This Halloween...the enchanting girl next door wants to invite you in for a treat....or a TRICK! Witch Tales (Cuentos de la Bruja) is an indie horror movie that is the first to be filmed in both English and Spanish simultaneously, as it stars an all Latinx cast. Let me just start off by saying that the definitive version of the film is the Spanish version. The actors seemed a lot more comfortable and natural delivering their lines in Spanish. With that being said, the thing that carries the film is the ambitiousness of it, the cinematography, and the neat tricks director Mike Lyddon used to capture some creepy moments. The film is an anthology, made up of three short films that are framed by another storyline, where a witch (played by Mayella Lloclla) is seen brewing something “special” for Halloween night. The witch serves as the host of the show (think the Crypt Keeper in Tales from the Crypt) and introduces us to the films. It works wonderfully, as it sets the tone for the collection of films and also gives the audience something to look forward to in between. In the opening scene the camera is moving into a mysterious room, while a spooky score sets the mood. Then, the camera moves upward, and we see the witch mixing the contents of her cauldron, and immediately it feels like we’re at the beginning stages of a haunted attraction. This helps get in the frame of mind for the three films, and signals to the audience that this isn’t a film that is going to take itself too seriously. The films have clever storylines, with some interesting twists thrown in, but let me be clear about this; they’re very cheesy. Their style reminded me of the 90’s Goosebumps show or Are You Afraid of the Dark except with more mature themes. 
The strongest of the three films was the first one, Cycle of Terror (Cyclo de Terror) which is about a thug, played by Renato Babilonia, murders someone and then is subsequently followed around by the same horrific scene. I won’t say too much about this one because watching the storyline unravel before you is most of the fun, but there was one neat trick the director did to capture the creepiness on screen without overt goriness. I’ll give you a hint in that it involves rodents and a decomposing dead body the rodents are snacking on.
The second film, Experiment in Terror (Experimento de Terror) has my favorite short in the whole film. There’s an old-school radio at the front of the scene, and behind, unfocused and blurry, a mad scientist is experimenting on a woman in a wheelchair. This was the most visually creative shot of the movie and showed the director’s prowess with the camera. Raul Chamorro, who plays the antagonist, did the best acting this entire film sees. He did an excellent job of portraying a maniacal mad scientist and was the best acting seen in the movie. His acting, coupled with some great music, really made Experiment in Terror a fun watch. Unfortunately, in the third film, there is a significant drop in quality. The final short is about a narcissistic chef who doesn’t seem to have a single redeeming quality. He treats his coworkers like dirt, neglects his family, and has an affair behind his wife’s back. The story is slow to develop without any real characters to root for, as the main focus of the whole story is an unlikeable chef. Somewhere in the slow, plodding story is a revenge plot, and the ending scene was decent enough, but not quite worth the payoff. Of the three shorts, this stood out as demonstrably the weakest one of them all. There’s nothing groundbreaking here, and the acting isn’t the greatest in the world, but there is some creative camera work used to tell the stories. And despite the cheesiness of the costumes and sets, the film does a good job of capturing some grossness (so I would strongly suggest against eating while watching this!). All in all, I thought this horror anthology of films was fun enough. If you liked any of the aforementioned shows like Goosebumps, Tales from the Crypt, or Are You Afraid of the Dark and want to see those style of stories with more mature themes and starring some Latinx authors, this film would be perfect for you on a chilly night around Halloween time. WITCH TALES (2020) from Reel Progress LLC on Vimeo. You can now buy the WITCH TALES blu-ray from the following sites – Ebay –https://www.ebay.com/itm/203022663315 Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089QZNVLY/ On this site http://www.horroranthologymovies.com/witch-tales-blu-ray/ 
It’s a local legend. No one is sure if this “Camp Slaughter” place is real or not. But a group of college kids renting out a cabin deep in the woods of Pennsylvania will soon realize the truth. They’ll realize the danger, too. Or rather, the cannibal out in the woods will bring the danger to them… 
Born in Mexico but raised in the United States, Sergio Gomez lives in Philadelphia with his family. He enjoys reading, martial arts, cooking, but most of all writing. His favorite superhero is either Batman or Hellboy depending on the day. Find out more about Sergio by checking out his website Authorsergiogomez.com 
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