DON'T LOOK IN THE WITCH'S MIRROR!

“Chano Urueta’s The Witch’s Mirror is an exercise in pure cinema, in which countless allusions to previous movies and a virtual catalog of special effects techniques are used to illustrate a delirious tale of witchcraft vs. mad science.”

- David Wilt, editor, The Mexican Film Bulletin

So far as I can recall, I was somewhere between 10 or 12 when a very strange movie on one of the L.A. weekend afternoon TV horror shows was broadcast. Until then, I was mostly familiar watching the gothic fare of Universal's monster movies and the giant bug and science-fiction films of the 50's. But this one had a decidedly different feel to it.

It was called THE WITCH'S MIRROR and in later years I learned that it was one of the Mexican imports that producer K. Gordon Murray had obtained and dubbed in English for marketing to U.S. audiences. One thing is for sure, despite an attractive blonde running around in her nightgown, I thought it was creepy as hell and scared the dickens out of this monster kid. That was it, and it remained an occasional memory as I came across a still in a monster magazine or other reminder of its unsettling effect on me.

EL ESPEJO DE LA BRUJA as it was titled in the original 1962 Spanish language version is heavily influenced (if not outright lifted) by Georges Franju's EYES WITHOUT A FACE released two years earlier in 1960. The plot is also similar to THE HANDS OF ORLAC (1960) with Mel Ferrer and Christopher Lee, which was essentially a remake of the 1924 silent film, as was Karl Freund's MAD LOVE (1935), starring Peter Lorre and Frances Drake.

The story is a mash-up of the supernatural, mad science, gruesome medical transplants, murder and revenge with a generous helping of the occult and black magic to boot.

"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." [Source: Casa Negro/Panik House Entertainment DVD]

Abel Salazar.

Filmed during what has since become known as the "Golden Age" of Mexican cinema, THE WITCH'S MIRROR was produced by Cinematográfica ABSA, a film company owned by actor Abel Salazar, who released seven full-length horror pictures from 1957 until 1963, including EL VAMPIRO (THE VAMPIRE, 1957)  EL HOMBRE Y EL MONSTRUO (THE MAN AND THE MONSTER, 1958, EL MUNDO DE LOS VAMPIROS (THE WORLD OF THE VAMPIRES, 1961), LA MALDICIÓN  DEL LA LLORONA (THE CURSE OF THE CRYING WOMAN, 1961) and perhaps his most well-known film here in the States, EL BARON DEL TERROR (THE BRANIAC, 1962).

Chano Urueta.

The director was the praised Chano Urueta (b. Santiago Eduardo Urueta, alt. Santiago Eduardo Urueta Sierra), who had previously helmed horror films such as PROFANACIÓN (1933), EL SIGNO DE LA MUERTE (1939) EL MONSTRUO RESUCITADO (THE REVIVED MONSTER, 1953) and LA BRUJA (THE WITCH, 1954) from a script by Alfredo Ruanova and Carlos Enrique Taboada.

"Based on a script by Carlos Enrique Taboada—later widely known for his own horror tetralogy, which culminated with the Ariel Award winner Poison for the Fairies (1984)—The Witch’s Mirror is an endlessly suggestive, cleverly film-literate supernatural chiller from pioneering director Chano Urueta (The Great Champion). A whiplash-inducing cross between Rebecca, Eyes Without a Face, and The Hands of Orlac, set inside a nondescript hacienda in Mexico, the film concerns a housekeeper/witch (Isabela Corona) who concocts a beyond-the-grave revenge scheme after her goddaughter is murdered by her philandering doctor husband… who experiments on corpses. Making the absolute most out of a modest budget, Urueta constructs an increasingly unsettling film with unhinged twists and profound ideas concerning fate and societal standards of beauty." [From the Film at Lincoln Center website]

CAST

• Rosita Arenas - Deborah (once married to Abel Salazar; also starred in THE AZTEC MUMMY and THE CURSE OF THE AZTEC MUMMY in 1957, THE ROBOT VS. THE AZTEC MUMMY in 1958 and THE CURSE OF THE CRYING WOMAN in 1961).
• Armando Calvo - Eduardo Ramos (a Spanish actor who specialized in leading man roles).
• Isabela Corona - Sara (a popular actress during this period).
• Dina de Marco - Elena (an actress and film director)
• Carlos Nieto - Gustavo (appeared in THE BRAINIAC in 1962)
• Alfredo Wally Barrón - Inspector (had a long film career, appearing in many horror films including HOUSE OF TERROR in 1960 with Lon Chaney, Jr., THE WORLD OF THE VAMPIRES in 1961 and several Santo movies.

Jorge Stahl Jr.'s cinematography and Horacio Calvillo's lighting set-ups contributed greatly to the eerie atmosphere and deep shadows that permeate the film. Jorge Stahl Jr. photographed other genre features including the U.S.-released animated dinosaur movie set in Mexico, THE BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN (1956), THE REVENGE OF THE CRYING WOMAN (1974) and the controversial SATANICO PANDEMONIUM (aka LA SEXORCISTA, 1975).

Production designer Javier Torres Torija and set decorator Dario Cabañas created a number of moody sets, including the gothic-influenced interiors and a foggy graveyard. The makeup was created by María del Castillo and Teresa Sánchez was the hair stylist. Composer Gustavo César Carrión rounded out the production with a brooding music score befitting the story.

One of Goya's drawings used in the pre-titles sequence.

A pre-titles sequence opens the film (cut from the U.S. release), with a voice over against a series of Spanish artist Francisco Goya's witch images. The narrator intones:

“To use their diabolical powers, witches resort to special potions, brooms, skeletons of children and animals, every kind of untanned hide, flasks and vessels of every shape, secret powders and dreadful poisons, and an infinite variety of lethal herbs. All this is used by an average witch. But only a superlative witch, endowed with a genuinely profound knowledge of the occult, can make use of a magical object of infinite powers and properties… the mirror!”

In 2005, Casa Negra Entertainment released the first of their Mexican horror series distributed by Panik House Entertainmnt, THE VAMPIRE COLLECTION, a two-disc DVD set featuring EL VAMPIRO (THE VAMPIRE, 1957) and EL ATAÚD DEL VAMPIRO  (THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN, 1958).

In their few short years of business, Casa Negra released a total of ten DVD's, including THE WITCH'S MIRROR in 2006. You can bet that when I found out about that, I ordered a copy ASAP and watched it soon upon arrival. While it didn't give me goosebumps like it did when I was younger, I still thought that it was worthwhile seeing it again after all those years.

Sadly, the following year, Casa Negra folded, leaving behind two un-released titles, WORLD OF THE VAMPIRES and THE LIVING HEAD. Synapse Films acquired the last of Panik House's inventory in 2009 and the remaining copies have all been sold since then.

VARIETY (AUGUST 22, 1962)

MEXICAN LOBBY CARDS:

PRODUCTION STILLS:

SCREEN SHOTS [from BluRay.com]:

TRAILER:

EXTRA!

Powerhouse Films, Inc.'s Indicator label has a U.S. version of their Blu-ray box set containing THE VAMPIRE and THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN, which have been remastered and restored and jam-packed with extras.

From Powerhouse Films/Indicator:

El Vampiro: Two Bloodsucking Tales from Mexico (US Limited Edition Blu-ray)

Director: Fernando Méndez

Cast: Ariadne Welter, Abel Salazar, Germán Robles

El Vampiro: Two Bloodsucking Tales from Mexico brings together two atmospheric and terrifying classics of Mexican Gothic, directed by Fernando Méndez (Black Pit of Dr. M), and starring Ariadne Welter (The Panther Women, Untouched), Abel Salazar (The Curse of the Crying Woman), and, in a star-making turn, Germán Robles (The Brainiac).

In The Vampire (El Vampiro, 1957), the beautiful, bereaved Marta (Welter) travels with Enrique (Salazar) to her ancestral home. There, the mysterious neighbour Duval (Robles) offers to buy her decrepit hacienda. However, Duval is really Count Karol de Lavud, a vampire whose aim is to drain Marta of her blood in order to revive his entombed brother.

In the sequel, The Vampire’s Coffin (El ataúd del vampire, 1958), grave robbers bring Lavud’s corpse to Enrique’s city hospital, where Marta now works as a nurse. Duly re-animated, Lavud sets about his bloody plan to make Marta his bride.

Pre-dating Hammer’s Dracula by a year, The Vampire’s uniquely Mexican take on vampire mythology was the first to give its antagonist elongated fangs, and its success kick-started Mexico’s horror boom. Restored from the original negatives, these films finally receive their world Blu-ray premieres in this individually numbered Limited Edition two-disc set, complete with new and archival extra features, and a fully-illustrated 80-page book.

INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION 2x BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES

• 4K restoration from original camera negatives of The Vampire by Labo

• High Definition remaster from 2K scans of The Vampire’s Coffin by Alameda Films

• Original Spanish mono soundtracks

• Alternative English soundtracks on both films

• Audio commentary with el vampiro himself, Germán Robles (2007)

• Interview with Claudia and Rosa Salazar Arenas (2024): chef Claudia Salazar Arenas and screenwriter and actor Rosa Salazar Arenas remember their father, the legendary actor and producer Abel Salazar

• Interview with Abraham Castillo Flores (2024): the film programmer, curator and Mexican horror cinema expert delves into the life and career of the mesmerizing actor Carmen Montejo and her co-stars Ariadne Welter and Alicia Montoya

• Interview with Juan Ramón Obón (2024): the writer shares memories of his esteemed father, the prolific screenwriter Ramón Obón

• Interview with Roberto Coria (2024): the horror cinema and literature specialist examines the life and career of actor Germán Robles and the representation of the vampire myth in Mexican cinema

• Interview with Elisa Lozano (2024): the film historian and curator discusses the works and impact of the revered production designer Gunther Gerzso

• Original theatrical trailers

• Image galleries: promotional and publicity materials, and The Vampire's Coffin French photo-novel

• New and improved English translation subtitles

• New English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

• Limited edition exclusive 80-page book with new essays by Jesús Palacios and David Wilt, archival essays by Eduardo de la Vega Alfaro and Carmen A Serrano, cast interviews, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits

• World premieres on Blu-ray

• Limited edition set of 8,000 units for the UK and US