Witching and Bitching (5 Stars)

Dancer's Top Films #27

The original Spanish title of this film is "Las Brujas de Zugarramurdi", engl. "The Witches of Zugarramurdi ". Normally I prefer film titles to be left unchanged, apart from translation, but in this case it's appropriate. In Spain the town Zugarramurdi is well known as the location of witch trials in the early 17th Century. Despite having shrunk to a population of 225, the town hosts a yearly gathering of witches on 21st June, the summer solstice. No dates are mentioned in the film, but we can assume that it takes place on the solstice.

It's very difficult to find this film on disc, except in Spanish and German. The version I watched today is the Spanish Blu-ray with German subtitles. It's available to rent or buy with Amazon Prime, which is better than nothing. Anyone who sees the film for the first time is breathless. What a brilliant film! It's the perfect mix of horror and comedy. Some reviewers have criticised it for being a rip off of "From Dusk Till Dawn", but I prefer to call it an homage.

To explain what I mean: the film begins with an armed robbery. The robbers flee to a remote town (Zugarramurdi) taking innocent people with them. They stumble on a coven of cannibalistic witches.

Yes, that's a clear parallel to "From Dusk Till Dawn", but "Witching and Bitching" is a lot more complex. It also has other messages. The witches are the agents of female supremacy. They worship the one true God, who's a woman. They're preparing a new world order in which men have only two purposes: procreation and food. That sounds like paradise to me. I wonder how many years I'd be allowed to serve as a stud before I'm only good enough to be eaten.

"And now, ladies, the meal begins!"

"Mommy, can't I play with one of them first?"

"You're still young, Eva. You need to eat more till you grow up to be like me. You can play with men all you like when you're older".

"Now let the celebration begin! The Goddess is coming!"

"Make way! Here she comes!"

"Men will see her and tremble with fear!"

This is an outstanding film, fast-paced, packed with action and humour from beginning to end. I can't recommend it enough, even if you're not a fan of horror comedies.