Witching and Bitching (2013) User Reviews (31)

Devilishly funny terror-black comedy about some thieves become involved into incredible and frightening adventures

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 17 May 2014]

This is a full-on surreal terror movie that blends thrills , a lot of fun , suspense , tension as well as an intriguing script full of underlying seriousness , horror , comedy and embarrassing situations . This Spanish horror/comedy is Alex De la Iglesia's latest foray into absolute and total lunacy , being titled ¨Witching and Bitching¨ or ¨Las Brujas De Zugarramurdi¨ . The flick centers on a band of thieves trying to flee to France after purloining 25,000 gold rings from a Spanish city . When a bank heist in the city doesn't all go according to plan, José (Hugo Silva) and Tony (Mario Casas) find themselves in possession of some hostages (Manuel Tafalle , Jaime Ordoñez) and speeding through the mountains of Spain . As the gang of escaping jewellery theft get trapped by a coven of witches . A curse is placed on them , and they fall into the clutches of the witches (Carmen Maura , Terele Pavez and Carolina Bang , partner to Alex De Iglesia and his fetish actress) of the Navarrese little town of Zugarramurdi . Meanwhile , the thieves have been pursued by a botcher couple of polices (Secun De La Rosa and Pepon Nieto) . The village of Zugarramurdi has been cursed and it is up to an elected to remove this affliction . The townsfolk need his blood and his sacrifice in order to remove the curse .

Alex De la Iglesia's horror comedy Witching & Bitching blends horror elements with humor , tongue-in-cheek and thrills ; so, the tone of the film is light-hearted . It's a veritable buffet of the cream of recent Spanish horror plenty of action , laughs , scares and witches attacks . Packed with scenes of fantastic nature , robust comedy , this story is exciting as well as frightening , as we follow the strange situations of some peculiar thieves whose destination is dictated by terrible events . The narration is so filled with quirk characters , crazy violence mixed with diabolic elements and an underlying sense of horror , and it is so excessive and plenty of surprises , one can't help but keep watching , much as it is over the top in many an occasion . Witches aren't an easy cult for horror buffs to fall in love with, despite being a prolific symbol for screams , but Alex thrives where most falter . De La Iglesia reigns in his style this time around and gives an utterly watchable takedown of horror/comedy that certainly delivers a few madly inspired moments . Once again De la Iglesia exemplifies why he's one of the most amusing Spanish filmmakers currently churning out foreign cinema , adopting frenetic storytelling much like Quentin Tarantino , Brian Singer , Robert Rodriguez or Matthew Vaughn might dream up . Enjoyable main cast and agreeable support actors deliver one of the most engaging , hysterical, action packed and wonderfully shot witchery movie in years . Witching's ensemble cast boasts some of Spain's biggest film and TV stars, such as Mario Casas (I Want You) , Hugo Silva (Sex, Parties and Lies , The body ), and Carmen Maura , who earned a Best Actress award at San Sebastian in 2000 for her role in La Comunidad . Further cast members are Terele Pavez, Carolina Bang , Secun de la Rosa, Pepon Nieto, Jaime Ordonez , Macarena Gomez , Enrique Villen , Carlos Areces and Santiago Segura ; most of them Alex De Iglesia's ordinaries . This Spanish horror-comedy ¨Brujas of Zugarramurdi¨ was much praised by critics as well as public during its European festival run . Being a big winner with eight statues Goyas was this Alex De la Iglesia's comedy Witching and Bitching which dominated the technical categories .

The motion picture was well directed by De La Iglesia , well known as the Spanish king of black comedy . He's a cool director has got much success as ¨Accion Mutante¨ ,¨Dying of laughter¨ or ¨Muertos De Risa¨ , ¨Baby's room¨ , ¨Oxford murders¨ , ¨Balada Triste De Una Trompeta¨ and ¨Perdita Durango¨ is probably the weirdest Javier Bardem film ever made . And , of course , ¨Day of the beast¨ and ¨La Comunidad¨ obtained the unanimous praise of both the critics and the public and result to be a lot of fun¨, especially for those who enjoy surrealist humor , they won several Goya prizes and and resulted to be a turning point in his meteoric career ; from then on he became his own producer, beginning with '800 bullets' (2002) through the Pánico Films company . Winner of several Goyas (Spanish Oscars), however his movies have not yet reached box office in USA, but he has strong followers , as his films have a kind of comic edge to them . Nonsense, ridicule , laughters , absurdity , disturbing scenes and many other issues ; you can find everything in this flick . ¨Las Brujas De Zugarramurdi¨ captures the essence of the best Alex De La Iglesia, a filmmaker who, at this point in his own story, is respected and admired worldwide and has the most committed fans in the film universe . This is without a doubt a thrilling and enjoyable movie to be enjoyed for terror/comedy fans and Alex De Iglesia fans .

Another entertaining and crazy film from Álex de la Iglesia

[Red-Barracuda · 7/10 · 24 February 2014]

Witching and Bitching is the latest insane film from Álex de la Iglesia. His last effort was the bonkers violent clown madness that was The Last Circus. This film probably falls a little short of that one overall but it shares the anarchic comedy with violence template pretty closely. Like that film too, this one does lose steam a bit in its final section where it goes for a big ending, which loses sight of what made it good before a little. This is a pretty minor criticism though because on the whole this movie proves again that Iglesia is always someone who delivers something a bit left-field, unconcerned with the niceties of political correctness. The story has thieves on the run from a badly staged crime. On their escape route, they find themselves in a mysterious village in the Basque country where they are soon captured by a coven of witches.

As is common for Iglesia, this one starts out with a great, attention grabbing credit sequence where we are presented with images of witches and evil women throughout the ages. It takes a bit of a nerve to show a picture of notorious female killers such as Myra Hindley juxtaposed with former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher! After seeing that, well you can't say you haven't been warned. The opening heist is pretty hilarious, with the criminals dressed up as street artists and mascots. It's both funny and successfully pulse-pounding and certainly gets things off to a great start. Once the characters meet the witches, the film moves from being a crime-comedy into a horror-comedy, with a focus always on the humour. The witches themselves make for the most interesting characters in the movie, with Iglesia regular Carolina Bang being the standout as the seriously gorgeous biker-witch – she smolders the screen every time she appears. This section of the film focuses on lots of macabre humour and ends with a horde of witches gathering in a cave in anticipation for the arrival of their queen, who is a giant monstrous being. Like I said earlier, this whole finale in the cavern is less interesting than what has gone before – when things get too big and effects-driven you feel Iglesia himself loses a bit of interest too. But overall, this is another very enjoyable, crazy movie from this Spanish maverick.

Fun

[Foutainoflife · 7/10 · 29 April 2020]

That's all that should be said but... I'll say a bit more.

After pulling a jewelry store heist, a group of men find their route of escape leading them to an encounter with witches. It is nothing short of a rollercoaster ride that is hard to lose interest in.

I thought this has some great and pretty funny, moments. Comedy horror isn't really something I usually find much interest in but after watching What We Do In The Shadows, which I love, I wanted to see if I could find any other films that might be just as good. This is a film that kept showing up so I decided to check it out.

Horror comedy is tricky. You can twist things up a bit to add humor but if you go too far, it ends up being a cheese- fest. While this gets close to that fine line, it never went so far that it made me want to walk away from it. That's good so, I feel they got it right with this.

The acting is good, it is filmed and scripted well. Some of the special effects were the only issue I had but once again, it wasn't so bad I wanted to stop watching.

I say watch it if you like horror comedy.

Hijinks Ensue, Comedy Is Had

[spencergrande6 · 6/10 · 8 December 2016]

A Spanish horror-comedy in which a group of bank-robbers stumble into a witch coven. Hijinks ensue, comedy is had. The theme of this one is about how the robbers (all men) have woman issues and have all but renounced their kind as villainous, deceptive and bitchy (*cough* witchy--get it?) The witch coven has done the same thing (there are no warlocks; though one witch has a son she keeps locked up in an underground vault).

Some lessons are not really learned, and there's a hulking monster witch with enormous boobs at the end the men have to contend with (one woman takes their side, alas). There's definitely some fun to be had here but it's fleeting and I'm not sure it's anywhere near as progressive as it thinks it is (if it does, I don't know).

Alex de la Iglesia is back to bad with his first hit in a decade

[Radu_A · 7/10 · 9 December 2014]

In the first ten minutes of this, you see Thatcher and Merkel in a line-up of famous witches throughout history, a silver-sprayed Jesus holding up a gold pawn shop, Sponge Bob shooting a cop and a woman, then getting riddled with bullets, and the 10-year-old son of Christ double-shooting at police while piggy-riding. Alex de la Iglesia is back. Once the wunderkind of Spanish genre cinema with successful and over-the-top schlockers like 'Accion Mutante' and 'Day of the Beast', he declined into respectability after his arguably best work 'The ferpect Crime', becoming the most connected and well-funded film maker of Spain apart from Almodovar. Since then he has directed expensive but lame flicks like the terrible 'Oxford Murders' or the hopelessly exaggerated 'Last Circus'.

'Witching and Bitching' at long last ends this streak of drivels by going all-out bizarre and pushes lines on you like 'My daughter loves me so much, she put my picture on the wall next to Justin Bieber'. It also has a consistent theme: women are incomprehensible and scary, and feminists are witches whose only goal is the total destruction of men (which may be seen as offensive by those who are able to take this seriously).

To be sure: you better watch this drunk or stoned or at a party or better yet all of this together - otherwise it'll strike you as complete and utter nonsense without an inkling of coherence. But given how incredibly dull European cinema has become, it's a desperately needed breath of fresh air. It's also one of very few European films of the past years to make a profit.

Like a parents cautionary fairy tale about the dangers of Womenfolk

[DuskShadow · 6/10 · 16 August 2017]

Truly I have never seen a more defining movie about " man eaters". And I have seen B horror flicks about cannibal lesbians.

Still this misleads one as it drones on for about 20 minutes like its a Guy Ritchie film about bank robbers. But after a hilarious heist and car chase involving a father whom has custody of his son for the weekend, it somehow all screams of the predations of women, or some such crap. Like a Greek fable written after Aesop had a bad date...in Spain.

The men whom robbed a cash for gold shop take shelter at a rickety looking property that the Crypt Keeper would be jealous of, and are ensnared by real witches that want to feast upon the mes flesh. Saucy. The film does however have the greatest pair of ta tas that men have worshipped since Carol Doda popped onto the scene back in the day.

The movie is actually quite funny, and if you have seen some of these actors in a more recent film, such as The Bar (2017), you will immediately recognize that quick witted Spanish humor that peppers these stories like a Spanish omelette. Its SO SPICY!

But beware, if you have had a few drinks, this might just put the idea that all women are evil, scheming, nonsensical, selfish, warty witch whores into ones mind. At least wait till after the film to jump to such conclusions. Unless you've been married or are a guy over 30. :P

ROLFOL. ABRA CA-BURN THE WITCHES!

Very Well Done

[gregsrants · 8/10 · 7 July 2014]

A surprise winner at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival as a Midnight Madness selection, Witching and Bitching has been quietly playing the festival circuit before now landing on VOD with a high recommendation.

Directed by Álex de la Iglesia (The Oxford Murders, The Last Circus), Witching and Bitching is a Spanish film that tells the story of a gang of jewellery thieves who end up in a town home to a coven of witches while fleeing a lucrative heist.

The opening heist is very entertaining with the thieves dressed as street performers before the firepower is revealed and action ensues (seeing Spongebob Squarepants get riddled with bullets was a highlight). The smash-and-grab is aided by the gang leader's son who will accompany the fleeing criminals as they try to escape the country by forcing a cab driver to abet their plans.

With the police and an ex-wife in quick pursuit, the gang lands in a town that could not be any worse than facing the police in a shoot-out. Three witches that reside in a lavish estate convince the men into their home and before you can say 'hocus pocus', they are tied up and tortured (some playfully, some violently) with the intention of being served as the main course for the countless witches that have been invited over for dinner.

Equal parts of comedy and chaos ensues leading up to an unexpected and highly enjoyable climax that includes a giant naked witch that towers over her human counterparts who exponentially aides the body count.

The sub-plots that help fuel the main story are every bit as interesting without impeding on the film's focus. There are the two cops that are following the ex-wife of one of the thieves, the innocent cab rider that ends up being tortured time and time again and there is even an interesting budding love story between the main character and a young witch who is torn between her feelings for the human and her commitment to the coven.

The special effects department did a wonderful job on bringing everything to life and the script as penned by Jorge Guerricaechevarría and Álex de la Iglesia is incredibly enjoyable and maintains its consistency throughout the full 112-minute running time. Because the screen never gushes with blood many might not so easily classify Witching and Bitching as horror. But whether it is horror or just a really good thriller, either way - it is a very good film.

www.killerreviews.com

Starts off funny, turns into a dud

[alejandraedwards · 3/10 · 23 December 2013]

This movie starts out funny enough, but around half an hour in, it starts meandering, going nowhere and everywhere at once. None of the characters are engaging enough to earn your sympathy or interest and by the last 30 minutes you are just waiting for it to end. This film actually makes you doubt Álex de la Iglesia's talent as a director, and if you liked his wacky sense of humor and biting social commentary in other films, you'll start wondering if you've been duped all along. Also, I'm not one to harp on things like this, but the film is SOOOO over- the-top offensive to women that it actually makes you wonder what woman in the world would date de la Iglesia and if that's not the reason why he made "Witching and Bitching//Las Brujas de Zarragamurdi." In an interview, De la Iglesias responded that his male characters don't fare much better, being dim-witted and weak. In the end, who cares what happens to any of them? If I had to do it again I'd skip it.

Another dark comedy from Alex de la Iglesia

[abisio · 8/10 · 29 December 2013]

Alex de la Iglesia is one of the most interesting Spanish directors. His movies always carry a mix of violence and comedy (and sometimes horror) . He is able to get good production values; but most of the times humor is basically a gross exaggeration of Spanish idiosyncrasy and history which sometimes limits the audience's understanding of what is going on. "Las Brujas de Zagarramurdi" aka "Witching and Bitching" starts with a not very well-orchestrated pawn shop robbery . The main characters Jose (Hugo Silva) and Tony steal a bag full of golden rings with the help of Jose's 10 years old son. They escape kidnapping a taxi drivers and his passenger and try to cross to France. They are immediately identified and pursued by Jose's ex-wife and two dumb policemen. When they reach Zagarramurdi they had to confront a huge cove of witches with plans to eat them and destroy the world (or at least men). In is in its first half, the film is a crude (and very funny) commentary about Spain's dominant maternal society. The technical aspects like the car chase are very well staged and produced.

The second half is an horror story played for fun with a few extreme gory / bad taste scenes and happy (or not so happy?) but far from politically correct ending. The FX are fine but could use some improvement. The cast is very good ; Hugo Silva is fine as the conflicted divorced / thief and Mario Casas (the most reliable commercial actor currently in Spain) is really funny.

The women are OK; but nothing special. Carmen Maura and Macarena Gomez deliver very bitchy performances; but usually you expect far more from them. Carolina Bang is sexy but her character is underwritten. The same happens with Santiago Segura and Carlos Areces; two excellent comedians working as witches with timid results . In brief; it is very dark comedy; and very unusual comedy. It is really worth watch it.

Starts as a funny crime-caper, ends as a very silly horror movie

[grantss · 3/10 · 3 April 2015]

Starts as a funny crime-caper, ends as a very silly horror movie.

This movie had potential. It started very well, with a good robbery and police chase and some very funny dialogue. However, the moment it went from Tarantinoesque crime drama to a supernatural horror movie, it lost all focus and became very stupid. Just scene after mindless scene of hokey, unoriginal horror crap.

Some of the clever dialogue remains, but that's about all that's positive about the last 70% or so of the movie.

Sort of reminded me of From Dusk Till Dawn, which started well and then progressed/degenerated in a similar fashion.

If you liked Accion Mutante, see this. If you liked this, see Accion Mutante!

[spetersen-79-962044 · 8/10 · 2 January 2016]

Years ago I saw Alex de la Iglesia's film, Accion Mutante, and I really liked it, despite the poverty-row budget. It had interesting, though unsympathetic characters, whose antics were fun to watch and an amazing artificial world full of surprises.

Witching & Bitching is an absolutely terrible title for a movie. I blame de la Iglesia's unfamiliarity with English. In any case, it is clear from the start that Mr. de la Iglesia's style in this film is the same as Accion Mutante. He has his signature whacked-out, borderline insane, outside-the-law bunglers, alongside seemingly minor characters that turn into major pillars of the plot line. He has his lame running jokes that rarely work, but are somehow comforting nonetheless, and, just like Accion Mutante, the movie has enough plot twists for three or four more conventional films.

Accion Mutante kept you surprised every minute. Witching & Bitching (man, I HATE that name) can't do quite as well, because the title, as well as the title screens both give away the fact that, at some point in the film, witches figure prominently. I was thrilled by the fact that the film managed to mingle fairy-tale witches with earth-goddess shenanigans.

Some of the scenes were spectacular. Many directors, when they get money, don't seem to know how to spend it to get the best results. But de la Iglesia sure did. You got to see every penny on the screen, and as a result, this movie was, in my opinion, superior to my beloved Accion Mutante.

I love the way that his films attack both the status quo as WELL as the revolution. He subverts the subversives. His witches are (obviously) aggressively feminist, but it is clear that if they controlled more of society, the world would not be a better place.

If you've not seen Accion Mutante (which probably most people haven't), then perhaps the closest "type" of movie to Witching & Bitching would be something by Terry Gilliam, or perhaps City of Lost Children. If you like that kind of anarchic, fantasy semi-comedy, this might be for you.

irreverent, gory, funny

[Blue-Grotto · 5/10 · 3 August 2014]

Jose, a deadbeat, single and desperate dad, forgets that it is his assigned day to be with his young son. Unable to afford the time to find a sitter, he takes the boy on a brazen daytime robbery of a "cash for gold" shop. Jose and his companions (some of them kidnapped) along with his unfortunate son, head for the border with France. They stumble into a town that is not only inhabited by witches but is the birthplace of witchcraft. The witches set their sights on the trunk-full of gold rings, not so much for the gold as the broken promises and dreams they embody. The robbers, as well as those who pursue them, soon are wishing to be in a safe jail cell somewhere. The film is irreverent, gory, and funny, yet it is never firing on all cylinders. Even allowing for a certain amount of wackiness and implausible situations, the film gets too far out of control. Seen at the 2014 Miami International Film Festival.

Not De La Iglesia's best movie, but fun and entertaining

[Andy-296 · 8/10 · 23 November 2013]

This is not Spanish director Alex De La Iglesia's best effort (my personal favorite is Ferpect Crime), but is entertaining and watchable, if you like his brand of anarchic, corrosive, politically incorrect and pitch black humor. Here three misogynistic thieves on the run, trying to flee to France after a botched burglary in Madrid, end up in a little Basque village called Zugarramurdi (a place in which there was a real witch trial in the 17th century) where they are captured by a coven of feminist witches (the leader of which is Almodovar regular Carmen Maura) who subject them to a number of torments. Many more outrageous things happen, but they are not for me to reveal. A couple of very beautiful actresses (Carolina Bang and Macarena Gomez) help the film.

Too far fetched

[Lomedin · 4/10 · 23 January 2016]

This movie starts pretty good, with quick, simple action and the trashy humour Alex de la Iglesia introduced to us in El Dia de La Bestia.

Unfortunately, the film begins to degenerate after the visit to Zagarramurdi's mansion. The "romantic" parts are all but necessary or adequate, and the movie tries to get too serious, sometimes.

It also tries too hard to be "impressive", towards the end.

It'd have been much better to stick to silly jokes and trashy cinematography, following the track of El Dia de la Bestia.

Anyway, the special effects are more than acceptable and it could make an OK film to just watch and forget.

Could be good, for the right audience

[ebmatoze · 3/10 · 3 December 2021]

Las Brujas de Zugarramurdi, Álex de la Iglesia, 2013

The story follows a group of thieves who rob a gold buyers shop in Puerta del Sol, Madrid and then flee to the boarder of Spain-France. There they are captured by a group of Basque witches who want to use the main character's son for a ritual, believing him to be the chosen one. The thieves spend the rest of the film attempting to escape.

While there isn't much cultural significance in the film, the location of Zugarramurdi is an important one. It a region on the Spanish and French border notable for the accusations of witchcraft during The Inquisition in 1610 and the death of thirty-nine women. Despite the wackiness of the film, the director did a good job invoking the dark horror tones and ambience. The music was dark and looming and could have been the soundtrack to a much more serious film. The effects of the film were a bit overdramatic to me, but they worked in the context of the world being built. I was not a huge fan of the lighting, but the dark grayish and brown tones reminded me of other cult horror flicks. The story was lackluster and although the acting was good the characters didn't really delve deep or go anywhere.

I should have guessed from the trailer that this movie wasn't going to be my cup of tea, but from the abundance of well known actors I really wanted to like it. From the start the story had good potential with fun witty dialogue and a great heist scene; however, once the supernatural portion began it fell apart for me. Everything feels over the top and unfortunately that type of comedy doesn't work for me, so I found myself rolling my eyes and sometimes uncomfortable by the jokes, or just plain annoyed when some of them ran on for far too long. One of the most notifiable issues of the film, even if you enjoyed the humor and horror up to this point, is the overall run time. When I watch a comedy I like it to be short and to the point, but many scenes and bits dragged and could have been cut about a half hour short not to mention an underwhelming and ridiculous conclusion. Overall, if you can enjoy the often tasteless humor and mature themes then this film might be an enjoyable watch for fans of comedy-horror.

Bewitching

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 5 August 2014]

While I did like Angelina Jolie in Maleficent, there is a witch right here, that I'd die for. All puns and jokes aside though: This is a comedy and it does start with a Bang (not Carolina, a literally one) and does not stop from there. It works because it is funny, but in an adult kind of way. No joke or poking fun is too low to go there (and while I'm not a fan of "toilet humor", there is one here, that I think is really good and nicely shot).

It is predictable obviously, but the actors make the whole thing work and you will have "sacrifices" that have to be made (no pun intended), for the inevitable outcome. The effects are really good and while you might argue about characters and their moods, this all get "explained" ... at least in a fashion, that is sufficient enough for a comedy

Bad comedy

[serge-tremblay · 2/10 · 31 October 2020]

A stupid movie absolutely not funny. Bad acting. For kids only. Don't watch if you have a brain. Nothing There.

Bewitching.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 9/10 · 3 May 2020]

After seeing the excellent Shrew's Nest (2014-also reviewed) I decided to check on Shudder for other Spanish Horror titles. Aware of the film maker but not having seen his creations,I was happy to spot a exclusive to Shudder movie by Alex de la Iglesia,leading me go for a viewing on the witching hour.

View on the film:

Bewitching the viewer with a jewel shop robbery involving a man dressed as a toy solider and another man being joined by his young son,as he takes part in the robbery dressed as a silver Jesus, co-writer/(with regular comparator Jorge Guerricaechevarría) directing auteur Alex de la Iglesia reunites with cinematographer Kiko de la Rica, and performs a breathtaking multiple change of genre,running with the robbers out of the shop in rapid-fire whip-pans that becomes seated in a road movie of smooth criss-crossing pans and zoom-ins on the increased bickering of the robbers.

Shooting a SpongeBob SquarePants blocking their way to the getaway car, Iglesia conjurers up a gloriously wacky Comedy atmosphere of ultra-stylised tracking shots into the heart of the witches coven,twirling to zip-line close-ups on the cackling witches,and the hilarious quivering in their boots reaction from the jaw-slacked guys.

Whilst dipping Slap-Stick Black Comedy over everyone, Iglesia impressively keeps the comedic balanced, whilst treating the horror Jose, Antonio, Sergio and Manuel come under the spell of seriously, via a decadent lair for the cannibalistic witches, spun in shiny blacks and splinters of yellows being swept along by the brooms, which Iglesia sends flying with a spectacularly over the top Monster Movie final battle.

Crisply establishing the friction between Antonio, Jose and his son Sergio in the snapping back and fourth during the robbery, the screenplay by Iglesia & Guerricaechevarría dip these relationships into a witches cauldron of Jose (a great, quick-witted Hugo Silva) Antonio, (a wonderfully chatty Mario Casas) and Manuel (a funny, nervous Jaime Ordonez) becoming increasingly aware that their detour from a quick getaway does risk them dying, but increasingly finding themselves unable to break a bewitching spell.

Decided to give this director a second chance after The Last Circus, which had some good moments. But I shouldn't have done that

[JvH48 · 4/10 · 6 October 2014]

I saw this film at the Imagine (SF/horror/fantasy) film festival Amsterdam 2014. I had mixed experiences (see www.imdb.com/title/tt1572491/reviews-14) with the previous film Balada Triste De La Trompeta (aka The Last Circus) from the same director. The short version of my review at that time: After a beautiful 1st hour, the remaining ¾ hour disappointed completely. It was not a complete waste of time, however, so I decided for a second chance and booked tickets for Witching & Bitching (at least the title is a nice find).

You can imagine I had no high expectations for this movie. So I may be prejudiced, but I still don't know what to think of Witching and Bitching, that was scheduled to close the Imagine film festival 2014. A bit of humor, but not specifically the category of humor that I like. Many stereotypes about man/woman relationships, and many more stereotypes about witches and their magical powers, also something that I don't specifically like. Technically it is not a bad movie, all things considered, but I did not find any interesting contents to admire. In other words, this whole movie is lost on me.

In other words, the second chance that I allowed this director, can be considered a failed experiment. I speak for only myself, of course, since it received a 19th place (out of 43) for the audience award with average score 7.54. Controversy is an inherent feature of this film, given the mixed user reviews that I have seen until now (I've waited half a year before submitting above text, while I was distracted due to other business).

"I can't stand happy endings"

[Bored_Dragon · 8/10 · 1 November 2016]

It starts as a crime/comedy, but soon it turns into a horror-comedy. Villains in this movie are witches, so the director decided to start with opening credits made of pictures of famous "witches", putting together notorious killers and evil women from modern politics. Very brave and politically incorrect, he bought me already. The movie is fast, the story is original, humor is indeed funny, the effects are good, very much fun until the end. The big ending is a bit of failure, but the movie is overall good enough not to be spoiled by it.

8/10

over hyped and a combination of ideas

[trashgang · 5/10 · 10 July 2014]

Two reasons why I picked up this flick, first of all, it's a flick directed by Álex de la Iglesia who I knew from his classic El Dia De La Bestia (1995). Secondly this flick is hyped all over the internet as a must see. And still it's being compared to Peter Jacksons' Braindead (1992).

The reason is due the end we do have a enormous mother zombie or witch walking around. But before the final you have to sit through almost 2 hours of something I still can't place. Can't say that it attracted me as seen in the papers. In fact, I found it rather boring sometimes. But it's not all that bad, the effects used were okay. I also can't say that I had a smile on my face because it's being said that it should be funny too.

Some moments are a bit in the style of Monty Python like for example hanging on a cross and telling your partner just before being burned that you are gay and loving him for years. But it sin't Monty Python and somehow it did put a smile on my face but no more than that.

Not a masterpiece for me but more a misshaped puzzle of elements coming out of different ideas and trying to put that in one flick.

Sorry but for me no witching magick but indeed some director bitching.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 3/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0,5/5

A Completely Over The Top, Spanish Horror/Comedy

[artanis_mark · 10/10 · 1 June 2020]

This fast paced, Spanish film is simultaneously a really disturbing horror tale, a meditation on the battle of the sexes, and one of the funniest movies I've seen in years. Things get off to a lightning start with a holdup of a gold buying emporium in downtown Madrid by criminals posing as living statues with a critical assist provided by a ten year old accomplice, one of the wildest film heist scenes I've ever seen and worth the price of admission alone. Seriously, you'll never forget the sight of a gold painted Jesus sprinting for his life while toting a little kid who's shooting back two handed at the police.

A beginning like that would be hard to surpass, but W&B continues to pile it on under Alex de la Iglesia's masterful direction. Having commandeered a cab whose driver willingly agrees to assist them, the criminals try to flee north to France to escape the law and to fulfill the promise made by the leader, José (Hugo Silva), to take his son to Disneyworld in Paris, with the police and José's divorced wife in hot pursuit. Already a tense situation for the hapless thieves, things take a decided turn for the weird and the worse when they reach the witch infested town of Zugarramurdi, in the heart of Basque country. Led by a three generation family (the oldest witch reminded me of Grandmama from the Addams Family), the witches capture the thieves with malign designs upon them, namely to use the men as sacrifices to restore an oppressive matriarchy.

The pace rarely lets up and the jokes fly fast and furious, interspersed with over the top, gross out scenes of gore. The men lament their inability to get along with women only to find themselves trapped in a decaying mansion (is there any other kind in a horror movie?) by a bunch of smiling, evil, literal witches who want to torture, kill, and eat them. They fight back as best they can, but their fates ultimately depend upon the attraction felt by the youngest witch in the family (well played by the stunningly beautiful Carolina Bang) for bumbling José. The climactic scene of a Witches' Sabbath simply has to be seen to be believed, but I won't give away any spoilers.

About the only real criticism I have of this film is the English title, which I don't think accurately conveys what the film's about. The Spanish title, Las Brujas De Zugarramurdi, The Witches Of Zugarramurdi, was apparently a non-starter due to the long, difficult Basque place name. This minor cavil aside, this was a crackerjack movie, absolutely entertaining from start to finish.

I recommend this film to horror fans who don't mind comedy mixed in with the scares (some horror fans are big purists that way) and anybody who likes a good laugh in general, although I will provide the trigger warning that this is not for anyone with a weak stomach.

Hillariously crazy comedy

[Grimmalkin · 9/10 · 29 August 2018]

Hillariously crazy comedy that keeps on turning more and more crazy the more the story unfolds.

Witty and action packed

[RobLuvsTheMountains · 8/10 · 21 March 2019]

This movie is extremely entertaining, surprising and funny. It's full of heart thumping action. Each of the characters are interesting to watch. The only reason I give this movie 8 stars is due to the cave scene being way over the top. Otherwise, this movie is great fun!