Worth: $14.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Rebekah Kennedy, Kristina Klebe, Tim Fox, Belle Adams, Dina Silva, Danielle Kennedy, Marina Parodi
Intro:
… a colourful, engaging, uneven affair that, even when it stumbles, has such chutzpah and enthusiasm that you can’t help but feel charmed.
Of all the various monsters that exist in the horror genre, it seems that witches are the toughest to nail. There’s a legion of quality vampire flicks, a cadre of solid werewolf movies and don’t even bother asking about zombies or demons – those bloody things are a dime a dozen. However, witches have a far less consistent track record. You’ve got Suspiria (1977), The Blair Witch Project (1999), The Witch (2015) and (arguably) 2018’s Suspiria remake as top tier examples, maybe? Point is, the pickings are comparatively slim. The stylish indie horror flick Two Witches, from first time feature writer/director Pierre Tsigaridis, seeks to redress that balance to entertaining if occasionally uneven effect.
Two Witches is actually two distinct stories (with some connections, both thematic and narrative). The opening story, “The Boogeyman”, has a nice young couple, Sarah (Belle Adams) and Simon (Ian Michaels), who are expecting a baby. Things take a turn for the dark and surreal, however, after a brief and unpleasant interaction with The Boogeywoman (Marina Parodi), with whom Sarah becomes obsessed to a deadly degree. Strong on style over story, “The Boogeywoman” probably takes a little too long to reach its dark, gnarly destination, although it’s fitfully effective.
The second story, “Masha”, is a much stronger offering. It’s basically the tale of Rachel (Kristina Klebe) and her flatmate Masha (Rebekah Kennedy), the latter of whom has suddenly inherited a whole bunch of new powers and uses them exclusively in the pursuit of madness, violence and evil. Now, if that sounds a little thin in terms of narrative heft, you’re not wrong, but the direction is so engaging and the performance from Kennedy so tremendous, you’ll have a hard time not getting swept up in the gleefully macabre shenanigans on offer.
Two Witches is a colourful, engaging, uneven affair that, even when it stumbles, has such chutzpah and enthusiasm that you can’t help but feel charmed. Plus, the stunning turn from Rebekah Kennedy is an absolute pearler and worth the price of admission on its own. And while it may not join the pantheon of all time classic witch flicks, it’s a solid entry and worthy of your time.
