A Casa do Medo

Witch Story is the chilling and frightning story of a mother's revenge and a girl who *loves* to play....

Sorry to disappoint, but the above statement is false.

Witch Story is crap. Wow, what a bad movie. It is not even on a "so bad it's good" level. It's just bad. Avoid it for the sake of your sanity.

Who exactly was the idiot who created the title near the end of the movie that reads, "October 31th"?

Here we go again. The epilogue begins in the past with an accused witch being tortured and burned alive by the locals, and before it happens she curses the townsfolk. Now moving to the present a group of college kids (the descendants of the townsfolk) decide to take their holidays at a rundown mansion, which the witch had occupied. Not knowing anything about the house's past. Soon enough strange things begin to happen, and a young girl in a white gown suddenly appears with something to do with the witch's revenge.

Uninspired, but ludicrously cheesy and gruesome low-budget Italian horror schlock none the same. Obviously it has been influenced by such prominent 80s efforts like 'The Evil Dead (1981)', 'Demons (1985)' and 'Night of the Demons (1988)'. The supernatural elements are hysterically merged with demonic possession, haunted house happenings and slasher traits. It's quite a delusional mixture that writer / director Alessandro Capone lays on thick. Material-wise it doesn't make sense, and is downright uneven. Where they do stretch out a number of endings. The insane nature works in its favour though, because there's no atmosphere and the jolts are telegraphed. The violence is brutally tacky with constant use of tomato sauce leaving some hard to clean stains and with college kids abound… the hot topic of sex and don't forget the booze. Good times… well until the slaughter begins. One scene involving a half dressed girl, swimming pool and a swinging chainsaw was a seductive blast! The performances are forgettably bland from the young cast (with Michelle Vanucchi as a likable heroine), but they do serve their purposes with their clichéd characters. It's a clear-cut stereotypical bunch too. Production is cheap, and make-up effects go on to cement it, but it's sharply photographed with effectively lit visuals.

Was there a writers strike in Italy in the late-'80s?* That's the only way I can explain the virtually non-existent plots of many an Italian horror film from that era. The script for Streghe (AKA Witch Story) could be written on the back of a stamp, and summed up in just three words: witch, curse, deaths.

The film starts with the burning of a witch, who places a curse on her persecutor's descendants. As she dies, her young daughter throws herself out of a window (the first of many people to be launched through glass in this film). Cut to the present, and a brother and sister invite a group of friends to the house that they have just inherited, unaware that the place used to be home to the witch and is now haunted. The group's partying (which includes one of the girls performing a sexy tabletop striptease for her friends!) comes to an end when they start to die in inexplicable and gruesome ways.

Any semblance of a rational story is soon forgotten, as director Alessandro Capone focusses on delivering titillation from the pretty girls and a handful of death scenes; however, director Capone repeatedly wimps out, the young ladies only stripping as far as their underwear, and his kills bloody but lacking in imagination. Almost everyone crashes through a pane of glass at some point, and, in the film's dumbest moment, a possessed girl emerges from under the surface of a swimming pool brandishing a revving chainsaw.

3/10

*It's hard to believe, but, according to IMDb, there were actually three writers responsible for this mess.

The spirit of a witch,who was tortured and burned at the stake during 1930's haunts a house where some obnoxious teenagers live.The evil spirit is also capable of possessing their souls and turns its victims into bloodthirsty demons.Carol and her brother Ed are heading to a house they recently inherited from their parents.It's supposed to be a vacation,so they bring a bunch of friends along.It turns out that the house they are staying in was once owned by a witch who was tortured and burned at the stake a long time ago.The young daughter of the witch committed suicide shortly after that incident.Many of the women are soon possessed by an evil force causing them to sexually torment and then butcher the males one by one.Cheesy and gory Italian horror flick obviously inspired by "The Evil Dead","The Beyond" and "Night of the Demons".It also resembles US witch slasher "The Superstition".The acting is pretty bad and there is no suspense,but the killings are quite bloody for example one fatso is slaughtered with a meat-cleaver.7 out of 10.

An Italian horror flick that was shot in Florida. A group of friends visit a home that has been inherited by siblings Carol (Michele Peacock) and Ed Hayes (Gary Kerr). The house has stood silent for 50 years, but it has a history where a witch was burned right in the front yard after tossing a curse to all those present. Unfortunately there is not fruition to that curse, but those who have entered the house for a little vacation are going to feel the wraith of the evil spirit who as it ends up may just be related to the siblings.

I didn't really find it that enjoyable though as it steals story elements from much greater horror flicks like EVIL DEAD for example. In addition a few of the males characters just seemed to meld together as they were not particularly well written. I would suggest EVIL DEAD instead.