The Witch - Movie Review

The Witch (alternatively spelled The VVitch) is a self-styled "New-England folktale", and it definitely has the vibe of an old, dark fairy tale. While I've seen many films this year that captured the feeling of a fairy tale, this is certainly the most atmospheric, as well as the most unsettling. I'm really not a fan of horror films, because most of the ones that I've seen strike me as cheap, or just not scary. Horror films are difficult for me to become invested in unless they're crafted really, really well, and they need to totally engross me in the story, which is usually a shortcoming of horror. The Witch manages to accomplish everything that I want out of a horror film, and ended up being not only one of the most effective films of the year, but also one of the best.

The main threat of this film is a very supernatural one, and one that is very much a product of the time period in which the film is set. The Witch follows a 17th-century family, who build a new farm on the outskirts of a forest after being banished from a Puritan plantation. After the disappearance of the baby Samuel, the family begins to be plagued with misfortune after misfortune, and begin to believe that the source of it all lies in witchcraft Suspicion and distrust begin to spread through the family, especially towards the eldest daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy). The isolation of the family is very important to the atmosphere of the film; even though there's a wide open field and forest around the farm, the story still feels like it takes place in a very small, contained area. The historical time period of the film also makes the situation feel that much more hopeless, given that solutions to problems are very limited.

The film takes a very slow approach to building the story, which makes the suspense creep in at an almost indiscernible rate. That suspense becomes apparent just as the witch does, and I really enjoyed that the film didn't rely on the witch herself being the twist. The twist lies in a much different area, and one that's far more effective than just figuring out which member of the family is the witch. Dramatic irony only makes the family tearing itself apart that much more engaging; the audience is fully aware of what's behind the family's deterioration, but the superstitions of the time interfere with characters' reason. The simplicity of the story and the environment only reinforce the isolated atmosphere of the film, and it's crucial to the execution of the horror elements. The music is also a great help in that regard; it isn't very memorable on its own, but it builds tone like crazy when it plays alongside the visuals.

Since the film is so slow, it's more of a psychological thriller than a scare-a-minute horror extravaganza. There's a lot of time devoted to establishing the family dynamic and the conflicts already under the surface between characters before things start to go wrong. Who the characters are and how they react as the family's situation grows more and more precarious is very clear, and the actors are absolutely incredible. The most impressive among the cast are the twins, Mercy (Ellie Grainger) and Jonas (Lucas Dawson). I don't know where they found child actors with this much talent, but they need to be in more things. The twins are probably the most unsettling of the family members because they simply acted so well, and continued the fine horror tradition of twin children being fairly terrifying. It could also be a real-life tradition, depending on your personal experiences.

The other actors are fantastic as well. Anya Taylor-Joy's portrayal of a slow loss of control is perfect, and her brother Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw) has the best moment of line delivery in the entire film. The father of the family, William (Jack Ineson), plays desperation very well as he tries to hold the family together through prayer. The mother, Katherine (Kate Dickie), is the character who becomes the most disturbed over the course of the film, and Dickie has previously showed her immense talent for playing such characters as Lysa Arryn in Game of Thrones. The way that the family functions together, isolated and steadily unhinged, never has a moment that feels forced or unnecessary. The real stand-out character is Black Phillip, a goat that the twins become steadily obsessed with. Although I have a particularly affection for goats because of their inherent cuteness, Black Phillip just creeps me out.

The Witch draws inspiration from many real folktales and mythology from the seventeenth century, and the writer/director's deep research into that time period is very apparent. The language of the film is very much of that time, and that the actors manage to bring so much weight to lines that could have easily been delivered with a lot of cheesiness is very impressive. The slightly different English that the characters speak, while still easy to understand, makes the characters feel slightly alien. And as they get more and more afraid, the rage and gear with that language makes their words more impactful. Even though things don't necessarily kick into high gear - at least in terms of the film's pace - until the end, the tension rackets up rapidly in scenes of characters just talking to each other.

That tension is a result of a very controlled, consistently static direction from Robert Eggers, who makes a very impressive writing and directing debut here. He has a very strong grasp of the horror and psychological thriller genres, and the utilisation of a less obvious style makes the film feel much more grounded. Scenes are only lit either by natural sources or candlelight, and that goes a long way to making the world feel real. This film is really remarkable in how unsettling it can be. There are many sequences where, even with the absence of any real scares, I just felt on edge and unsettled. The atmospheric tension never lets up from beginning to end, and the film quite simply scared the shit out of me.

There have been few films this year that have made me actually feel something, and none of them have really gotten under my skin like The Witch. From beginning to end, it's gorgeously directed, perfectly acted, and more tense than I ever expected. Robert Eggers shows a lot of promise as both a writer and director, and I look forward to seeing what story he'll tackle next. For now, I hope The Witch gains a larger following than it already has, because as someone who doesn't like horror movies, this feels like the kind of film that shows the genre's full potential. If you want to get your friends into horror, The Witch is probably a good place to start.