Rating of
2.5/4
Blood, guts, and brains!
MovieAddict - wrote on 03/07/13
This movie is an interesting take on the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale with the two adorable little kids whose father brought them to the dark forest and left them. They wander into the forest until they come upon a cottage made of candy in the woods. There's an evil witch there who tries to fatten up Hansel and makes Gretel a slave but they get the better of her and push the witch into an oven, establishing that fire is the greatest weakness of witches. Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) grow up to become witch hunters with an arsenal of exotic weapons. (pretty nifty weapons given that it's the middle ages)
Eventually they are hired by the mayor of the town who recruits them to investigate recent high witch activities in the area whereupon they save a young woman from being burnt at the stake by an antagonistic sheriff (Peter Stormare). Their investigation leads them to uncover the evil witch Muriel's (Famke Janssen) plan of sacrificing the local children for the "Blood Moon" ritual for which the coven needs the hearts of 12 children for unimaginable and unlimited powers. Racing against in time, the siblings must save the children before the evil witch gains a step closer to immortality. Along the way they figure out just why they are immune to witch's hexes.
Not your typical fairy tale so be warned that the kids might get disturbed by the copious amount of blood, and more blood, and fighting, and blood... and decapitations.
