MARK OF THE WITCH: Eerie Imagery That Lacks Substance

Mark of the Witch (also known as Another), written and directed by Jason Bognacki, is described as a horror fantasy film. It tells the story of Jordyn, played by Paulie Rojas, who is confronted with her Aunt Ruth’s (Nancy Wolfe) attempted suicide just minutes after blowing out her birthday candles, and soon discovers a dark secret about herself. Jordyn just wanted to know who she is and where she comes from, which her Aunt Ruth acknowledges is a perfectly normal thing for anyone to wonder about. But in Jordyn’s case, she might be better off in a world of blissful ignorance.

The movie starts off with a visually captivating sequence that draws the viewer in. It’s a cinematic masterpiece in terms of beautifully shot footage. Each shot was carefully thought out and so tightly captured that I would give the cinematographers involved with this film an A+. The main credit for cinematography goes to writer/director Jason Bognacki. It appears that he spent a lot more time and consideration on the shot list and vision of the film than on story, plot or character development, though.

Mark of the Witch takes on the appearance of an arthouse film more than a horror film. A delicately eerie score matches the picture just perfectly. It was seductively daunting enough to draw me in, at least at first.

Make A Wish

As the visuals captivated my attention, the story started off with an interesting hook. It’s not every birthday that someone decides to plunge a knife into their guts after the birthday girl makes a wish, begging the question: What did Jordyn wish for? It is revealed that she wished for what she wishes every year: to know where she came from. Does this mean in order for her to find the answer, Aunt Ruth must die?

The premise had promise, but Bognacki loses me when it comes to story structure, as this one is a royal mess. It feels like he relied too heavily on grade A technical and post-production skills, leaving the story to suffer. The entire mid-section of the movie drags on with a hard-to-follow plot, and although the images remain consistently captivating, that was the only part of the film that was, and even that became a predictable drag after a certain point. In the editing room you have to narrow down your favorite shots of a scene. There was a lot more fat that should have been trimmed, with shots that didn’t progress the story and felt out of place. It’s okay to not use every single creepy image you capture. It felt like a lot of unnecessary filler.

The story, plot and characters all seem to lose steam shortly into the film. It’s hard to follow the storyline. Even when Ruth does explain to Jordyn what’s going on, it doesn’t make a lot of sense when she’s explaining that there’s another her that is actually someone else. The writing and the dialogue leave much to be desired. I will credit the film for passing the Bechdel Test, but where I’d give the cinematography an A+, I’d give the writing an F on this project. These are not engaging characters that you come to understand or care about. They all felt very one-dimensional.

A Walking Study In Demonology

With a title such as Mark of the Witch and after watching the trailer, one might expect this film to explore matters of the occult. Instead, it only very loosely alludes to demonic possession. Mark of the Demon would have made a much more accurate title, as the film doesn’t deal with witchcraft in any way, shape or form. There’s no witchcraft symbology, terminology, or even any occult musings other than a creepy demonic “witch” who mostly appears through the film more convincingly as a crazy homeless person.

Paulie Rojas, who portrays Jordyn, reminds me of a young Jennifer Love-Hewitt with her big doey eyes; she’s adorable and sweet, but too sweet. Her acting skills are weak at best. At no point did I believe her to be seductive, creepy, evil or scared. The supporting cast was only a tad more convincing, but not at all memorable. The most interesting partial-plot in the film revolves around the story of Ruth, her sister (the creepy demonic witch), and their origins. That subplot is only barely touched on and adds more overall confusion, but does lead the film to an interesting ending. Although it’s a very muddled path in slow motion that leads us there.

In Conclusion: Horrified By A Lack Of Horror

From beginning to end, Mark of the Witch feels like one long visually enticing nightmare that makes about as much sense as a bad dream in an alternate reality. This is a film that relies too heavily on good technical skills and low budget post-production effects.

If you’re looking for a film full of occult mystery or witchcraft, this is not what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a movie with substance, character, suspense, drama, thrill, or satisfying entertainment, you will also be disappointed. But if you just like watching sequences of really good camera angles of creepy images at slow speeds and artsy cinematography, you will love this one.

What did you wish for on your 18th birthday?

Mark of the Witch is being released 6-6-16 and will be available on demand everywhere.