‘Two Witches’ Provides Some of The Most Beautifully Shocking Imagery of The Year [Review]
We live in a witchy time, where selling crystals and explaining how to make altars proliferate social media feeds of millennials and Gen Z. Being a witch is cool, or at least this very specific vision of a witch. But, as we know in horror history, witches aren’t always aesthetic. From Robert Eggers’ The Witch to the Pierce Brothers’ The Wretched, these figures of occult magic can be downright nasty, shrugging off their human forms for something much more dangerous. Director Pierre Tsigaridis continues that tradition with his feature film debut Two Witches, which he also co-wrote, produced, shot, and edited. His film is a vision in red, drenched in the blood of those poor unfortunate souls that unknowingly come across the path of a witch matriarchy.
Two Witches is split into two distinct chapters: The Boogeywoman and Masha, named for the witch at the center of each vignette. These two parts are connected, as the two women are grandmother and granddaughter. But each brings its own brand of cruelty and violence. The first part follows The Boogeywoman (Marina Parodi), who’s never given another name. She’s shown finding a target for her hunger, the pregnant Sarah (Bella Adams), who the Boogeywoman spies at a local restaurant. In short, it’s a case of the wrong place at the wrong time for poor Sarah and her boyfriend Simon (Ian Michaels). As they visit their friends Dustin (Tim Fox) and the occult-obsessed Melissa (Dina Silva), a morbid chain of events is sparked by a poorly time seance.
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Then we have Masha, played by an incredible Rebekah Kennedy. Masha is the granddaughter of the Boogeywoman and knows that when her grandmother dies, she’ll inherit her dark power. But Masha doesn’t seem upset about that. She shares the knowledge openly with her roommate Rachel (Kristina Klebe, who also co-wrote Two Witches). Rachel is rightly weirded out, but tries to be patient with Masha since she’s new in town. But, her kindness won’t save her from the burning rage of Masha and her dark inheritance.
While there is the obvious matrilineal connection between the two parts, they also stand as their own stories. The film’s second part is its strongest, thanks mostly to Kennedy’s stellar and terrifying performance as Masha. Even before she begins stepping into her birthright, Kennedy’s deadpan stare and startling yet alluring smile set your teeth on edge. This is not an unsuspecting victim of an unknown curse. Her energy oozes excitement to fill in her grandmother’s blood-filled shoes. Who needs to inherit money when you can inherit the love and affection of Satan?
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But to gain that love involves sacrifice and a lot of it. Tsigaridis doesn’t shy away from the violence done by the two witches. This leads to some of the most shocking imagery I’ve seen this year. And it’s not just due to who or what is being dismembered. It’s how Tsigaridis films it and makes it feel almost beautiful. These aren’t just instances of gore for gore’s sake. Instead, Tsigaridis uses abjection to create a perverse form of art that speaks to the film’s obvious giallo and Euro-horror influences.
Two Witches proudly wears its Euro-horror references on its sleeve with Tsigaridis’ focus on lighting aesthetics, camera work, and set design. But, just as much as the film functions as an homage to the horror films of the past, Two Witches also forges a new, disgusting path that meshes art horror with abject terror. Tsigaridis isn’t afraid to break taboos here and confront viewers with shocking imagery not just once, but over and over again throughout the film’s duration. This is a shining example of how to marry beauty and horror in awe-inspiring unholy matrimony. It’s time to bring back beautiful gore. We deserve it.
Two Witches is streaming on ARROW and is available on digital.
Summary
Just as much as the film functions as an homage to the horror films of the past, Two Witches also forges a new, disgusting path that meshes art horror with abject terror.
