Two Witches (2021) Review

Weaving together two malignant stories of wicked witches, Pierre Tsigaridis’s feature film debut makes its UK premiere at this year’s Grimmfest.

Split into chapters, part one introduces us to expecting couple Sarah & Simon and The Boogeywoman. Out celebrating their pregnancy the romantic dinner soon turns sour when, from across the restaurant, a rather nefarious looking woman locks eyes with Sarah. The paranoia stacks up when the two head off to visit friends in the countryside. Is The Boogeywoman following them? Has a curse fallen on Sarah and her unborn child?

In part two we meet Rachel and her new roommate Masha who has taken a keen interest in Rachel’s life, current lover and past sexual encounters. But to what extent? Masha begins to busy her way into the personal details, even turning up to Rachel’s place of work to stir up some trouble. But it’s when Masha attends a party one night that the stories of the two witches begin to entwine.

Tsigaridis is first and foremost a notable cinematographer and it’s his experience here that gives Two Witches it’s edge. Scenes are well composed with subtle dashings of colour reminiscent of the European horror of the 70s. It’s clear the influence Argento and Fulici have had on Tsigaridis, you can’t not feel the impressions of Suspiria (1977).

But it’s the lighting that’s the real star of the film. Candle light is used to chilling effect, casting long shadows on unsavory faces shot from low angles. White light from swinging basement bulbs create a gritty aesthetic producing shots that look like they belong in the original 35mm prints of Halloween (1978).

Although crafted with passion and attention to detail, these scenes don’t amount to much more than just well produced homages. Two Witches is let down by a weak, trope ticking plot. The film’s story is strung together by scenes and ideas the director thought would just look cool or that he saw in other movies and wanted to adapt for his own. Where the cinematography and production design felt influenced, the scripting and structure within these scenes feel too derivative to be a tribute.

Horror has a tendency to reflect societal issues and at times I couldn’t help but think Two Witches was trying to offer up some message about misogynistic men and female empowerment. If it was, it didn’t quite make it’s point clear enough. What is clear though, Two Witches is a wonderfully weird midnight movie full of great cinematography, a mashup of strange and shocking moments and whose cast and crew believed in the witchcraft they were making.

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