Released side by side with their DVD of The Curse of The Crying Woman (review here), Casa Negra's The Witch's Mirror is yet another classic Mexican horror film that's been revived in spectacular fashion. Providing equal parts 'viewing comfort' to that of The Curse of The Crying Woman, The Witch's Mirror is also a much better film with a spectacularly spooky story and fantastically interesting characters. Keep in mind, I'm in no way knocking The Curse of The Crying Woman which is richly deserving of your DVD dollar, but simply from a storytelling standpoint, The Witch's Mirror is hands down (hehe) the winner of the two.

Follow me on this one. Sarah (Isabela Corona) is the housekeeper at a mansion in which her goddaughter Elena (Dina de Marco) and her husband Eduardo (Armando Calvo) reside. Dark forces confront Sarah through her mirror informing her that Elena will soon die at the hands of her husband and Sarah is not to interfere with fate. Obviously dissatisfied with his marriage, Eduardo poisons Elena which ultimately causes her inevitable passing. Hardly any time transpires before Eduardo returns to the castle with his new bride Deborah (Rosita Arenas). Strange things begin to happen, leading Deborah to believe that Elena is not resting comfortably. Which of course we all know...she isn't.

Sarah communicates with Elena from beyond the grave, basically giving her the A OK to seek out her revenge. Elena in turn spooks Eduardo causing him to accidentally burn Deborah to a disfiguring proportion. Eduardo, a trained surgeon and mad scientist in training, seeks out the skin and body parts of recently deceased women to help 'fix' is badly burned bride (who now hangs around the castle wrapped in gauze). In the mean time, both Sarah and Elena will stop at nothing to exact their own brand of spooky revenge.

In answer to your question, it is indeed as incredibly awesome as it sounds. Borrowing from existing horror flicks almost as much as The Curse of The Crying Woman (in a good way mind you), The Witch's Mirror takes its subject matter and runs with it in such a colorfully insane manner, it's very difficult not to fall in love with it. Thoroughly detailed and creepy sets and a fantastic revenge plot straight from hell help to highlight a film that works as both creepy late night fodder or mid afternoon escapism on a lazy Saturday.

But what really sets this film apart are the sometimes crafty and sometimes comical special effects. Everything from the haunted mirror to the low rent (and surprisingly gruesome) gore effects (which include quite a few severed limbs) are destined to send shivers. There are some truly inspired sight gags towards the end of the film, including a 'severed' hand with a mind of its own. Some of it is quite silly (in an endearing sort of way), but even when we 'see the gag' in all of its glory it's still pulled off, primarily because of its complete (and greatly appreciated) sincerity.

The Witch's Mirror looks simply fantastic, with a transfer that's equally as breathtaking to that of The Curse of The Crying Woman. This is a virtually spotless transfer boasting a crisp B&W image and really no evidence of print damage. The mono audio does just fine in either the classic US dub or original Spanish language with optional English subs. Extras include a feature length commentary with Frank Coleman who provides us with a wealth of insight into this film and Mexican horror films in general. Other extras include a text essay entitled Chanovision: The Films of Mexican Cult Moviemaker, Chano Urueta by David Wilt, bios, a still gallery and a Loteria game card. As with The Curse of the Crying Woman, everything here is available in Spanish language as well as English; Commentary, disc menu and inside cover included. Another top-notch release from Casa Negra that's highly recommended and certainly not to be missed under any circumstance.