Witch's Brew (2011)

(Screener Copy)


Directed by Chris LaMartina


Written by Chris LaMartina


Stars: Chris Magoria, Gary-Kayi Fletcher, Ryan Thomas, Megan Rippey, Michael Brecher, Helenmary Ball, Lauren Lakis, Virginia House, Seregon O'Dassey, Lee Armstrong, Nicolette le Faye, Shawn C. Phillips, Ruby Larocca








Chris LaMartina of Midnight Crew Studios (creators of comic slasher flick Presidents Day) was nice enough to send me a screener of latest flick Witch's Brew.I was very excited to see what was up the sleeves of these horror enthusiasts next since I love a horror movie with a supernatural element to it. I also love the blending of horror and comedy when its done correctly so Witch's Brew ticked lots of my boxes.

The film tells the story of Jeff and Preston, two friends out to make a fast few bucks by selling their home-brewed 'Slacker larger'. Jeff, a nice kind of guy who is horribly put upon by his father, is already having a bad day after smashing a mirror (he is very superstitious) so what happens next is only going to make it so much worse. After accidentally killing a cat, Jeff and Preston do the honourable thing and return the corpse to its owner. Bad news for these dudes though as the cats owner is anything but honourable - she's an evil old witch, whose deadly coven have been getting up to some extremely questionable activities in the local town. Safe to say the witch is not at all impressed by the pairs honesty and see's fit to curse their beer before they head off.

From here on out its a balls to the wall explosion of comic gore and gross out horror as individuals begin to consume the brew and die horribly afterwards. These deaths are pretty much all insane - characters go in ironic ways based on their personalities or something they may have said right before they drink the beer. I don't want to go all spoiler heavy but I will highlight the punk kid who gets eaten by vines after littering and peeing in a forest and also a consummation by snot monster!! But there are many many more of these and horror fans should get a real kick out of the creativity on display throughout.

There is a wide variety of quirky and fun characters - this is an area that Chris LaMartina is clearly an expert at writing when you consider this film and the abundance of fun characters in Presidents Day. Chris Magorian plays the *quite rightfully* paranoid Jeff brilliantly - bewildered or horrified facial expressions and deadpan one liners ("That was my ex girlfriend") are definitely his forte. Helenmary Ball is excellent as the snarling and spiteful head witch and you just can't help but wait for her to get what's coming to her. Also Nicolette Le Faye and Ruby Larocca pop up to play a wacky artist and glamour model respectively, two fun roles which further highlight the movies twisted sense of humour.

Just like its predecessor Presidents Day, this indie effort is really professionally shot and avoids many of the usual micro budget trappings. The sound is perfectly audible, the spooky soundtrack is effective and a lot of the acting is spot on. Special mention also has to go to the comically nasty special fx which only go to prove you don't need big money or CGI to create a cool death scene or ugly transformation.

So you have laughs, a few scares, outrageous death scenes and for the inclined viewers: boobs! What's not to love? I strongly encourage you to follow the movie on Facebook and keep your ears to the ground for an official release date once its had some more screenings. This is one flick that is well worth your money to kick back with and watch with a nice six pack - just be sure liver damage is all you are letting yourself in for !!!