The Witch

This is more of a historical psychological thriller than a Hollywood blood and guts horror film.

The film is a loving and accurate recreation of Puritan New England in the 1600s with everything from the language to the sets being authentic to the period. That in and of itself makes it fascinating to watch. Having lived in Virginia, where the Jamestown Settlement and the 1600s sometimes can seem like they happened the day before yesterday, I especially enjoyed the film. The location, in Ontario, reminded me of rural Virginia in winter, which made me quite homesick. So the film might have affected me more than some other audience members.

The Witch is a fascinating glimpse into Christianity as practiced by 17th century Puritans. Satan and Evil are almost tangible presences in the woods and wilderness of the New World, while God is a distant, cold, and demanding being who must be constantly begged for forgiveness and mercy, since all human thoughts, words, and deeds seem to be gravely sinful and offensive to his eyes.

A family of seven (parents, four children, and an infant) are exiled from their plantation community for not adhering to the accepted interpretation of scripture. They build a farm at a distance from the plantation near a frightening wood. The farm is failing (the family won't have food to last the winter). Meanwhile, the infant has been snatched from the oldest daughter while in her care at the edge of the wood. From this point on the family either descends into madness or is destroyed by Satan in the form of a witch who lives nearby in the woods. How the family's disintegration is interpreted will depend on which century's point of view you choose to use.

I found "The Witch" to be a generally unnerving film, and one which--though I would not place it in the pantheon of scariest flicks I've ever seen--had some moments that I'll not easily forget.

The atmosphere Eggers creates alone is enough to wrench serious dread from scenes other directors would be otherwise unable to make even remarkable. The score, too, helps cull this dark tone and adds life to a film that can be borderline tedious.

That being said, "The Witch" is not for everyone. It is strange, slow but steady, gruesome at points, and almost un-watchable at others. There are two sides to this film; one which I had hoped the director would stick to concerning the family and their struggle with religion and isolation; and another which plays as an undercurrent to most of the film and then takes charge in the end. Sadly, it is this second side which keeps me from giving the film a better score, and that ultimately hurts the film in the very final scene.

Overall, I enjoyed "The Witch" and its originality. Eggers has achieved a film that, for all its low-budget and independent film background, feels richer and better made than many horror entries of late. Should you decide to see it, a word of caution: do not expect a fast-paced movie full of jump scares and creepy crawlies emerging left and right. As the opening credits remind the audience, this is a folktale. One that does not shy away from exploring the real dark places.

The Witch (2015)

*** (out of 4)

Extremely well-made horror film set in New England during the 1600s as a family moves away from a colony and starts a new life in a house on the edge of some woods. One day the oldest daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) is watching her baby brother when something from the woods takes the child. Soon the family is torn apart by witchcraft.

Writer-director Robert Eggers' THE WITCH is the latest horror movie that is getting raves from critics and fans and it's also the newest movie to be called the "scariest of all time." I'm not going to sit here and say the movie scared me because it really didn't. With that said, THE WITCH really was a refreshing throwback to various European horror films from the late 60s and early 70s where atmosphere was the most important thing.

I really respected that Eggers tried to deliver a religious horror film that didn't deal with cheap shock effects and needless over-the-top exorcisms. There's really not any graphic violence or gore either. Instead of going for these cheap jump scares the director instead builds up a terrific setting and slowly plays out the action. The film clocks in at just over 90 minutes and rest assure that every single second is well-made, effective and it slowly builds up to its conclusion. I'm sure mainstream teenage viewers won't enjoy such a slow build-up but adults should enjoy this.

The atmosphere is certainly the selling point of the movie. I thought the director made you believe that you were watching something taking place in the 1600s and there's no question that the entire cast does a very good job in their parts. The atmosphere is certainly rich and thick and manages to set the film apart from most of the horror movies out there now. As I said, I wasn't scared by THE WITCH but it did a good job at slowly building up the drama and it plays out extremely well.

I feel like I can't come up with the right words to describe this incredible movie, but I'll try. The lingering atmosphere is done incredibly well from the beginning, helped along by a combination of a tense score and the use of extended periods of silence. The acting is bang-on and you don't know when or how it is going to end. The movie doesn't have 'twists' exactly, but the way it is written keeps you guessing constantly. And I personally loved the ending. Though the potential is there to use a more standard approach, The Witch however opts to go down a more subtle avenue, leading to the true nature of religious persecution that is on full display here. Additionally, elements of the story have been taken from historical documents, adding another layer of grimness. The supernatural elements are obviously up for discussion, but that these tales were written centuries ago somehow adds more to this disturbing film.

The film is set in 1630, in New England, America. A Puritan family is banished from town for their beliefs (or it at least seems this way, perhaps based on real events). They are forced to move to a farm that feels like it is on the edge of the world, as from the opening the woods that line the farm are presented in ominous fashion, almost creating a character that could serve as the scariest element of the film. What exactly goes on in there? Why can't the children venture inside? Suddenly, without warning, tragedy strikes. The family clings to their faith to prevent them from starving as their crops die; with nothing they can do to prevent it.

The period is an appropriate choice given how humans treated each other centuries ago, and an ideal setting for a horror tale. Some conversations require a little more attention, as the characters speak in 'ye olde English' which takes a little getting used to, but it adds another layer of mystery as the family is struck by more inexplicable hardships, causing them to become wary of each other, which in turn leaves them in a increasingly vulnerable state. I can't say I is scared, but I do know that I is gripping the armrests pretty hard for most of the film. Hell, they manage to make a scene where a man is hunting a rabbit seem tense and creepy! Additionally, this is not for inattentive viewers; I could see clock-watching all around me. The incredible camera-work almost reminds me of Paul Thomas Anderson in There Will Be Blood, with many long takes, often slowly panning or zooming in. There is also a focus on facial close-ups reminiscent of Bergman, all of which is a feast to watch on an IMAX screen. The score matches this camera-work almost to perfection, while there is often a lengthy silence between dialogue to contrast the tense music. It also must be mentioned that the child actors really shine, out-doing their older counterparts.

This really is my sort of horror film. No jump-scares, convincing acting and a focus on a dark, foreboding atmosphere rather than the grotesque and bloody. This is another of those films I would label as a psychological thriller, as the supernatural horrors are kept almost completely out of view as we witness the downfall of a family who are all affected, turning on each other as their faith is truly tested.

This film couldn't have catered to my interests more; I can't recommend it to everybody, but if you go in with no preconceived notions you'll be in for a tasty, if not nasty surprise. The suspense is almost unparalleled among recent films, and the 'horror' genre conventions are cleverly subverted to deliver a film that is better than 'It Follows' while being a completely different film. In addition to all this, there is much to take in thematically if you are so inclined… Hell, I'd love to see this again to do just that.

www.epilepticmoondancer.net

To say I didn't get what I was expecting is a huge understatement, I was expecting a run of the mill horror, with all the usual cliches, obvious and blatant scares, etc, but instead I got to watch ninety minutes of rather subtle, intelligent and subtle horror. The film is hugely atmospheric, moody and tense, it is visually fantastic, with great scenery and costumes. The story unfolds cleverly, when I think of witches, this is what comes to mind, as opposed to the more conventional. As you watch you never quite know what's coming next, or who the malign force truly is. Some truly unsettling and disturbing scenes, it's not a horror in the conventional sense, the scares are not cheap, but very poignant. Very good performance from the cast, Ralph Inseson and Kate Dickie in particular. On occasion the dialogue sounded a little flat, but it was in keeping with the setting of the movie.

Very watchable.