The Witch (2016) Review!!!

Synopsis – A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession.

My Take – I don’t think I have ever been scared of witches, sure The Blair Witch Project freaked me out, but when I think of a witch, I am reminded of characters like Wendy, Sabrina or Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall from the Harry Potter films. However while watching this Robert Eggers‘s film I was genuinely creeped by witches for the first time in my life. Reading the reviews online, I was quite perplexed by the divide in opinions of this horror film. Mainly, as the trailer looked quite awesome. After watching it (finally), I can see why many people misjudged this film. It is not your usual horror, it’s much solemn and morbid, yet true-to-nature interpretation of the grim era. 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. Like 2014’s It Follows 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. Admittedly, this might not work well for those seeking a higher pace horror, and it’s quite understandable with the peculiar premise, but it has an intense atmosphere and cripplingly disturbing moments. Instead of taking us down the usual road of fear and revenge, the film delves into the topic of temptation and evil. Set in 1630, New England the film follows a puritan family consisting of William (Ralph Ineson) his wife Katherine (Kate Dickie), his eldest daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), his son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw), the younger twins Mercy (Ellie Grainger) and Jonas (Lucas Dawson) and a new born son Samuel.

After being exiled from their village, the family chooses to settle near the woods in where many strange things occur, the first being the disappearance of the new born. The eldest daughter of the family Thomasin, is cautious when it comes to the woods, but that doesn’t mean she can’t get good fun out of teasing her little sister that she is the infamous witch of the woods. This little sister and her twin brother take this jest too seriously, and eventually inform their parents of this incident. That being said, supernatural forces are at play among the family at the core of the movie, and tensions are raised and the family members are against each other as possible demons. This debut feature film from director Robert Eggers who embeds the project with an essence of horror not often seen. While many audiences are busy looking for, or even lazily just waiting for, big jumps and stingers for their scares like most modern movies of the genre, they are missing the creepy details that truly push a slow burn like this film into horror. It’s so realistically done that you worry that it shouldn’t be happening, and are likewise worry of the consequences for the family. 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. Though the potential is there to use a more standard approach, the film 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. What director Eggers does here is weave an unsettling narrative through a series of meditative visuals and haunting encounters with evil–some have said not much happens in the film, and they’re right–but is that the point of such a tale? The story is mediated through phenomenal performances that are the real emotional center of the film, while rare but fantastical occurrences with the supernatural jar the audience as much they do the family. The characters are a very believable, ordinary family, with the sorts of tensions and problems you’d expect from people living a hard and substantially isolated life after being exiled from the local colonial town. They also have period Calvinist attitudes, and the storytelling doesn’t present an outsider’s view of this or offer a modern commentary, but instead it just displays these attitudes and tells a story from the characters’ standpoint. Their reliance on period folklore means that it doesn’t strictly follow modern horror movie tropes, either.

It has the slow build of a modern psychological horror/thriller as well as the standard formula where tragedies start from tragic flaws, but the traditions it’s drawing on depend on a Calvinist’s conception of flaws, and treat witchcraft as a horrible, well-understood occurrence rather than a shocking supernatural surprise. This story applies these perspectives. Eggers‘ direction is remarkable, and the cinematography consistently captures the gloom of a New England winter; close-ups show the younger children engaging with their ominous farm goat, while pans of characters venturing into the woods create a legitimate sense of danger–and that is another of the film’s prevailing themes. In the film, the threat of danger lurks in all matter, be it in the natural environment, in doctrine, or the horrifying corporeal locus where the two meet. With that said, I don’t think this film is for everyone. It’s brutal, harshly relentless, very slow paced and at times utterly disturbing. The characters use all 17th century dialogue and the cinematography sets this grey and ominous tone. The imagery from beginning to end will stick in your head as it has done with me. But that’s the way horror films should be. It is A film more for the ‘It Follows’ crowd than it is for people who love ‘The Conjuring’. It’s hard for an audience of this day and age to get into a period piece set in the 17th century without any big name actors or action elements. Yet, even in its harsh moments, I was always invested and I can’t deny the quality of the writing, directing, and acting all around. The ensemble cast is first and foremost in bringing this story to life. The acting most of the time is just incredible. You can see the confusion in their eyes. You can see evil determination and quiet despair. Each actor has a moment of triumph where their talent alone is on display, and these scenes hit like a goat to the gut (no pun intended). Anya Taylor-Joy is mesmerizing throughout, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she becomes a breakout star as a result of her work here. Harvey Scrimshaw nails his role especially the important exorcism scene. However, the younger ones Ellie Grainger and Lucas are distracting and annoying. Among the adults Ralph Ineson handles the speechifying well and Kate Dickie (Game of Thrones) brings a sullen and disagreeable presence to her character. On the whole, ‘The Witch’ is a polarizing horror film with a peculiar and slow theme, however it definitely succeeds on what it sets to do, presenting an entirely dreadful experience in the woods through the eyes of the family.