La casa 4 (Witchcraft) (1988) Reviews

• The Hoff does a spaghetti poltergeist

  Bezenby2010-10-08

  This film starts as it means to go on: a bunch of pilgrim types, armed with pitchforks, chase a pregnant woman through a modern house (with light-switches) until she jumps out of window. We are truly in the realm of Italian madness. David Hasselhoff plays Gary, boyfriend of the mumbling Leslie, who won't let him into her pants. Won't even give him tops and fingers. Gary and Leslie are currently squatting in an abandoned hotel researching either a witch or witch lights or the gates to hell or something to do with a German book. It's kind of hard to tell, as Leslie explains most of this and to be frank she can't act or even speak very well. I think she was the one doing the research and Gary was the one trying to get into bed with her, but nevertheless they are in trouble for two reasons. One: there's the world's most tired looking woman hiding in the attic somewhere, being creepy and Two: the new owners of the hotel are heading there for a visit with their children (pregnant Linda Blair and proper kid Tommy), an estate agent, and a nympho lawyer. The old woman has already been appearing to this family for some reason and about five minutes after the family land on the island she wastes the guy who took them over in the boat. So it looks like they're stranded. What follows is your usual late eighties Italian set-up (like Ghosthouse, House of Lost Souls, House of Clocks etc) where a bunch of victims try not to be killed by supernatural forces. As I said it's kind of difficult to get a handle on what's truly going on, but it seems that the old woman (who may or may not be a ghost or a witch) wants to open the gates of hell by killing folks who have sinned in certain ways. She does this mainly by sucking them through into another dimension and wasting them graphically. Where House of Lost Souls was content to decapitate children with washing machines, Witchcraft opts for daft visual effects and surreal, nasty deaths. One victim gets her lips sewn shut, jammed down a chimney, and set on fire. Another gets impaled on a swordfish, and in the best scene, Bob Champagne's jugular explodes in David Hasselhoff's face. It takes a while to get to the good stuff in this film, but the gore has an nice nasty edge to it. Gore aside, the Italian daftness quotient is as high as ever. We don't have dubbing, but we do have Hasselhoff telling a fully clothed woman to get dressed, a whole lot of bizarre visual trickery (like the witch-lights), and the world's most terrified looking child actor. A lot has been made about how bad this kid is, but to be honest with you he just looks like he's scared of everyone in the film and would rather be anywhere else at all. I'd be scared too if I had to act with a woman who looked like she's been drinking three bottles of vodka a day for at least a decade. And another thing: never turn your back on Linda Blair. As usual, she goes all possessed near the end of the film in a scene that is pure comedy (unintended of course). To cement it's place as one of the most enjoyable films an industry in decline released as the decade drew to a close, we have our twist ending which is so abrupt and stupid you just have to applaud. Witchcraft has the lot: gore, madness, incoherence, and even a couple of scenes that are genuinely creepy (the Satan rape bit). As it seems to be unfairly trampled on by all and sundry, it turns up cheap on Amazon. For the two or three people actually interested in what Italian films were like after the golden age had passed, I'd buy Ghosthouse. Then this one.

• Excellent setting

  Tikkin2006-04-01

  I recently picked this up on VHS under the title "Ghosthouse 2", although it has nothing at all to do with the original Ghosthouse film. I was expecting it to be terrible, after reading IMDb reviews, but it actually turned out to be OK. The setting of the film is what gets the most marks from me - I love seeing the shots of the house and island from the sea. It's THE perfect setting for a horror film. I do think it was a little wasted on this particular film though. Never mind. The film itself isn't too bad, it just drags a bit in some places and I didn't like the witchcraft theme. I found the scenes where people are transported via that "Doctor Who" style vortex extremely cringe-making. It looked like something from a cheap 80's sci-fi film! Other than that I thought the death of the old woman was excellent - she gets her lips sewn together and is hung upside down above a lit fireplace. She can't scream for help and the others have no idea she's there. Now there's an original death for you! The parts where the helicopter flies around the house are also excellent - the people inside can't signal for help because the house has trapped them inside. I would recommend horror fans to give this a watch, it's silly and boring at times but the good bits make up for that.

• an Italian horror flick.... with the Hasselhoff..... not too bad

  ksf-22015-07-05

  At least there are some big names in this campy horror film to keep us occupied. Double billed on a new blue ray with "Ghost House", Witchery has David Hasselhoff (post Knight Rider, but before Baywatch) and Linda Blair (waaaaaaay after Exorcist). Another Italian horror film, filmed in Massachusetts, this one is directed by Fabrizio Laurenti. Like the Lenzi horror films, this one is so campy, so bad, that its kind of fun to watch. And who IS that Lady in Black? She and her magic gemstone pop up now and then, adding to the mystery. A real estate agent tries to sell a house on a private island, but Gary (Hasselhoff) and his assistant entered the house (without permission) to take photos. Jane (L. Blair) has her own secrets, as you will see. More cheesy special effects, and of course, the usual blood and gore. I'm surprised that Linda Blair still wanted to do films like this, since she was so well known for The Exorcist. It's pretty creepy. And as of today, only 3 out of 10 stars on IMDb. The "story" starts out pretty solid, unlike most oldie horror films. The acting and directing are a bit lame, but everyone does a pretty good job with the lines they are given. For a lot of of the cast, this is the only film they ever made. About two thirds of the way through, the plot gets weird and goes down these left turns. Lots of screaming, organ music, and smoke. Similar plot to Ten Little Indians, where the guests get knocked off, one by one. Interesting, if just for the historical value.

• Witchcraft AKA La Casa 4 AKA Witchery AKA Evil Encounters AKA Ghosthouse 2 AKA The Haunted House

  Vomitron_G2011-05-27

  An Italian horror movie with so many juicy AKA titles and starring both Linda Blair and David Hasselhoff... I mean, that has got to be worth it, right? "Witchery" is not even as inept as Umberto Lenzi's "Ghosthouse" - or maybe it is - and it's about as much fun. Hassle Da Hoff is always worth a few chuckles, if you ask me. Linda Blair gets to play her possessed self again, with an exploded hairdo this time. "Witchery" also features a handful of pretty memorable killings (lips sewn tight and burned in the fireplace, pulsating veins popping & squirting and bleeding to death, nailed to the cross and burned like a witch upside down, etc). This movie really ain't wrapped too tight, and there lies the beauty of it all: Italian genre movies from the 80's are usually a pretty bonkers affair altogether (that ghostly rape of a virgin was a winner! - yes, there's boobies). Safe to say I enjoyed "Witchery", more than I thought I would . Both Lenzi's first one (Italian title: "La Casa 3") and this unrelated, unofficial second film are recommended viewings if you like your haunted house stuff trashy, gory and Italian-style. Much like a big, greasy pizza, these movies aren't exactly nutritious, but they're tasty as hell.

• Linda Blair reminds us why she is a horror icon in this horrifying tale of witchcraft and revenge.

  shaneschoeppner12008-03-13

  Linda Blair has been acting for forty years now, and while she will never escape the part of Regan MacNeil in "The Exorcist", few of her subsequent horror films have used her legendary status to such great effect as "Witchery" does. She plays Jane Brooks, a pregnant single woman who travels with her family to an abandoned island hotel that her parents want to purchase. They are accompanied by a couple of real estate agents (Catherine Hickland and Rick Farnsworth) and upon arriving at the island they meet a photographer (David Hasselhoff) and his writer girlfriend (Leslie Cumming) who are illegally squatting in the hotel while investigating the legend of a local witch (Hildegard Knef). It seems that a long-ago witch-hunt resulted in her suicide, and she was with child at the time. Unaware of the danger, Jane has recently dreamt of the witch's dramatic death, and Jane's little brother Tommy (Michael Manchester) has been more directly visited by her spooky, black-clad spirit, which he calls 'the lady in black'. The group's time at the island inn begins quietly enough; unknown to them, however, the Lady in Black has already dispatched the captain of their hired boat (George Stevens). Before long, the isolation and cold begin to affect everyone, and it is during this period of moodiness and tension that the Lady in Black begins her reign of terror. She plans to avenge her own fate by possessing Jane and sacrificing her companions and her unborn child. Each of her other victims fulfills an aspect of her vengeful curse - greed, lust, and the blood of a virgin. As the sun goes down and the sea becomes wild, she haunts them one by one in gruesome, horrifying ways. The island location is effectively scary, and the inn is very creepy and hauntingly shot. It's such a colorful film that it reminds me of Dario Argento's work. The lighting is excellent, and the set decoration is perfectly spooky. The soundtrack is very effective and unique. The horror effects are extreme, terrifying, and unforgettable. The cinematography is great, and it is this that brings us back to Linda Blair. The creative team behind this film shoots her like a horror star should be shot: lots of dramatic push-ins, lingering close-ups that subtly detail Jane's incremental possession, and moments that are reminiscent of other great horror films. There are hidden homages to "Rosemary's Baby", "Jacob's Ladder", "The Shining", "Black Sunday", and of course "The Exorcist". She does a great job, and absolutely steals the show with her moody and understated performance. That isn't to say that the rest of the cast disappoints; Catherine Hickland is sexy and very good, and veteran performer Annie Ross is memorable as Jane's bitchy mother Rose. Hasselhoff gives it his best, but he is not essentially a film star, and his television persona gets in the way of his performance. Blair and young Michael Manchester have a wonderful chemistry together. The film is otherwise so violent and creepy (in a good way) that it desperately needs their warmth (Blair also played a mother in 2003's "Monster Makers", and her maternal scenes in that film have the same tender feeling to them). Lastly, Hildegard Knef (in one of her last roles) plays a great witch, and she has the most amazing voice and accent. Along with Blair, she was also perfectly cast. But it's Blair's movie all the way. Jane Brooks also seems to have some psychic ability, and this aspect of the film hearkens back to "Exorcist II: The Heretic". I think "Witchery" is up there with "The Exorcist", "Exorcist II", "Hell Night", and "Summer of Fear" as Blair's best genre work to date.