The Witch - Movie Review

A family of seven are a group of Puritans who are expelled from their home in 1630s New England forcing the family to fend for themselves in the deep forest. A community they join finds itself taking up residence by a eerie dense wood: their baby goes missing, their harvest withers, and the seeds of doubt turn to full-grown fear of witchcraft in the female neighbor. When faith of all the family members is being tempting the distinction between the pious and the sinners becomes somewhat ambivalent.

The theme of the film ‘The Witch’ deals with the concept of saints and sinners, faith and superstitious beliefs, betrayal of family and alarms of loneliness. The movie atmosphere is dark and oppressive for the major part, portraying the viewer’s sense of fear of the unknown perfectly. There is an unnerving predictability to it, so the wilderness is truly one of the film’s characters.

Anya Taylor-Joy as Thomasin, the eldest daughter completely embodies the transformation from innocence to madness. Ineson is the epitome of a rigid male authority figure whose unshakeable doctrine starts the destruction of the family and Dickie certainly gives Ineson a run for his money as she plays the unyielding and unbending mother of the film. Especially grim and realistic is the portrayal of Caleb made by Harvey Scrimshaw, where desperate fight for sin and purity of the young boy is depicted. All the actors succeed in portraying psychological process which the script requires from them perfectly.

The film is overall quite well directed, this is the directorial debut for Robert Eggers, and the atmosphere of the film is built as accurate historical representation. Thedegree of authenticitythat Eggers brings toarriving at this film is evident in the dialogue and pacing of horror, along with many other details, as well as knowledge of how tension and storytelling work. Music forms an auditory analogy to dread and takes the already rather tense movie to the next level.

There is no one better than Jarin Blaschke to hypnotize the audience with the minimalistically beautiful cinematography. With regards the technical aspect, there is very effective use of colour.Status: screenings low, colour saturation low, perfectly reflect the New England in its purity, in a desolate view. Still, each shot has an één graphique that underscores the family’s loneliness and their impending fate out in the wilderness.

The costumes worn by the cast as well as the set depicting the family’s farm which can be perhaps described as a 1630s’ version are very natural, unique and inspiring. No aspect of the film feels unnecessary, as all lends to an atmosphere of a story where the supernatural events are firmly rooted in reality.

The supernatural and mystical aspects of ‘The Witch’ doesn’t rely much on special effects as the psychological horror of the film is emphasized. The few which are used are well executed and only aim at making the film more mysterious and eerie without compromising the realistic element.

The direction is also very precise especially given by Louise Ford as it map out a slow and methodical pace that may make some audience lose interest with an eventual build-up to an engaging climax. The pacing is perfect and methodical that if one wants to maximize the feeling of suspense it has been achieved. This may not be a feature that would make entities across the board which are expected to be a fan of this genre, but it enhances the eerie feel of the film, pacing the story, growing suspense.

The lines are written in the old age style and taste of language. This makes the movie more realistic but can come to confusing for those watching, they must pay very close attention to the movie.

The haters can not enjoy ‘The Witch’ if they expect normal horror movie from horror genre. It has some issues with pacing and dialogues that reflect the time of its setting, it’s not gory or jump scare oriented in horror. But for the ones that prefer a slow movie which is full of hidden meaning and symbolism you can enjoy its artistry. It’s a course in effective horror, a narrative triumph in addition to being made with exquisite precision. It may not be for everybody, but its spooky delivery makes it quite remarkable in its horror movie subgenre.