The Witch (2015)
The age-old concepts of witchcraft, black magic and possession are indicatively brought together to tell the story of one family's frightful unraveling.
Director:
Robert EggersWriter:
Robert EggersStars:
Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate DickieStory line
New England, 1630: William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life, homesteading on the edge of an impassible wilderness, with five children. When their newborn son mysteriously vanishes and their crops fail, the family begins to turn on one another. 'The Witch' is a chilling portrait of a family unraveling within their own fears and anxieties, leaving them prey for an inescapable evil.
User Reviews
The early reviews are quite shocking. it seems that this film is getting positive ratings due to the fact that it is In the sundance film festival. I saw it there and was very disappointed. The few things the film does right are lost among all the problems. While the music does a decent Job capturing the tense atmosphere it fails to be anything more then unoriginal. The films uneven pacing is another key factor in its demise. It's extremely hard to watch in that it's very boring. When the film really gets going it's hard to care since the character development was limited to a few scenes between characters that feel forced. The subtleties the film attempts at are lost thanks to poor script writing. It mashes different folk lore of the period together and winds up feeling very clunky. Especially in the horror parts. The mood and atmosphere are set up beautifully but when it comes to the scares they fall flat, again thanks to poor character writing. In the end The Witch feels lazy, underwritten, and devoid of any real scares. If you would like to see a real atmospheric, well put together horror film see The Babadook. This film is one I will not see again.
