The Witch-2016

Director Robert Eggers

Starring Anya Taylor-Joy

Scott’s Review #446

Reviewed July 7, 2016

Grade: B+

The Witch is a slow-burn 2016 horror film that oozes sinister wickedness and leaves viewers thinking long after the credits roll.

Is it a message movie?

Good versus evil, with a definite religious umbrella over the entire film: God against the devil. Guess which one wins out?

To be transparent, this film will undoubtedly offend staunch religious viewers.

Set in 1600s New England and titled “Witch—A New England Folktale,” the story follows a Puritan family banished from the village they call home.

They are forced to begin a life on their own and build a farm, struggling to survive by secretly selling family heirlooms. William and Katherine are the parents, followed by a teenage daughter, Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), a son, Caleb, and youngsters, Mercy and Jonas.

Their recent addition to the family, Samuel, is snatched by a mysterious creature shaped like a witch. We only see her, draped in red, as she sneaks into the woods holding the infant.

From the family’s perspective, they don’t know who (or what) took Samuel and tell themselves it was a wolf, but soon they are not so convinced, and Thomasin is assumed to be a witch.

I love that this film isn’t set in modern times, which undoubtedly turns off some viewers.

The thick English dialect is almost Shakespearean at times and challenging to follow at others, but it is also rich in culture.

The period setting and the family’s absolute purity are unsettling. Is it too good to be true? Unlike many horror films, much of the film is shot in the daytime, which adds to the tension.

It is combined with the creepy musical score- strings are used.

At one hour and thirty-two minutes, the very short film feels longer- it truly does move at a snail’s pace, but the final act makes up for this, as something told me it would.

It has a creepy feel, and nightmarish events occur at the film’s finale.

Some of The Witch is open to interpretation. Sometimes, I suspected one family member or another of being evil, but the film is not that straightforward, and some complexities arise.

For instance, do spirits possess animals? When Thomasin milks a goat and blood runs out, is this supposed to represent female menstruation?

A thinking man’s horror film, which is refreshing within the horror genre or any other genre, for that matter, The Witch (2016) is unorthodox and thought-provoking, which makes it a winner in my book.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 2 wins-Best First Screenplay (won), Best First Feature (won)