Bad Witch

Witchcraft, at least cinematic witchcraft, has been either played for laughs or, with recent offerings like "The Witch", used as a dark, impressionistic metaphor for societal or personal fears. Something that is almost never portrayed is the idea of witchcraft being an albatross around the neck of the practitioner. "Bad Witch" does this through the lead character. Xander Perkins is a narcissistic tool who glides by on his looks by mooching off women and the occasional spell casting. But while other movies show witchcraft as an asset to characters, such as an instrument of revenge, the dark arts don't do Xander any favors. In fact, they make things worse. After a misguided spell results in a beat-down from the victim and his bros, Xander retreats to the house of a high school friend, swearing off the witchcraft and resolving to go straight. The drug terminology isn't accidental; the movie pointedly compares witchcraft to drug addiction, something not seen in other films. Rather than making Xander powerful and dangerous, witchcraft has seemed to make him lazy, self-absorbed, and constantly in trouble. This changes when, goaded by his friend to get a job, he befriends Roland, a nice kid who is bullied by a loutish jock and his friend. In an uncharacteristically empathetic move, Xander teaches Roland witchcraft, which at first seems to work: the jock gets the worst case of zits in the history of high school, and Roland gets to make it with the girl of his dreams--almost. Unlike Xander, Roland has a moral compass. He can't go through with the spell to make it with the girl, and even goes to apologize to her the next day (She doesn't remember it). This idyll doesn't last, as the ramifications of the spell casting snowball into a traumatic climax. Incredibly, I detected a moral lesson here. Most movies steadfastly refuse to do it, but "Bad Witch" does. Witchcraft, even done for the right reasons (such as to right a wrong or get revenge on bullies) is inherently evil. Xander, despite his front of being a don't care hedonist, seems to have some sort of guilt about his craft: this is proven by the scenes in which he hallucinates that a TV preacher is screaming at him. This idea culminates in the finale, which has tragic repercussions for almost all of the characters. So maybe that is the final spell cast by "Bad Witch".

I actually liked the movie. Seen much worse on a low budget. Actors were decent and the plot understandable. Witch/warlock debate does not matter as everyone know a warlock is a male witch/sorcerer so calling them witches seems matter of fact. The ending was a bit more violent than I expected since only main character that lived is well.. the main character and Roland's father. Overall do not feel like I wasted 81 minutes watching it.

Chris Kozlowski looks so much like the actor, Jai Courtney. I think Chris might become a well known actor some day. Because of his good looks with beautiful blue eyes, I will give the move a 6. The movie was filmed in Maryland. The acting wasn't that great and males that practice witchcraft are called Warlocks, not witches. If you ever watched the 60's sitcom, Bewitched', the term witches and warlocks are used frequently. I didn't like the ending to this movie. I wanted Roland and Xander to make up and become friends again without Roland's death.

Wow, this film tries and fails to bend multiple genres from witch, teen drama, action, thriller. This gives credence to the idiom "Jack of all trades, master of none". By that I mean this film broad themes result in a messy film that achieves nothing spectacular. The end result is a disappointing ending.

About the same lines as the 80's horror comedies. I enjoyed it. For those saying there is no such things as male witches, well it is fictional and there is no such thing as sparkly vampires either. Everyone's a critic..

Xander (Chris Kozlowski in only his second role) is a witch whose use of black magic has never led to anything positive. He's trying to go cold turkey on witchcraft, but when he helps a young man named Roland Grimm (Jackson Trent) needs his help with the pains of growing up, he decides to start working his magic again. Directed by Victor Fink (his first directorial effort; he was also the film's co-director) and Joshua Land (I Like Me, which also featured Kozlowski), the film starts with our hero - when he was just a little boy - finding the ritually murdered body of his father. The book of spells that he finds leads him to a life of using magic to get whatever he wants and the bad karma that comes with it. Will helping a teen in need help him change his path? This movie switches from comedy to darkness while featuring some unexpected story beats and decent effects.

As I write, this movie has a 3.7 rating, which is way too low. Sure, it's got a next to nothing budget which shows from time to time. It's not particularly original story-wise. But it's got something that's rarely seen in the comedy/horror genre: It's got heart.

After getting in trouble with the authorities, a witch decides to flee the small town he lives in and finds refuge with a friend, but when he befriends a bullied worker at a fast-food restaurant he begins to teach his black magic skills to help him out setting off a wave of trouble when the secrets are revealed. This was a rather troubling genre effort. One of the main elements which hold this one back is that the film's reliant on trying to force the horror elements on a completely unlikeable figure. This one tries to generate sympathy for a narcissistic, shallow abuser of black magic for his own means and then has the gall to impose himself on a reluctant friend to invade his life, deny responsibility and act as socially repugnant as he wants to be. Getting a job at the diner causes more issues with the too-cool-for-school approach that doesn't engender himself any better as he still comes off as a pompous, arrogant douchebag. The way he interacts with the employees, customers or anyone else he comes across simply continues that feeling which really turns him off as a sympathetic figure. Even worse is the supposed horror scenes here just come off rather lame and underwhelming. The branding of the main witch storyline should've been far more of a threatening notice to get things involved with his actual identity but is ineptly handled to the point of not even being that interesting. The scenes of them practicing spells doesn't come off as anything more than lighthearted teaching scenes, and the moments he tries to put spells on others just come off as lame with the whole thing relegated to breaking out in zits and speaking unwanted truths about others. That none of these remotely come off as threatening is a major factor here as the idea of what's going on should've been threatening and intimidating but instead has a completely underwhelming feel. These here are what holds this one down. This one does have a few intriguing elements to it so it's not a total miss. The main enjoyable factor to this one is the somewhat gruesome effects-work made for the various spells being cast. Although the idea is somewhat underwhelming itself, the outcome still works in the context of seeing all the spores that have broken out on their face and body, producing some rather fun results. The later scenes with the action being carried out to keep their secret intact works nicely to inject some activity into the film by offering up a fine mix of supernatural antics and much more normal interactions that offer some rather enjoyable means of confronting a supernatural being. However, these aren't overly exciting in the long run and don't have enough to raise this one up over its flaws. Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

This movie is out there! I loved it! So weird. It has some goofy moments but I actually watched it until the end credits.

Silly name aside, the concept was semi okay. Production values were decent and the first 20 minutes proved worthy of my attention. Slowly but surely, though, it went down hill eventuating in a truly ridiculous ending.