After being disappointed in David Keating’s Cherry Tree, the thought of sitting through another witch-related film was off the table for me. That is, until I saw Robert Eggers’ The Witch, which definitely hit the spot. And now with Jason Bognacki’s feature-length debut Mark of the Witch (aka Another) pulling a stunt like The Omen remake did ten years back in releasing on June 6th for VOD (6/06/16, get it?), it seems like some filmmakers are trying to capitalize on Eggers’ success. Well, the key word is “trying”.
During her birthday celebration, Jordyn (Paulie Redding), who has just turned 18, witnesses her Aunt Ruth (Nancy Wolfe) attempting to disembowel herself while chanting “It’s time”. It gets weirder from there for Jordyn, as she begins seeing terrifying visions, experiencing nightmares, lapses of time, and having a feeling that she’s two separate people. Jordyn eventually learns about her dark past involving a witches coven, and is left in a race to prevent an evil force from consuming her.
If you’re a fan of giallo classics done by Mario Bava and Dario Argento, Mark of the Witch will certainly remind you of them, both in visuals and in story. The film borrows several techniques and traits from the Italian genre, including closeups, first-person shots, and a rich colour palette that reward the viewer with some surreal moments that are quite beautiful. Story-wise, the film relies heavily on mystery and incoherencies, with Jordyn experiencing hallucinations that have the viewer questioning whether what they’re witnessing is real. It’s some great eye candy, and quite impressive for a low budget film.
As the film’s protagonist, Redding is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, she fits the giallo idea of an innocent, wide-eyed young woman who has the potential for becoming tainted by evil. That is, until she has to start using some of the dialogue written for her character. I don’t know if it’s a comment on her abilities as an actress, or the fact that the writing for the role isn’t the greatest, but Redding doesn’t come across as being particularly strong in the role. There’s little emotion in her face when she delivers some lines, creating an unwanted amateur feel. Then again, when her co-stars end up with similarly awkward dialogue and deliveries, one can’t be quite sure if it’s one or the other (or a bit of both).
As the Mark of the Witch progresses, you get the sense that the film greatly suffers in the writing. Clumsy delivery and dialogue aside, there’s really not much to the film’s plot. The incoherent narrative that giallo films rely on feels more like an excuse for the film. Take away the style, and the blackouts and jumping from one scene to another are just examples of bad writing. Making things worse is that the film feels padded. At just under 70 minutes, with a nine-minute pre-title sequence, nine minutes of end credits and a reliance on creating that dream-like feeling that makes up the film, you wonder if this was originally a short film that was stretched out to feature length. Given Bognacki’s past filmography, it’s not that big of a leap to come to that conclusion.
The phrase “style over substance” is never more apparent with Mark of the Witch. In spite of some truly beautiful camerawork and presentation, the actual content of the film is a big let-down. With a serious lack of a plot, suspect acting and cringe-inducing writing, this is not the debut you’d want. Bognacki definitely has a knack for visuals, but if you’re wanting to see the complete package that has both the visual flair and a strong script, you’re better off seeing one of the films that Mark of the Witch strives to emulate.
