THE WITCH’S MIRROR/EL ESPEJO DE LA BRUJA (1962)

Acclaimed Mexican director Chano Urueta's mid-century film EL ESPEJO DE LA BRUJA hails from the so-called “Golden Age” of Mexican horror cinema, a time within the national film industry that saw an unprecedented boom in horror feature film production. Cinematográfica ABSA, the company founded by actor and producer Abel Salazar, released seven total horror features between 1957 and 1963, inaugurating its run with the renowned EL VAMPIRO (THE VAMPIRE, 1957) starring Germán Robles. Much like the other films released by ABSA, EL ESPEJO pays clear homage to Universal Studios’ influential monster films while carving out new territory that distinguishes it from its US-made predecessors. In this spooky Gothic tale starring acclaimed actress Isabela Corona, Urueta’s arresting visuals and practical effects usher audiences into a shadowy world of witchcraft and medical malpractice. Emeshed in a web of influence, EL ESPEJO finds kindred spirits in ancestors like REBECCA, EYES WITHOUT A FACE, and THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS to later impress upon the imagination of films like THE SKIN I LIVE IN.

The screening will be followed by a short Q&A (in English with Spanish translation) between PhD student Emily Masincup and Chicago film programmer Raul Benitez.

Raul Benitez (he/him) is a Latino film programmer in Chicago for over 16 years. For Full Spectrum Features Raul programs the Chicagoland Short Series. Raul also is the Senior Programmer at the Midwest Film Festival, and formerly the After Dark and shorts programmer for the Chicago International Film Festival. Raul also programs at Comfort Station Logan Square, Chicago Underground Film Festival, Facets Film Forum and the Des Moines Latino Film Festival. Raul has been named a Chicago Film Gem by New City Chicago for 2015,17,19 and in 2023 Raul was inducted to the Film Gem Hall of Fame. Raul was also named an Esteemed Artist by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and received a DCASE grant for his Chicago/Mexico City Filmmaker exchange program. Raul is on the board of the Chicago Film Society and Chicago Filmmakers.

Emily Masincup (she/her) is a PhD candidate in musicology at Northwestern University. Her research interests revolve around haunting combinations of sound and image in cinema, focusing in particular on the ways in which the violences of colonialism are evident in the soundtracks of early and mid-century Mexican horror films.

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