The Witch's Mirror

1962 1h 15m ES

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 56

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A husband murders his wife, and years later her ghost emerges from a witch's mirror to take her revenge.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Rosita Arenas
Deborah
Armando Calvo
Eduardo Ramos
Isabela Corona
Sara
Dina de Marco
Elena
Carlos Nieto
Gustavo
Alfredo Wally Barrón
Inspector

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Chano Urueta
Writers: Alfredo Ruanova, Carlos Enrique Taboada
Languages: Spanish
Countries: Mexico

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 75-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

64 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Chano Urueta, shot by Jorge Stahl Jr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Gustavo César Carrión. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alfredo Rosas Priego shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Rosita Arenas and Armando Calvo and Isabela Corona carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0055966 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Chano Urueta directs. Jorge Stahl Jr. behind the camera. Gustavo César Carrión scores. Alfredo Rosas Priego cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Mexico. Dialogue in Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 75-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
264 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Chano Urueta, shot by Jorge Stahl Jr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Gustavo César Carrión. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Alfredo Rosas Priego shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Rosita Arenas and Armando Calvo and Isabela Corona carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0055966 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 56 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jorge Stahl Jr.
Original score: Gustavo César Carrión
Editing: Alfredo Rosas Priego
Production design: Javier Torres Torija
Makeup / hair: Teresa Sánchez
Runtime: 75 min · 1h 15m
Status: Released
Original language: ES
IMDB: The Witch's Mirror (1962)

Also by

Chano Urueta

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

tmdb179960752017-02-14
★ 5/10
Most Latin American people are familiarized with those Mexican soap operas that are overflowing with baseless action and pitiful situations. They're undeniably amusing and it's all right to watch them if you're too bored and you want to have a good laugh. However, it's not funny anymore when you really trust an old Mexican Gothic horror film and you find one or two similarities between those ridiculous soap operas and the movie you wanted to see. Firstly, I would like to say that I do not mean to be rude to anyone with this review. I know Mexican people are very nationalistic and they tend to stand up for their films a lot. I understand that and to be honest, I actually really enjoy Mexican horror films too. That's the reason why I was somehow disenchanted when I found out that "El Espejo de la Bruja" was not exactly as good as I was expecting. The film sets in motion with a very well done introduction to the main characters, a beautiful woman named Elena and her godmother, Sara (also known as… The Witch!). The view is quite stylish and atmospheric. Both characters look darkly beautiful and yet naïve somehow. In this opening scene, Elena becomes aware of a very shattering truth about her approaching fate, through the magic mirror that belongs to her godmother. Unfortunately, this depressing reality cannot be altered, since all judicious witches know very well that the itinerary of life, is not meant to be disrespected. Broken-hearted and clueless, Elena has no choice but facing the reality and becoming a victim of her atrocious fate. As it was stated previously, all bright witches know very well that fate is not meant to be changed, however, there are no laws aligned with revenge. In "El Espejo de la Bruja", we see a resented woman trying to make justice and claim for the blood of those who harmed her goddaughter. Sara is the witch and when witches are good, they're very good, but when they're bad…. It would be unfair to say that "El Espejo de la Bruja" is only laughable and overwhelming when it comes to making a reasonable balance. My only problem is that there was a little bit too much action for my taste. During the first half an hour, it is like the audience has nothing else to see, but there's still more and more and more. All of a sudden, a dramatic Gothic horror tale turns into "Re-Animator". The bad thing is that the humorous situations are not exactly intentional. Armando Calvo's performance is perhaps one of the worst in this film and his facial expressions are merely side-splitting. The rest of the cast is all right, but the problem is that Mr. Calvo looked over the top all the time, which is a tragedy, considering that he's the leading male character. Then, there are all these scenes in which we see Rosa Arenas's character wearing some kind of big bandage that covers her entire face, with the two little holes for the eyes. That is perhaps one of the most hysterical images ever and I'm not just talking about this particular film. It resembles the invisible man, but wearing a delicate night gown. "El Espejo de la Bruja" is full of action, which can be entertaining for moments and overwhelming for others. It has a few good things that make it enjoyable for all horror fans, for example, the already established but still welcomed clichés like: owls, dark shadows of Satan, lots of fire, graveyard scenes, phantasmagorical silhouettes and of course...black cats!. Overall, an okay flick, but I still think I'm not the only one who lost interest during the last minutes, ironically due to the overindulgence of action. If you're in the mood for a good Mexican Gothic horror film, rent "La Maldicion de la Llorona" instead.

Production companies