The Book of the Witch

The book of the witch is a modern tale of witch craft, and the search for longevity.

Beyond the low budget (which is maximised exceedingly well), the minimal cast (who perform their roles well beyond the levels you'd expect), the cinematography (which makes such incredible use of natural and artificial light) and the locations (which smack of horror), the witch herself, a period personification of the Salem type witches you instantly imagine, but scary and evil as you would want, this is a film, masterfully told and I am so excited to see what this team produces next.

If you haven't caught this film yet, I, obviously, highly recommend it.

Joshua Sowden pulls it out of the bag again!

Book of the Witch is a masterful dive into the supernatural horror genre, delivering a cinematic experience that lingers long after the credits roll. With its stunning cinematography, terrifying antagonist, and a gripping narrative, this film is a standout for both horror enthusiasts and cinephiles alike.

The story unfolds with a sense of deliberate pacing, pulling viewers into a world where folklore and modern fears collide. Sowden crafts a tale that is both deeply unsettling and richly layered, blending the chilling presence of the witch with a mystery that keeps audiences on edge. The narrative is a seamless blend of suspense, dread, and poignant storytelling, ensuring that every twist feels earned and every scare resonates.

One of the film's strongest assets is its cinematography. The visuals are breathtakingly eerie and Sowden's use of light and shadow are particularly effective - often framing the witch in ways that amplify her menace without overexposing her mystery. Each shot is meticulously composed, making even the most ordinary settings feel ominous.

The witch herself is a triumph of design and performance. She is a terrifying presence-both physically grotesque and psychologically unnerving. The scares she delivers are not just jump-scares but deeply haunting moments that burrow into your subconscious.

What truly elevates Book of the Witch is its story. It avoids the clichés often found in horror, instead weaving a tale that is as emotionally engaging as it is frightening. The characters feel real, their choices grounded, and their fears palpable. The script balances terror with human drama, ensuring that the horror never overshadows the characters' struggles and arcs.

To sum it up, Book of the Witch is a triumph for Joshua Sowden and a must-watch for horror fans. Its combination of outstanding cinematography, a terrifying villain, and an engaging story emakes it an unforgettable film. This is a movie that doesn't just scare you - it stays with you, haunting your thoughts long after the lights come back on.

Directed by Joshua Sowden, THE BOOK OF THE WITCH is a solid micro-budget indie horror film that blends Western American folk horror, with supernatural witch fantasy. It oozes lots of dreamy atmosphere and great wide angle shots with darkened silhouettes of our characters, giving us this doom impending slow burning mystery. I was very impressed with the production and cinematography right from the get go, and all done on a micro budget of $12k.

Victoria, who is plagued by her fear of death, becomes obsessed with tracking down a witch and stealing her book of spells out in the Californian desert; to help cheat death and become eternal, but there's a price to be paid. Like a moth drawn to the flame, you already sense the impending doom that's awaiting like a well planned trap. The visuals from Joshua Sowden were created nicely and I really enjoyed the dreamy sound design too.

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed THE BOOK OF THE WITCH, and thought the cast were all very solid with their performances. Krishna Smitha was excellent throughout the whole film and her chemistry with Danny Parker-Lopes was great too. Despite some little issues I had towards the end, where I felt personally that the film may have hurried itself to the finish line, I still enjoyed the film as a whole. I also loved the psychological hallucinatory fever dream feel throughout the whole story in a way that reminded me of David Lynch. I'll definitely be looking out for further projects from these filmmakers in the future.

Starts with an absolutely horrific and terrifying witch where the story is set into motion, slow building of tension throughout followed by a satisfying end to the nightmare. Especially liked the coloring of the movie, kind of grainy, dark, sandy... ominous.

For only a few locations, and small cast, the Director keeps you in it with interesting shots and angles. The story is not super easy yet not too hard to decipher. The two main actors bond together well as their relationship is developed in the opening scenes and you can tell they care for each other which makes the fear of something horrible happening to one of them that much more devastating. Overall a good job.

I applaud the producers for making a quality movie like this without all the money and resources of studios.

This is an interesting film with solid acting and cinematic flourishes. The film is limited by its few number of locations and actors, but at under 75 minutes in length, it is not too much of a handicap. Much of the film takes place on one floor of a deserted office building in LA. This is my only complaint. It does betray the budget of the film.

The characterization of the witch, living in modern times is excellent! Her California high desert setting is perfect for the witch to work.

The plot starts off well enough, however, the actual back and forth between the witch and the protagonist Victoria was a little hard to follow. I had to rewind several times to get the story right.

Otherwise, Bravo to the team that brought this minor horror gem to light!