In my review of Black Pit of Dr. M (1959), I wrote about a characteristic that seemed common among the Mexican horror films I’d seen so far. The Witch’s Mirror (1962), corroborates. Three out of four movies from the Indicator Mexico Macabre box set, plus the handful I’ve seen at Monster Bash, all have a deliberate pace that could be perceived by some as being a little slow. Although I get a little squirmy watching them, it’s a small price to pay for the mood and atmosphere.
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Plus, with The Witch’s Mirror, there’s a story you think may be predictable, but then it goes in a new direction at the midway point. Yes, a witch whose goddaughter is murdered by a husband who’s grown weary of her seeks vengeance by summoning spirits from the grave. However, when this despicable man’s new wife is injured in a fire, we suddenly learn he’s a scientist and the focus shifts to body stealing and experiments in the lab to restore her beauty. The roads all lead to the same place, but unexpected detours make the journey more interesting.
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The witch, Sara (Isabela Corona) doubles as the husband’s, Eduardo (Armando Calvo), housekeeper and nobody expects her of foul play. This is even when the new wife, Deborah (Rosita Arenas), feels a presence in the house and begins playing the dead wife’s, Elena (Dina de Marco), favorite song on the piano. Jumping to conclusions, Eduardo and Deborah state that they’re thinking the same thing: what if Elena has risen from the grave? One of them says in passing there could be a logical explanation, but then there’s a loud groan from the other room, the door blows open, and fog rolls into the house. They never consider the logical after that.
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After watching The Brainiac (1963), I never would have thought that Chano Urueta directed this movie as well. He demonstrates a way with the camera that accentuates the spookiness. This was missing from The Brainiac, but in its defense, it's a different type of film. This is gothic all the way, with the action taking place in a “castle” with a view to the cemetery through the large mirror that leans against the wall in Elena’s old room. There’s a little sci-fi, I suppose, with the experiments; however, it’s secondary to the horror.
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There are some great scenes featuring Sara working in her mysterious ways. Just I was questioning the presence of an owl in the lab, I realized it was a means for Sara to watch what was happening. Later shots of the own are intercut with her standing motionless in a different location. Then, with simple sleight of hand (or camera), it appears that Sara transforms into a cat. It’s as if her dress is suddenly uninhabited and drops to the floor, where the cat immediately scampers away. It’s seamless, simple and very well constructed.
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The climax is kind of wacky, but also perfect. Without revealing too much, let’s say that Deborah’s bandages are removed following her surgery, she’s not exactly in control of her own body, and everyone gets what they deserve. A sort of kicker is that the police arrive during the action to actually witness the supernatural goings on and acknowledge it really happened. There’s no disbelief or false accusations toward any of he human characters. That’s as refreshing as the rest of the movie.
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