The Witch's Mirror

Elena was raised by her godmother Sara, a witch. Sara sees the future in her mirror and realises Elena will be killed by her husband. She cannot prevent it. After the murder Sara uses the mirror to call Elena's spirit back, and everything in the house begins to turn against the doctor. He, meanwhile, needs other bodies to restore the beauty his new wife lost in a fire. Chano Urueta's film is one of the known examples of Mexican gothic horror. The narrative lays two separate horror stories on top of each other: a ghost's revenge and a mad doctor. The combination is loose in its logic but visually rich; the mirror scenes and the laboratory passages are striking for the limited budget of the period. Rosita Arenas, Armando Calvo and Isabela Corona take the leads. Who it's for: Viewers who like 1960s Mexican horror, gothic atmosphere, and black-and-white genre cinema. Who it's not for: The plot is inconsistent and the characters' motives are thin. The effects are also very simple by present-day eyes.