Shudder Saturday: Witchery (1988)

AKA Witchcraft AKA La Casa 4.

I had to rely on the internet for some information here, and I cannot guarantee that information is all as correct as it should be, so please proceed with caution. Not that I am too worried. A lot of the information was verifiable from multiple sources, and the cast is easy enough to confirm, but, like many Italian-helmed horror movies from this era, it's never too clear who should be credited for the authorship of the film, in both the direction and writing. 

The plot is enjoyable tosh, but I'll try to write a decent summary. Leslie (Leslie Cumming) and her photographer boyfriend, Gary (David Hasselhoff), are spending some time together on a small island, exploring a derelict hotel with a spooky reputation. Rose Brooks (Annie Ross) wants to buy the hotel, to renovate it and turn it into a profitable club, and is also visiting the island, with some of her family in tow (played by Robert Champagne, Michael Manchester, and Linda Blair), as well as an architect (Catherine Hickland) and an estate agent (Rick Farnsworth). With everyone in place, it's soon time for a mysterious lady in black (Hildegard Knef) to start killing off our cast members in a ritualistic manner that will help her to achieve her main aim.

Witchery is bonkers, but it's a good kind of bonkers. As slapdash as it often feels, particularly in the more random scenes that show people interacting oddly with one another, it actually circles back to the central narrative strand more often than you would think. The opening made me think I would be in for something that would make no sense at all, but it does. It's silly, and there is a lot of nonsense in every main sequence, but it comes together in a way that is unexpectedly cohesive and straightforward by the end. Others may disagree, especially if they want things neat and tidy (and if that's the case . . . Italian horrors of the 1980s are not for you).

The cast are a lot of fun, with both Hasselhoff and Cumming arguably the least interesting people onscreen. Hasselhoff does what Hasselhoff does, whereas Cumming has to spend her time being extremely timid and virginal while her pure aura draws demonic forces towards her. Ross is great fun, as is Champagne (playing her slightly icky husband), and Hickland adds the required dollop of extra sexiness to the proceedings. As for Blair, she's given the role with the most unintentional comedy, required to mill around at the edge of the action until she's required to put on a growling voice and glare at the camera with a harsh hairstyle summing up the darkness trying to keep hold of her soul.

Written by Daniele Stroppa, with Harry Spalding also credited in some places (as well as Claudio Lattanzi claiming that he worked on the story before it ended up in the hands of director Luigi Cozzi, who lasted a couple of weeks before leaving, to be replaced by Fabrizio Laurenti), this might not be any kind of forgotten classic, but it's entertaining enough throughout. The script isn't very strong, Laurenti doesn't have an abundance of skill or style, but the cast and the pacing help to make it an easy viewing choice for those who occasionally appreciate some cinematic junk food in their diet.

6/10

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