The Witch review: After great acclaim on the festival circuit, can it be that Robert Eggers has breathed life into the horror genre?
The Witch review
There are so many horror films being released these days that it’s impossible to claim the genre is in dire straits. However, the big releases are certainly getting louder, more obnoxious, and less scary. That’s why it’s such a privilege to see The Witch, a relatively small production, ride the coattails of its festival acclaim straight into the multiplexes. For you see, The Witch is a striking and unforgettable feature that plagues you for weeks after.
Set in the 1600s in New England, we follow a puritan family who are expelled from their town and forced to live off the land on their own merits. Leading the family is devout God worshipper William (Ralph Ineson), along with his wife Katherine (Kate Dickie). Together they struggle through the bad times with faith as their compass as well as the love for their five children; Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw), the twins Mercy and Jonas (Ellie Grainger and Lucas Dawson), and the newly born son whose disappearance sets the film in motion. Oh, and let’s not forget their adorable goat, Black Phillip, who isn’t terrifying in the slightest…
The Witch review
The Witch is a slow burner in its purest form. There have been many daft comments about the lack of jump scares, but jump scares shouldn’t be considered scares at all. You may not eject from your seat, spilling popcorn everywhere, but you’ll be confronted by images for days. There isn’t a chance in hell that I’ll be entering into a paddock with a black goat anytime soon, and this is all down to the subtle techniques of first time director Robert Eggers. The camera angles, painfully lingering shots, and an ever present foreboding fear of the unknown and unexplained.
The whole film is crafted with meticulous detail, adding to the realism and thus the horror. Costumes, dialogue, and sets have all been fully researched and never once do we feel shoved into a studio or feel as though costumes are straight off the rack. Even the cast, who all inhabit their roles phenomenally, seem as though they have been partially selected on their looks. Game Of Thrones’ Dickie may not be as creepy as her TV role, but there is still a sense that she isn’t quite right. Meanwhile Taylor-Joy’s features make her hypnotic and otherworldly.
The Witch review
As the story progresses these characteristics become even more important, as they lend themselves well to the themes of paranoia and the unknown. To the film’s credit it is never too ambiguous; there is definitely something strange and supernatural going on. However, there is still place for growing suspicions, fuelled by Thomasin’s growth into a woman, and Caleb’s evolving sexuality. The twins’ seemingly innocent attachment to their precious Black Philip also becomes more suspect and plays with our view of this world.
While everything on screen is carefully crafted, we also have an unsettling score that makes the blood curdle with its gradual escalation and hellish choral chanting. The Witch is a return to pure horror that many fans have been craving. Less concerned with jumps, and more focused on getting under your skin, this is bizarre visual torture that is expertly haunting. The pacing may stumble at times, but it’s all purposeful and worth the wait. Many films could learn a lot from this absolute gem.
The Witch review by Luke Ryan Baldock, March 2016.
The Witch is released in cinemas from Friday 11th March.
