Guide Thy Hand

The Witch (2016)

The horror film genre has no shortage of concepts that will scary the living crap out of people. The well that delved into the most I think is that of the supernatural/paranormal. Ghosts, Vampires, and Witches are the top three subcategories of the supernatural/paranormal topic that are used the most. I love a good scary story with a supernatural twist. I especially find huge amounts of respect to filmmakers that can reinvent a genre of horror that is dated and sometimes stale. Thanks to the amazing film festival at Park City, Utah called Sundance I don’t think the world would have ever had the opportunity to see this next horror film. A classic tale of witches, yet with a new and refreshed feel to these old tales. I give you Robert Eggers directorial debut, The Witch.

The Story: Set in the mid-17^th century, The Witch follows a devout Christian family who decide to live on their own outside the safety of the plantation. Working hard to keep his family fed is William (Ralph Ineson Guardians of the Galaxy), a prideful man that tries to live by the word of God. However, William and his family’s resolve in God will be tested when strange things start happening to the family. I would love to say more about this film, but the plot is pretty straight forward and if I don’t want to say too much. I heard/read one person mention that the less you know about this movie, the movie effect it will have on you, which I find incredibly true.

The Good: Let’s start with the acting. This cast is magnificent from top to bottom. I was even drawn into the performances of the younger twins and the incredible acting they were able to handle. No real standouts however, I just want to give a huge hand to the cast and wonderful way they were able to suck me into this tale. Another round of applause goes to Eggers and his award winning debut. Eggers gives authenticity to the characters and the time period through the dialogue and sets/costumes. Eggers also does a superb job using the camera. Eggers uses a lot of single person shots to extract complete emotion of each character. I loved how Eggers also uses mostly natural light throughout the film to give it a very real feel. Plus Eggers supplies the audience with such a simple story that I was amazed by how creepy and unsettling this story was. This uneasiness is accomplished with Eggers astounding presentation of the story.

The Bad: Noting. I loved this movie and I wish I could put it on my Must Haves list. I will tell you that a lot of people will say this movie was boring and not scary. I am here to tell you that this film is an unconventional horror film where the scares are more psychological and not in your face as most modern horror films are now. The film does not produce a lot of jumps, but the dialogue and story build up the reasoning for the horror at the climax if you pay attention enough to the characters and the time period.

The Verdict: This is a captivating horror film that has breathed fresh air into a very tired subject matter. Yes the movie isn’t for everyone, but I think that everyone should give it a shot. If you are looking for Saw or even Scream then look somewhere else. However, if you have an appreciation of horror films like The Shining, then The Witch is right up your ally. I will admit this film did leave me a little unnerved.

Worth Your Time.