Witch-Hunt

Okay, so it seems people either love or hate this movie. I will try to offer a balanced review (I'm not affiliated with the movie or anyone in the movie, just Joe Average horror movie buff). First off, this movie plays like a Lifetime movie, but edgier. That's not a slam; it just has that type of feel. The characters are a little under-developed early on, but not unlikeable. I thought the vibe of the characters as lifelong friends felt very authentic. The movie unfolds slowly, but the pace is steady and the tension is palpable. Things start off normal enough as the game begins, but gradually evolve from odd to weird to bizarre. The ending is somewhat open to interpretation, but satisfying. I thoroughly enjoyed the arc of this movie and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates "quiet" horror movies (along the lines of The Innkeepers, or House of the Devil).

Going into this, watching the trailer, reading the synopsis, I thought it was such a cool premise. Interesting way to throw a lot of building, creepy tone and almost like a "who dunnit" kind of story, but of the supernatural kind. However, the acting was a little painful to watch and ultimately, the backstories/additions to the plot lines were cut so short, it all never really came together and the whole thing repeatedly felt unfinished. I caught myself saying "what, what?" more than a few times. I definitely enjoyed myself, but oh, man, there was so much missed opportunity here. I rarely say this, but I would love if a more experienced filmmaker took this, cleaned up the script and remade it. The outcome of who's the witch is also muddy and if they'd just taken another 5 minutes to tidy it up, it would have been much more satisfying. Worth a watch, but don't get your hopes up too far.

Aight... this movie looks like it was done on a budget of like a couple thousand bucks... with that said, I was pleasantly surprised and actually enjoyed it...

So...

I actually thought the camera work, acting, audio, and script were all actually above par and borderline quite good in some scenes... And while the movie starts off a little slow, the level of suspense picks up pretty quickly... not to mention the fact that the movie hints at all sorts of things, but doesn't give too much away... so again, the suspense / tension is certainly on point by the end of the flick...

I liked the way they hashed out backgrounds for all the characters... and broke the movie up into segments... not unlike a Tarantino film... ( like act 1 this girl / act 2 this girl / etc... )... Beyond that, I actually felt like most of the characters were pretty believable... 5 girls, having a little party, guzzling some wine... The conversations actually seemed very plausible...

The low budget does show in a couple areas... First off, you'll notice that the whole movie is basically shot in somebodies living room... Second, there are practically no special effects... so don't expect any kind of gore fest or flying witches or anything... But I don't think the movie suffered from being mostly dialogue / acting...

They still managed to get in some moderate scares... and a couple "oh, wow, I wasn't expecting that" from me...

So... is it really 7 star? probably not... But I'm giving a bonus point or two for taking a pretty simplistic premise and low budget and being able to ramp up the suspense / tension to better than a lot of other flicks out there...

All in all, this is what I would consider a really well done low budget thriller / borderline horror...

You have to be old enough to remember the McMartin pre-school trial and the ridiculous hysteria of the 1980 satanic cult frenzy to appreciate this movie. If you do, and you like witchy horror, it really works.

If your judgment is based off the movies budget, maybe reevaluate the way you view films. It's a great "whodunnit" movie & enjoyable to watch. But what I really enjoyed - this is a true story, their youth at least. The film is about a specific case surrounding the satanic panic. They did a nice job in exploring the effects of that abuse.