“The Witch” (2016)
Director: Robert Eggers
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie
Movie Review Grade: 8ish
Reviewer: Lane Fortenberry
“There’s evil in the wood.”
Set in the 1600s, a family is banished from the commonwealth for not serving God to the fullest. Forced to move outside the village, the family wanders off to find a cozy spot to build in front of the woods, as the gate to their normal lives shuts behind them.
The family starts their lives over at their newly settled house. They grow crops and chop firewood, while attending to their children and newborn, who suddenly vanishes. Lost hope settles within the parents who cloud their minds with the thought that a wolf took the newborn. Strange occurrences begin taking place around the farm. The family comes to the conclusion they haven’t been fully committed to God and have sinned. It’s the cause of evil, and witchcraft.
One thing that really sets “The Witch” apart from other horror films is the acting. The ensemble is very impressive, especially the three children who I bought right from the beginning. The goat is daunting and creepy, who is real.
The film was shot using predominately natural light, which allows us to see how families really lived in the 1600s without the luxuries we have today. The horrid score added greatly to the general creepiness, which you can hear in most of the trailers. The language used was researched for years by Eggers and pulled from history books and journals. The film is just so genuine.
“The Witch” is the most authentic horror movie in recent memory. One leaves the theater deeply disturbed, like we just witnessed something we shouldn’t of seen. We feel the need to be cleansed and purified. Director Robert Eggers’ debut film is a slow-burner and everything horror fans want their movies to be. The audience is able to be placed in that home and feel the evil within the family. We’re able to feel the terror of Black Phillip, the witch and the surrounding absence of hope and help.
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