The Witch
The Witch
Let me begin by saying that I have never been a big fan of witch films. Although there are not many out there, the ones that are your traditional depiction of Hollywood cinema, wicked pointy noses, crackling voices and old woman make up. For the most part, many of those films have been either comedies or for the most part Disney is involved. So when the first trailer for the film The Witch was released, I knew there was something beautifully horrific about it…and I was not wrong!!!
The Witch is the most beautiful horror film I have ever seen. It is a spellbinding, absolutely nightmarish picture that will run your bones dry. Set in 1630 New England, a devout Christian family is excommunicated from the village thanks to the prideful arrogance of the father. After being ousted from the village, the family make their own pilgrimage to a nearby woods that they claim as their own and begin to rebuild their own self-sustained farm. Their utopia doesn’t last long, as the parents warn the children that the woods that line their farm are off limits.
Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) is the oldest of the children and on the edge of woman hood, tries to negotiate her severe parents. This is one of those films that doesn’t make you wait for the horror to begin. Very early on Thomasin is left in charge of caring for the new born of the family while her mother takes care of the other children. Inexplicably, while she is playing with him he vanishes without a trace and the only clue the viewer sees is the movement of one of the trees on the edge of the woods. Very quickly and mortally wounded, the grieving family begins to unravel and the view of the perfect family begins to fall apart as secrets between them come to surface. Crops begin to fail, eggs begin to rot, the farm animals behave strangely, and milk turns bloody. This forces the father to venture with his young son Caleb, played brilliantly by Harvey Scrimshaw, to look for wild game. The family bond is further tested as their piety, goodness, faith and human nature begin to turn sour. The horror of this film goes beyond your typical aspects of Hollywood. It shows a creepy side of faith gone wrong and faux domestic bliss. It shows how blind faith can harm not only the soul, but the human spirit and leave one vulnerable to the attacks of evil.
Robert Eggers directorial debut is a masterpiece. The Witch is an immaculate film that has set a high bar not only in the witchcraft genre, but the horror film one as well. With an outstanding cast and some of the most amazing frames in cinema, The Witch is “The Revenant” of horror films, and one that will haunt you far after you have left your seats.
10/10
by Hiram Trillo
