6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A Masterpiece of the Mexican Horror Movement! A poetic tale of madness and horror from director Chano Urueta. The Witch's Mirror is one of the landmark films of the Mexi-horror genre. A benevolent witch (Isabela Corona) enchants a magic mirror to protect her adopted daughter Elena (Dina de Marco) from her cruel husband (Armando Calvo). When the incantation fails and the girl is murdered, the witch vows revenge using every unholy principle of the supernatural that she can conjure...
Starring: Rosita Arenas, Armando Calvo, Isabela Corona, Dina de Marco, Carlos NietoHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 99% |
Mystery | 12% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Spanish: LPCM Mono
English: LPCM Mono
English, English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Chano Urueta's "The Witch's Mirror" (1962) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by critic David Wilt; filmed interview with actress Rosita Arenas; vintage promotional materials for the film; and more. In Spanish or English, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
You shall be beautiful again
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Witch's Mirror arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.
The film looks good in high-definition. It is very easy to tell that it has been remastered and likely from the best surviving elements. However, it does look a bit softer than it should, and not because this is an appearance that was inherited. I suspect that some careful digital work was done to rabalnce the visuals and make them as attractive as possible. To be clear, the visuals do not have a digital appearance, but on a big screen it becomes quite easy to tell that have been managed at the lab. The grayscale is good. However, in most darker areas the grays and blacks do not look as healthy as they should. The blacks in particular tend to appear a tad more prominent because of the management work I mentioned above. Stability is good. I did not encounter any distracting surface imperfections to report in our review. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Spanish LPCM 1.0 and English LPCM 1.0. Optional English and English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I think that I spent an even amount of time with both tracks. I started with the Spanish track but then switched to the English track. The Spanish track is healthier and has a better dynamic amplitude. However, there are several areas of the film where it reveals light background hiss. I did not find the hiss distracting, but its presence is impossible to ignore. The English track is a dub that can be quite uneven and thin. Also, it has some minor pops and hiss, which again are not distracting but impossible to inogre.
It is fine that The Witch's Mirror rehashes most of the popular cliches that you will encounter in older classic and cult horror films. However, its cast and atmosphere are pretty underwhelming, so I cannot write that I had a good time with it. To be honest, right from the get-go, I felt like I was viewing a very small film that was done in a few days to meet an important deadline. The Witch's Mirror is one of four films that are included in Mexico Macabre: Four Sinister Tales From the Alameda Films Vault, a four-disc box set, which is Reigon-Free. An identical North American box set is available as well. You can see our listing of it here.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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