If you’re a horror comedy fan, you absolutely must have Álex de la Iglesia’s Witching & Bitching on your radar. The man responsible for The Last Circus, one of my favorite clown revenge movies in the last decade, is taking his darkly comedic talents to a horror subgenre that’s become a cranky afterthought – witches. You know, those female sorcerers who mix an eye of newt into magic caldrons, whipping up potions and whatnot? If there’s one thing I can guarantee, it’s that De la Iglesia won’t be making a Hocus Pocus sequel – driven home by an old hag with metal teeth seen the film’s subtitled theatrical trailer, located below.
Following a group of jewelry thieves who are hunted by a pack of witches (duh), De la Iglesia appears to have mixed hefty doses of action and comedy into this pseudo horror film, as this director loves to play around with numerous tones. Even in The Last Circus, a strange movie about a sad clown and his explosive journey, the filmmaker displays a firm grasp both on sweetly emotion moments and hilariously outlandish clowning around, and it looks like he’s achieved more of the same with this sexy, witchy comedy.
While stateside audiences won’t know much of the cast, stars Hugo Silva and Mario Casas are apparently quite the heartthrobs overseas – so I’m excited to see if their hype is warranted. Hardcore horror fans will also recognize Javier Botet, a talented contortionist whose lent his gangly body to such films as [REC], Mama, The Last Circus, and a slew of other genre movies begging for his talents. Witching & Bitching is the perfect opportunity for US horror fans to step out of their comfort zone and introduce themselves to a fresh cast and foreign influences – you’ll be surprised how tonally different Spanish horror tends to be.
While Witching & Bitching will only see a minimal theatrical release, IFC Midnight will be releasing the film across all VOD platforms June 13th. Even though the distributor has been hit or miss recently after a notable hot streak, Witching & Bitching has all the makings of a cult classic – don’t let this one pass you by. Check the trailer below and see for yourself!
