HORROR DVD/BLU-RAY REVIEWS

Witchwise concerns a little boy named Andrew (Spencer Daniels) who, upon discovering that his very own aunty is a real-life witch, decides to do the old-bird in; seemingly possessed by a found ring that beckons him to commit the deed – but is dead really dead?

Witchwise plays like a paired-down version of an old Tales from the Crypt episode; short and sweet and not without a certain measure of twisted irony. What Writer/Director Joe Harris (scripter of 2003’s Darkness Falls) has done within a scant 13 minutes, far surpasses most feature-length horror films I’ve seen so far this year. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to find Harris’ calling the shots on his own feature in the near future.

Harris’ even-handedness behind the camera, coupled with his firm grasp on short-subject material works to a near pitch perfect degree in the creation of this little gem. Add to that a wonderfully dark and evocative piano score from composer, Tian (that reminded me of John Harrison’s work on Creepshow), as well as a great performance from young actor Spence Daniels that relied almost entirely on body movement and facial expressions rather than dialog, and I’d say Witchwise is a bona fide hit.

I don’t watch a lot of short films, and when I do, they’re usually pretentious, self-gratifying pieces of shit made by people who feel that they’re far too smart for convention but ultimately, they’re just too damned stupid to entertain. So when I say that Witchwise is a breath of fresh air…I truly mean it. Well done Joe Harris.