Horror comedy moves to flesh-eating witches
Two down-on-their-luck anxiety-ridden men decide to rob a “We Buy Gold” store located in front of the La Puerta del Sol Square in Madrid. It’s a most peculiar robbery because José (Hugo Silva), a divorcee and one of the thieves, has to take Sergio (Gabriel Delgado), his eight-year-old son along with him. It so happens that it’s his turn (not his wife’s) to take care of the boy. Moreover, Tony (Mario Casas), the other thief, can’t find his car to flee after the hold-up because his girlfriend took it to go shopping.
Now they have thousands of gold rings, but no car. So they kidnap a taxi driver, Manuel (Jaime Ordoñez), and his customer too (whom they put in the trunk of the taxi). And together, they hit the road to France. But they never get there. Instead, they get lost in the woods of Zugarramurdi, a region known for its flesh-eating witches and their abominable covens. The most dangerous of them all is Graciana Barrenetxea (Carmen Maura) because she’s the one who leads all the others. What they have in mind is not hard to figure out: they want to celebrate the arrival of the men and the kid by having a feast. Of course, they are the food.
Las brujas de Zugarramurdi, the new film by famed Spanish director Álex de la Iglesia (El día de la bestia, La comunidad, Crimen ferpecto, Balada triste de trompeta) is quite a hilarious comedy with traits of a horror film gone nuts. It’s not one of his best films but it surely is above average (unlike The Oxford Murders, for instance). It boasts the same kind of black humour and extravaganza his early films had, but with better production values and a more assured direction. At times, it goes over the top, but not excessively — at least not for a film by Álex de la Iglesia. So the bizarre elements never reach the point of being ridiculous. Within the logic of the movie, they all make sense and don’t feel forced for a second. And unlike many other derivative films that tread the same territory, the universe depicted here is, indeed, original.
Moreover, it’s filled with truly funny verbal gags and witty one-liners, great visuals and a superb cast that delivers equally convincing performances. Plus it’s told at the right pace thanks to its clear-cut editing. In all these regards, Las brujas de Zugarramurdi goes from good to better.
However, when it comes to the screenplay, things are not that accomplished.
Despite all the creative, very well executed scenes and sequences, the overall narrative sometimes comes across as a compendium of entertaining ideas — as if a story with a stronger dramatic edge were missing.
Take the witches, for example. They have some characteristics to individualize them and a bit of a story of their own. Still, the main roles are underwritten. They play their roles in the story, but it would have been great if that included something other than performing a series of somewhat predictable behaviours.
All in all, Las brujas de Zugarramurdi delivers what’s expected of it and sometimes goes a step further. It’s a crowd pleaser, granted, but it’s an intelligent one. I found myself laughing unexpectedly at different times in the movie. Other times, I could see the gags coming from a mile away. Nonetheless, the final result is more than satisfying. It might not be memorable, but it does pay off.
