
stories are told is thoroughly engaging to create a sense of cohesion through the two different stories. The characters prove to be intriguing enough to keep the
audience hooked, although the performances from both Belle Adams and Rebekah
Kennedy tend to steal the film as the more layered and robust ones, and there
is a lot of fun to be had in some of the awkward ways that the dialogue,
visuals, and narrative intertwine. In particular, the setup of two recurring
characters in the two halves is fun and leads to a fantastic payoff.
Unexpected, but delightful in its execution.
For those looking for some Halloween seasonal horror to kick
off the year right, then Two Witches is definitely the best way to kick
it off. It’s smartly written, featuring some fantastic performances for
protagonists and some silly/creepy performances from the witches, and the
visual pizzazz provided by director Pierre Tsigaridis is the perfect
modernization of styles from decades past. The tone may not hit for every
viewer, particularly in how Two Witches manages to embed its humor and
horror together, but it’s essential seasonal tone setting for Halloween.
Don’t skip out on Two Witches as it’s concocting the
best kind of horror brew.
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