The VVitch: A New-England Folktale (2015) User Reviews

"The Witch" is horror for cinephiles, not as much horror genre fans

[Movie_Muse_Reviews · 8/10 · 16 January 2017]

There's another version of "The Witch" that could've existed. A Puritan family in New England gets terrified by a witch living in the woods, who torments them with supernatural Satanism. If you're saying to yourself, "wait, isn't that exactly what this movie is?" then you've come to the right review.

I'm not what you'd call a fan of horror movies. I don't gravitate toward the genre and I almost never seek horror movies out in theaters. That said, any movie that garners critical acclaim or positive buzz piques my interest as a fan of cinema on the whole. "The Witch" lives in that territory as a horror movie for cinephiles, not for audiences who love the thrill of a good scare.

That's not to say "The Witch" isn't scary; it is. It's just not scary in the modern trend-driven, formulaic, "movie trailer that ends with a jump-scare" kind of way. Writer and director Robert Eggers, who makes his feature film debut, builds his terror with tension drama and mystery, not by creating the pervasive sense that some creepy thing will pop into the frame at any moment.

Eggers, a production designer first and foremost, builds his "Puritan nightmare" from the ground up, starting with all the tiniest era-appropriate details in the set, costumes and even dialogue. It doesn't take a historian to notice the immaculate craftsmanship and consideration of time and place. Eggers' devotion to this realism pays off in that the "The Witch" never loses its footing in reality even as more supernatural elements creep into the story. Well, until the end, but let's not go there except to say that by then, the realism matters much less.

The story follows a Puritan family that leaves its plantation and village over religious differences and goes off to build a home near the edge of the woods. Suddenly, the family infant, Sam, disappears under the watch of the eldest child, Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy). The incident devastates the mother (Kate Dickie) and father (Ralph Ineson), who convince everyone it was a wolf that took Sam, but the tragedy trickles down to the four children, Thomasin, pre-teen Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw) and young twins Jonas and Mercy. Of course, the audience is privy to what actually happened to Sam, and we know things will only get worse for the family.

Considering the legitimate Puritan fear of Satan and witches, the subsequent events begin to tear into the family dynamics, which adds to the tension that already exists over what unnerving thing might happen next. The story could definitely have gone deeper into distrust and paranoia, but then it might have become too much of a "witch trial" movie.

The way the movie ends will draw no shortage of opinions, but without a doubt, Eggers and cinematographer Jarin Blaschke have made an and utterly engrossing film that would be just as effective had it just been a period drama instead of a horror film - from a visual standpoint. Blaschke works almost exclusively with available natural light, which in addition to bolstering Eggers' emphasis on realism, keeps the specter of darkness and evil hanging over the family. In fact, had the film not marketed itself so overtly as a horror film, it might have been given more awards consideration.

Regardless, Eggers delivers a remarkable feature debut that's a definite breakthrough candidate; he will certainly have a lot of eyes on his future projects. His focus on detail and strong cinematic instincts could work wonders on a more mainstream project, but if he opts for more small-budget genre films, no complaints here.

~Steven C

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Reading the reviews, I thought I had watched the wrong movie...

[sambucaaaa · 6/10 · 29 April 2020]

... because the amount of 10/10 is very confusing to me. The overuse of the term "Masterpiece" as well. It is not a bad movie, the hour and a half went by fast, the cinematography is beautiful and the acting is good, but I must say I was expecting more intensity in the characters or in the plot. Not necessarily "scary" things or jumpscares, which I hate, but simply more depth. The witch character was intriguing and I wish we had seen more of her. Overall I don't think I'll ever watch this movie again because I don't think there's more to be analyzed, I dont think the cinematography is fantastic enough to rewatch it either, I didn't get attached to the characters... In short, it is a good movie but doesn't quite deliver after seeing all these 10/10 reviews. I do have to say that the last movie I watched was Midsommar, which blew me away, so compared to it this movie is pretty bland.

A very good, tense, atmospheric, gothic horror.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 22 March 2018]

To say I didn't get what I was expecting is a huge understatement, I was expecting a run of the mill horror, with all the usual cliches, obvious and blatant scares, etc, but instead I got to watch ninety minutes of rather subtle, intelligent and subtle horror. The film is hugely atmospheric, moody and tense, it is visually fantastic, with great scenery and costumes. The story unfolds cleverly, when I think of witches, this is what comes to mind, as opposed to the more conventional. As you watch you never quite know what's coming next, or who the malign force truly is. Some truly unsettling and disturbing scenes, it's not a horror in the conventional sense, the scares are not cheap, but very poignant. Very good performance from the cast, Ralph Inseson and Kate Dickie in particular. On occasion the dialogue sounded a little flat, but it was in keeping with the setting of the movie.

Very watchable.

Give Me That Old Time Religion!

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 5 December 2020]

This is one of the most disturbing films I've ever seen. It takes place in the time of the Salem Witch Trials. A Calvinist minister, his wife, and five children are forced out of the small town in which they live. They have few practical skills and are at the mercy of the wilderness. Thomasin, the beautiful daughter maintains her sanity through most of the film as the others fall apart. But there is something truly dark at work. Excellent film but not for most viewers.

Gut-Wrenching Tension

[SLUGMagazineFilms · 3 February 2015]

Period pieces don't often serve as the backdrops for horror, which is actually a real shame. Consider The Witch, a story about a banished Puritan family trying to sustain itself on the edge of an ominous forest inhabited by a gruesome witch. The faithful representation of one of the most creepy time periods in American history makes all the difference here. The family's dealings with the supernatural terror in the woods push their spiritual and physical endurance to the breaking point. Robert Eggers pulls no punches and makes no apologies in this film. The Witch's scenes are steeped in primal dread, and each actor makes the audience feel the seams come apart as paranoia and mistrust begin to take their toll. While Game of Thrones alumni Ralph Ineson and Kate Dickie offer brilliantly raw performances as the family's mother and father, it's the film's younger actors—Harvey Scrimshaw and Anya Taylor-Joy—who really shine. Scrimshaw captures the nuanced turmoil of being an adolescent male in a strictly religious family. As the oldest daughter who is blamed for the witch's malevolent deeds against the family, Anya Taylor-Joy shows a surprising amount of risk and range in her performance. The film swings for the fences on all fronts. The performances are explosive, the tension is gut-wrenching, and the settings are nightmarish. To the horror films of 2015, the gauntlet has officially been thrown down. –Alex Springer

Know what you're getting into!

[bogdanvalentinneacsa · 7/10 · 18 February 2016]

To start, just so you know who's actually writing the review. Young fellow here, didn't watch any 'classics' horror movies but I do enjoy horror movies in general as long as they are not just gore type of movies. I'd say my favorite horror movies are The Ring and The Conjuring.

So, past that to The Witch.

I'd start by saying the movie was not what the trailer lead me to believe. This is not as much about scary moments or jump scare and more about a family coping with a lost child, and the movie trying to build suspense and just make the viewer feel uncomfortable. Because of this, I can see why some people will see it as really really slow with not much happening.

Some PLUSES for me: - Anya Taylor-Joy (the older daughter) is amazing in this movie and I also think Ralph Ineson (the father) did a good job. - the score is really really good, there are periods of intense silence and periods of creepy music at just the right times to build tension - the cinematography with nice wide shots combined with the score works really well in most moments

For the MINUSES: - I felt like the other child's acting was pretty bad and over the top and just took me out of the movie in most scenes where they are the focus (thankfully there were not THAT many) - a bit too slow of a pacing during the first half even for my taste

So, just like I said in the title, KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO. If you go and expect your typical horror movie with jump scares and a hidden 'baddie' slowly revealing itself along the movie in scary scenes, THIS IS NOT IT. This is mostly a family drama that tries to build suspense and make the viewer feel uneasy.

On a side note, I caught this on a premiere showing with a theatre half full and the occasional comments, coughs and even laughter from some 'individuals' took me out of some moments. If you do want to watch this in the cinemas, I would recommend waiting and going way past premieres and on a awkward day / time so you have the cinema close to empty. Or, if you have a sweet setup at home with a good sound system, I would just watch it at home.

Finally no Hollywood crap

[imdb-57311 · 8/10 · 14 June 2016]

This is what I call a good movie. But it is not for everyone. After seeing the trailer, lots of people thought they get a horror spectacle. I'll never understand why, because the trailer itself is very slow, just like the whole movie.

The movies has a slow pace but its still intense. And it will only feel intense if you give in and not wait for action and speed. This movie is no Hollywood spectacle.

The movie feels like a depiction of real life. No stupid jokes and exaggerated action scenes. Slow and calm dialogues. I liked the way the witch was enacted too. I am happy to see that she is not shown as a crazy woman jumping around eating toads.

On the other side, I wished there would have been a deeper insight into the witches thoughts.

So... go and see if you want more than silly Hollywood witches.

Original but overrated

[oksanasinner · 6/10 · 8 December 2017]

I first heard about this film on youtube. It would often pop up in reviews and top lists. I recommend you not to believe the hype and watch the movie with an open mind. Otherwise you risk being disappointed like I was.

The source material for this movie is amazing. Folktales are a horror goldmine and it's a shame you don't see it being used so often. The movie draws you in with it's original concept and stetting.

The approach to horror itself is very unorthodox in the sense that most horror movies nowadays rely on obscurity or grotesque visuals. This movie shows horror in broad daylight, the camera is steady, there are no monsters, no gore. So what good is it? - Realism. Especially in the supernatural scenes. The rawness of theses scenes is the best part. You're always asking yourself 'is this superstition or is this real?' and 'who is the real villain?'. Of course that's until the charm is ruined by the bullshit ending where those questions are answered in the worst way possible. If they left room for speculation and stuck to the subtle approach I would've given this film a 6 or a 7.

'The Witch' had some good ideas but it's far from perfect. I feel sorry for people who claim that this movie is some 'masterpiece'. Apparently they've been watching only shitty movies this whole time. The cinematography was dry and even felt effortless. I liked the composition in only one shot: the dinner prayer. The picture lacks tonal contrast to compensate the lack of color. It just fails at grasping your attention. Only parts where the dryness benefits the movie are the horror scenes, all the other shots are just tedious and repetitive. Sorry, but it needs to have style or at least some visual value before it can qualify as a 'masterpiece'.

The actors did a great job. My favorite was Kate Dickie as Katherine who I think came off as more threatening then the actual witch.

You can tell that 'The Witch' was heavily inspired by Stanley Kubrick's work (sadly Eggers doesn't take notes from his shot composition though). Not only has it similar motives to 'The Shining' but also a soundtrack that resembles Ligeti's 'Requiem' form '2001 Space Odyssey'.

Just plain amazing

[BandSAboutMovies · 10/10 · 22 October 2018]

It all starts when William's interpretation of the New Testament leads him to being banished from the plantation where his family has moved to from England. Instead of the safety of being around others, now he and his brood have to live within the forest.

One day, when the oldest daughter Thomasin is playing with the youngest, Samuel, the baby disappears, stolen by a witch and devoured. William insists that a wolf stole the child while his wife is decimated for the rest of the film. William's lies move the story further in motion - he takes Caleb hunting deep in the wood when he has promised his wife he would not and he sells her father's cup for hunting supplies. Meanwhile, Mercy and Jonas, the twin children of the family, insist that they speak to the goal named Black Phillip while contending with Thomasin that they are also witches.

The next morning, son Caleb leaves to see if he can get food for his family, thereby keeping them from selling Thomasin into servitude. She goes along with him, but their dog chases a hare and their horse throws Thomasin as Caleb is lost in the woods, eventually being seduced by yet another witch.

Soon, all Hell is literally breaking loose. Caleb returns, near death, and throws up an apple before his violent death. The twins forget how to pray and go into a trance. And the mother is convinced that Thomasin is behind it all.

Up until this point, the film moves at an incredibly slow pace. Get ready. I don't want to spoil anything, but it gets more and more demented, paying off everything you've been waiting for.

The first film for Robert Eggers, this shot in natural light film is something to behold. It seems much more confident than a first film would suggest. There is also a lot of attention paid to supernatural detail, such as the Enochian language used throughout for the witches.

I've debated the end of this film so many times. Is it about Thomasin's escape from teen to full womanhood? Is it the sin of William's pride destroying his entire family? Is it about the fact that evil actually exists and that it may claim even the most pious? Or is the issue that William only sees the hellfire and brimstone of the Gospel when he should be preaching the literal Good News, the celebration of Christ conquering death? Would Thomasin desire to live deliciously if her life had not been so oppressive? Is it about the divide between mother and daughter? Is it a Satanic parable?

Not at all what was expected.

[purrlgurrl · 7/10 · 10 February 2017]

This is more of a historical psychological thriller than a Hollywood blood and guts horror film.

The film is a loving and accurate recreation of Puritan New England in the 1600s with everything from the language to the sets being authentic to the period. That in and of itself makes it fascinating to watch. Having lived in Virginia, where the Jamestown Settlement and the 1600s sometimes can seem like they happened the day before yesterday, I especially enjoyed the film. The location, in Ontario, reminded me of rural Virginia in winter, which made me quite homesick. So the film might have affected me more than some other audience members.

The Witch is a fascinating glimpse into Christianity as practiced by 17th century Puritans. Satan and Evil are almost tangible presences in the woods and wilderness of the New World, while God is a distant, cold, and demanding being who must be constantly begged for forgiveness and mercy, since all human thoughts, words, and deeds seem to be gravely sinful and offensive to his eyes.

A family of seven (parents, four children, and an infant) are exiled from their plantation community for not adhering to the accepted interpretation of scripture. They build a farm at a distance from the plantation near a frightening wood. The farm is failing (the family won't have food to last the winter). Meanwhile, the infant has been snatched from the oldest daughter while in her care at the edge of the wood. From this point on the family either descends into madness or is destroyed by Satan in the form of a witch who lives nearby in the woods. How the family's disintegration is interpreted will depend on which century's point of view you choose to use.

Missed opportunity

[Just-A-Girl-14 · 5/10 · 19 April 2021]

The good: Visually speaking the movie is done really well. The cinematography is really good. There's a very dark creepy atmosphere. The acting is also good. The actors are doing a good job. Seems they worked really hard on this.

Unfortunately that's where the good ends. Lately I've been seeing more and more movies like this one. Good atmosphere with zero plot. The storyline is just plain boring. The entire movie is built on religious babbling and paranoia. Old time superstitions and no real substance. You get the idea really fast and after that there's nothing. No story, no characters development, nothing. It took me two days to finish watching the movie because I was bored. I even considered stop watching it but I wanted to know if there was a point. Something I didn't see. Well, there wasn't.

Now, just to be clear, I understand the premise of the movie. It basically shows the hardships of the period. The struggles, the faith, the superstitions etc. There's a lot of symbolism in the film. They are trying to show us what it was like and how people thought back then but that said, the bottom line is this: if a horror movie is boring then it's just not doing its job. Maybe as a creepy historical drama it could have worked somehow but I'm not even sure how. Truthfully, reading about the movie was more interesting than actually watching it. It's a real missed opportunity imho.

So while it's not the worst movie I've ever seen, it's also not a great one. I actually think that with more work on the script this movie could have easily been a great one but because there's no real substance, real storyline it just misses the mark. Can't really recommend it. Sorry.

If the 17th Century could make a movie

[Ivaylo_Sotirov · 10/10 · 18 May 2016]

If people from the 17th Century could make a film about their deepest darkest horrors - it would look a lot like this movie! The Witch engrosses you in the time and place of its setting, it's a family drama, a horror and a folk tale. All interwoven together into a macabre ode of the times when people were frightened of the primeval darkness of the forests and the inexplicable twists of their wretched fates. Intense and gripping from the very beginning. With some of the most amazing acting I've seen by the youngest cast members. Fantastic movie for horror fans and a masterful period piece. I would recommend it highly to horror fans and fans of history and good cinema in general.

Dark, Twisted, and Haunting Imagery

[ThomasDrufke · 7/10 · 21 February 2016]

When you leave the theater in stunned silence, I think the film did its job. The Witch is the next low budget horror film to reach the theaters this year, and it's easily the best. The film rarely ever relies on jump scares to get your head spinning as the core of this film's brilliance lies with its haunting imagery and eerie score.

It's hard for an audience of this day and age to get into a period piece set in the 17th century without any big name actors or action elements. And I have to admit that I wasn't sure I wanted to see a film like this, especially with its horror elements. But my eyes were pealed from beginning to end. I wouldn't say anything about the story shocked me or had me confused, but the imagery, score, and uncompromising nature to Robert Egger's direction left me breathless. Within 10 minutes I was looking at the screen and whispering to myself "why would you go there?", "Don't do that!", or "come on, really?". Not because I thought it was poor story- telling, but because I was so invested as to what these characters were doing.

With that said, I don't think this film is for everyone. It's brutal, harshly relentless, and utterly disturbing. The characters use all 17th century dialogue and the cinematography sets this grey and ominous tone. The imagery from beginning to end will stick in your head as it has done with me. But that's the way horror films should be. I wouldn't say it's more a psychological thriller because there are plenty of terrifying moments, but it is more for the 'Under the Skin' crowd than it is for people who love 'The Conjuring'. Even in its harsh moments, I was always invested and I can't deny the quality of the writing, directing, and acting all around. This is how you make a horror film.

+Terrifying imagery

+Egger's direction

+Invested from beginning to end

-Sometimes the dialogue is difficult to follow

7.6/10

Wouldst thou like to fall asleep? I prithee, watch on.

[BA_Harrison · 2/10 · 29 July 2018]

New England, 1630: a puritanical family living in the wilderness are tormented by dark forces.

Robert Eggers, director and scribe of The VVitch, thou displeaseth me with thy movie: I commend thee for thy dedication to realism, but authentic production design, gloomy cinematography and oft incomprehensible period dialogue maketh not for an enjoyable experience.

I wished to take my leave soon after the start, though I continued perchance matters improved. This was not to be! I bade thee, list' not to the positive reviews that laudeth this film, for I speak aright when I say that The VVitch doth make thine eyes heavy and time standeth still.

By the end, thou will hath endured much tedium, but I ask thee 'for what?'. Naught in the way of scares, I tell thee, but many a yawn.

As good as psychological horror gets

[punishable-by-death · 21 October 2015]

I feel like I can't come up with the right words to describe this incredible movie, but I'll try. The lingering atmosphere is done incredibly well from the beginning, helped along by a combination of a tense score and the use of extended periods of silence. The acting is bang-on and you don't know when or how it is going to end. The movie doesn't have 'twists' exactly, but the way it is written keeps you guessing constantly. And I personally loved the ending. Though the potential is there to use a more standard approach, The Witch however opts to go down a more subtle avenue, leading to the true nature of religious persecution that is on full display here. Additionally, elements of the story have been taken from historical documents, adding another layer of grimness. The supernatural elements are obviously up for discussion, but that these tales were written centuries ago somehow adds more to this disturbing film.

The film is set in 1630, in New England, America. A Puritan family is banished from town for their beliefs (or it at least seems this way, perhaps based on real events). They are forced to move to a farm that feels like it is on the edge of the world, as from the opening the woods that line the farm are presented in ominous fashion, almost creating a character that could serve as the scariest element of the film. What exactly goes on in there? Why can't the children venture inside? Suddenly, without warning, tragedy strikes. The family clings to their faith to prevent them from starving as their crops die; with nothing they can do to prevent it.

The period is an appropriate choice given how humans treated each other centuries ago, and an ideal setting for a horror tale. Some conversations require a little more attention, as the characters speak in 'ye olde English' which takes a little getting used to, but it adds another layer of mystery as the family is struck by more inexplicable hardships, causing them to become wary of each other, which in turn leaves them in a increasingly vulnerable state. I can't say I is scared, but I do know that I is gripping the armrests pretty hard for most of the film. Hell, they manage to make a scene where a man is hunting a rabbit seem tense and creepy! Additionally, this is not for inattentive viewers; I could see clock-watching all around me. The incredible camera-work almost reminds me of Paul Thomas Anderson in There Will Be Blood, with many long takes, often slowly panning or zooming in. There is also a focus on facial close-ups reminiscent of Bergman, all of which is a feast to watch on an IMAX screen. The score matches this camera-work almost to perfection, while there is often a lengthy silence between dialogue to contrast the tense music. It also must be mentioned that the child actors really shine, out-doing their older counterparts.

This really is my sort of horror film. No jump-scares, convincing acting and a focus on a dark, foreboding atmosphere rather than the grotesque and bloody. This is another of those films I would label as a psychological thriller, as the supernatural horrors are kept almost completely out of view as we witness the downfall of a family who are all affected, turning on each other as their faith is truly tested.

This film couldn't have catered to my interests more; I can't recommend it to everybody, but if you go in with no preconceived notions you'll be in for a tasty, if not nasty surprise. The suspense is almost unparalleled among recent films, and the 'horror' genre conventions are cleverly subverted to deliver a film that is better than 'It Follows' while being a completely different film. In addition to all this, there is much to take in thematically if you are so inclined… Hell, I'd love to see this again to do just that.

www.epilepticmoondancer.net

Summary:

[avdropm-944-921852 · 8/10 · 2 March 2016]

This is a story set in the early colonial period of New England. It has the authenticity of a well-researched historical drama, up to and including dialogue delivered in a period accent and vocabulary (softened a bit so that it's easy to understand). Instead of drawing on historical events, though, it draws on historical folklore -- it's the story of witchcraft afflicting a family, such as might have been told at the time.

The characters are a very believable, ordinary family, with the sorts of tensions and problems you'd expect from people living a hard and substantially isolated life after being exiled from the local colonial town. They also have period Calvinist attitudes, and the storytelling doesn't present an outsider's view of this or offer a modern commentary, but instead it just displays these attitudes and tells a story from the characters' standpoint.

Their reliance on period folklore means that it doesn't strictly follow modern horror movie tropes, either. It has the slow build of a modern psychological horror/thriller as well as the standard formula where tragedies start from tragic flaws, but the traditions it's drawing on depend on a Calvinist's conception of flaws, and treat witchcraft as a horrible, well-understood occurrence rather than a shocking supernatural surprise. This story applies these perspectives.

It's very well done in terms of writing, acting, and other aspects of execution, so it might have cross-over appeal to fans of horror, folklore, or straight period drama from colonial America.

gets very compelling

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 15 February 2017]

It's 17th century New England. Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) lives with her family on an isolated farm. The local village banishes them for religious disagreements. Her parents are strict and God fearing. Her younger brother Caleb has lustful thoughts about her. Her younger twin siblings Mercy and Jonas are obsessed with the family black goat Black Phillip. Thomasin is playing with baby Samuel when he suddenly disappears. A witch in the woods has kidnapped and killed him. The farm is failing and the father is forced to hunt. Thomasin jokes by scaring Mercy about being a witch which comes back to haunt her. Caleb goes into the woods to gather food. Thomasin insists on joining him but it goes badly. Thomasin falls off the horse and Caleb is found in a sickly state.

The movie gets really interesting around the midpoint. The first half feels slow and muddled. I had to watch the first half again to get a hold of the entire story. It's a matter of clarity and flow. After Samuel disappears, the family should be out of their minds searching the woods. Instead, the movie skips ahead a few day to them in a depressed state surrendered to the baby's fate. It's missing the emotional and plot connective tissues. The second half is much more intense paying off some story aspects. The lead girl Anya Taylor-Joy is terrific. The brother and the father are also great. This is an intriguing psychological horror.

Great Atmosphere, Great Sound, Different Kind of Movie

[rd_pires · 8/10 · 18 February 2016]

I found "The Witch" to be a generally unnerving film, and one which--though I would not place it in the pantheon of scariest flicks I've ever seen--had some moments that I'll not easily forget.

The atmosphere Eggers creates alone is enough to wrench serious dread from scenes other directors would be otherwise unable to make even remarkable. The score, too, helps cull this dark tone and adds life to a film that can be borderline tedious.

That being said, "The Witch" is not for everyone. It is strange, slow but steady, gruesome at points, and almost un-watchable at others. There are two sides to this film; one which I had hoped the director would stick to concerning the family and their struggle with religion and isolation; and another which plays as an undercurrent to most of the film and then takes charge in the end. Sadly, it is this second side which keeps me from giving the film a better score, and that ultimately hurts the film in the very final scene.

Overall, I enjoyed "The Witch" and its originality. Eggers has achieved a film that, for all its low-budget and independent film background, feels richer and better made than many horror entries of late. Should you decide to see it, a word of caution: do not expect a fast-paced movie full of jump scares and creepy crawlies emerging left and right. As the opening credits remind the audience, this is a folktale. One that does not shy away from exploring the real dark places.

great historical accuracy, but needs a better ending

[sarah-y-drye · 6/10 · 7 March 2016]

Absolutely top notch on historical accuracy and high production value for a small team/low budget film.

You really need to have closed caption available in order to watch this. Too many people talking too fast and too low while speaking an older form of English makes some scenes' dialogue difficult to understand.

The end left everyone in the theater wanting, though.

This film was wonderful at pulling you into the mindset of people from its time-period. It managed to be scary... but in a different way than modern viewers are used to..

A Masterpiece

[Ufology · 10/10 · 27 January 2017]

I saw this movie a couple of times already and it still lingers in my head everyday. The tone and imagery of this film crawled inside me and nestled itself in my mind like no other had in a long time.

The aspects of the film (lighting, sound, dialog, pacing, composition) created an atmosphere so real I was no longer sitting on my couch watching, but rather living this inherited puritan nightmare. This was the result of a director who not only painstakingly researched every aspect of colonial life in the 1630s, but who also executed his ideas with striking confidence.

Calling this movie scary doesn't due justice to how truly powerful and intense the horror scenes feel. He doesn't hold back, shy away with the camera or use bullshit jump-scares to frighten you. Rather he composes scenes like an artist would a painting. In fact, I would almost say this film could be seen as a Fransisco Goya painting brought to life. He focuses in on the evil at hand, while still maintaining a sense of unknown and wonder. He is brilliant at what he shows you, but more in what he doesn't show.

Films like these don't come around very often. There is true passion seen here by a very hungry, driven and intelligent director. I am truly impressed and hope he has a long and successful career.

Scary View of Religious Fanaticism, Ignorance and Madness

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 11 September 2016]

In the Seventeenth Century, in New England, the farmer William (Ralph Ineson) and his family are banished from the Puritan plantation controlled by the church due to differences in religious principles. William leaves the spot with his wife Katherine (Kate Dickie); his teenage daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy); his son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw) and the twins Mercy (Ellie Grainger) and Jonas (Lucas Dawson) and settles at the edge of a forest. They build a small house and a barn and meanwhile Katherine delivers the baby Samuel. One day, Thomasin is playing with Samuel near the forest and the baby mysteriously vanishes. The family unsuccessfully seeks Sam out and Katherine becomes insane, praying all the time and mistreating and blaming her daughter for everything wrong in their lives. However, Sam was abducted and slaughtered by a witch that lives in the woods that used his blood to paint her body. William goes to the forest to hunt since the crop has failed and he confides to his son that he sold Katherine's silver goblet to buy supplies. However he is a bad hunter and misses his target. In the farm, the twins tell Thomasin that they speak to the goat Black Phillip. While having dinner, Katherine accuses Thomasin of losing her cup and William does not tell the truth. During the night, Thomasin and the children overhear her mother telling William to deliver Thomasin to work for another family. Early in the morning, Caleb, Thomasin, their dog and the family horse go to hunt in the woods. However Thomasin falls from the horse and faints, Caleb becomes lost in the woods and stumbles upon his dead dog first and upon a seductive woman later. William finds Thomasin and Katherine confronts her about Caleb's fate. When the boy returns naked and with fever, the twins accuse Thomasin of witchcraft and she discloses that they speak to the goat, in the beginning of the tragic end of their family.

"The Witch: A New-England Folktale" is an American/British/Canadian/Brazilian production by Robert Eggers that shows a scary view of religious fanaticism, ignorance and madness in the Seventeenth Century, in New England. The horror is psychological and explores the primal fear of a family oriented by orthodox religious principles and their fear of God. There are creepy moments most of them without gore. The direction is tight and the unknown cast has great performance. The cinematography is also impressive and depressive. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Bruxa" ("The Witch")

Beware...This is not a horror movie!!

[Otte1 · 4/10 · 4 October 2016]

This is not a horror movie. It is a psychological drama of a family slowly questioning their belief in God and descending into madness. The 'witch' is a minor, minor backstory that increases the descent. There are only three scenes total that has a 'witch' in it.

Acting is up to par, but you spend the movie waiting for the 'witch' thing to happen, thinking there will be a big finale. It does not happen. Had this movie advertised itself as a drama of a family trying to make it alone in the wilderness....I probably would have given it a higher rating(not much, but higher). Instead it is pointless dialogue and the reciting of scriptures and prayers(not exaggerating, that is almost 40% of the movie, with another 30% silently looking into or away from camera).

The people who are giving this movie high ratings are the same ones that said Terence Malick's Tree of Life is a masterpiece. People who are concerned with plot, middle story, finale or explanation of what is going on will want to to get back two hours of their life.

Calvinist terrors abound in this fraught "folk tale"

[drownsoda90 · 9/10 · 19 February 2016]

"The Witch" charts a family of Calvinist dissenters in colonial America who are exiled from their community and homestead at the edge of an ominous forest. When the infant child of the family disappears inexplicably, a chain of increasingly bizarre events lead to claims of witchcraft and sorcery that implode the family.

Based on the plot summary, much about "The Witch" seems fairly predictable, and that's because it is. Robert Eggers makes no bones about reality or superstition here; this is, as it is branded, a "New England folktale" through and through. It's also allegorical on some levels, and is about an English family's failure to conquer the vast American frontier. Regardless of how it is read, the film's surface plays out like classic accounts of witchcraft and superstition that pervaded Puritan Calvinism in the seventeenth century.

What director Eggers does here is weave a taut and unsettling narrative through a series of meditative visuals and haunting encounters with evil--some have said not much happens in the film, and they're right--but is that the point of such a tale? The story is mediated through phenomenal performances that are the real emotional center of the film, while rare but fantastical occurrences with the supernatural jar the audience as much they do the family.

Eggers' direction is remarkable, and the cinematography consistently captures the gloom of a New England winter; close-ups show the younger children engaging with their ominous farm goat, while pans of characters venturing into the woods create a legitimate sense of danger--and that is another of the film's prevailing themes. In the film, the threat of danger lurks in all matter, be it in the natural environment, in doctrine, or the horrifying corporeal locus where the two meet.

Overall, "The Witch" is a surprising and moody entry in the horror genre for 2016; it is not only recalling classicism in its period setting and narrative, but also in its cinematic approach to storytelling. It is old-fashioned in just about every way, but is no less masterful at creeping into the skin as insidiously as evil does within the family. We feel their terror, their desperation, and their yearning for absolution; and that is what makes the film such an effective mood piece. 9/10.

Intensely Atmospheric, With Great Performances.

[meddlecore · 7/10 · 13 October 2017]

A failing farm family who has recently immigrated to New England, has hit particularly hard times and have become desperate. They have 6 mouths to feed, most of their crops are inedible, the father can't hunt worth sh*t, and they have recently lost a baby to either a wolf or a witch.

The aging mother holds a grudge against her youthful daughter, Thomasina- if only using her as someone to take her anger out on for being stuck desolate in this god forsaken new land. So, she seeks to have her sent away to become someone else's problem.

After overhearing this, the two older siblings set off to do something that is never specifically said. And, while they are out, their horse gets spooked, Thomasina falls off and is knocked unconscious.

She wakes up alone, and makes her way back to the farm. Caleb, it seems, has gone to a house in the woods...the house of a witch...and become bewitched through lust.

He returns naked, in the rain, pecked in the face.

The Twins (two younger siblings) blame Thomasina, because she had jokingly told them she was a witch to scare them when they were being brats. But they took it seriously...and blame her.

Even though it really seems like they (the twins) are the ones doing the bewitching, considering they are the ones talking to their creepy goat Black Phillip.

Either way, Caleb has a demon in him. And they attempt to perform a farmhouse exorcism on him as best they can...during which he coughs up an apple and dies.

To appease his terrified wife, the father locks the rest of the children away with the goats. Hoping that will contain the problem till morning. At which point he will take his daughter to the local plantation.

But sh*t hits the fan, before morning has a chance to roll around. The twins are stolen by some nasty naked witch, and Black Phillip gets loose...goring their father to death.

Now, only the mother is left, and she immediately attacks her daughter...ignoring her own godly premonition...turning against the only one who is left...the only one who is truthful, and good.

And there is only one thing you can do when you're getting choked to death...

This film is very atmospheric, and does a great job of putting you in a position of empathy with Thomasina- who we are, sort of, experiencing events through.

But what really stands out, are the performances. For a period piece, with lots of Olde English (I had to watch with subtitles), everyone does a spectacular job. Ralph Ineson probably does the best job, as the father- it's like he stepped right out of the 1700's. The twins are both creepy as all hell- their unison responses send chills down your spine. Harvey Scrimshaw's portrayal of a bewitched and possessed Caleb is simply mindblowing, coming from such a young dude. And Anya Taylor-Joy's portrayal of Thomasina is absolutely genuine, on a purely human level.

The ending, however, is very abrupt. And left me wanting more. I felt they could have stretched the film a bit longer, and used that to develop her initiation more.

But it's not my film, so who am I to complain.

Thoroughly enjoyed this.

7 out of 10.

Disappointed

[janney-01851 · 3/10 · 14 April 2022]

I was in a constant state of tension during the first two-thirds of the movie. The last third was a huge letdown. The movie devolved from a psychological thriller into a cliched story about a coven of evil witches, complete with a goat as the devil and an old woman who takes on the visage of someone young and beautiful to lure the unsuspecting to her hut. It was a ridiculous end to an otherwise good movie.