"The Witch" - Review

"I Will Guide Thy Hand"

Imagine if all the senseless killings in the Salem Witch Trials were not actually caused by extreme self righteousness and religious fear but by the actual creatures that the pious leaders were making up! The Witch explores this possibility, like The Crucible written by Stephen King and directed by Terrence Mallick after he watched The Shining. Okay, maybe that specific collaboration and set of circumstances does not exist, but the closest thing to that reality does. It is the first great film of 2016 and one of the best true horror films in recent years. It finds truth in both reality and fantasy and is all the more terrifying because of it.

The Witch follows a family whose patriarch has been excommunicated from the council that governs the colonists in an early 1600's New England settlement. He accuses his leaders of being hypocritical and prideful concerning the gospels of the church as is sent away for that reason. So with his family in tow, he settles near a beautiful but cold wood and builds up a fruitful farm. This is short lived when their baby is snatched away by some unknown force while under the close care of their oldest daughter Thomasin. This becomes the catalyst for the mental unraveling of this family as they search for answers in their surroundings all while becoming victim to a series of unnatural occurrences that they can only explain as being the work of an unholy witch living among them.

This is not your typical Hollywood garbage product posing as a horror film. (i.e. Ouija, Annabelle, The Boy, The Forest, etc.) This is a slow burn of a mood piece that earns its place under your skin. It is more concerned with telling a thought provoking story than it is on jump scares or cheap thrills. This is a film that has substance to back up its terror and it is truly terrifying. It begins quietly but the tension builds through the entire film and is not afraid to explore the psychological conditions and weaknesses of each of its characters so when it finally reaches its horrifying final image, it is completely earned and will stick with the viewer indeterminably.

Not to say that all of its terror is only in the final minutes. They are images both beautiful and completely unsettling throughout the entire film. Even though these peak interests for sure, the most fascination from audiences will be found in observing these characters as they try to use faith to rationalize these mysterious occurrences around them. As the editor and director have talked about in past interviews, the film is constructed as a family drama that relies on its story that just so happens to be perversely terrifying. The entire cast, even the children, deliver incredibly strong performances, the standouts being the mother and Thomasin, played by Kate Dickie and Anya Taylor-Joy respectively. They have a great deal of depth to mine from as characters who are unfairly put into roles in the old ways of living in this time and naturally the first ones that are targeted as culprits. Every character is given dialogue from old English (plenty of "thee" and "thy") that could stump even the most experienced of veteran actors, but every single player here delivers the challenging material naturally and effectively.

This film is well aware of its place in this modern socio-political climate, even with its dated setting and is all the more powerful by showing how a surprising amount of the unease of the time still exists today, which is the best compliment a period film can get; its presence in today's world made even more poignant by its period setting.This film is not afraid to explore topics involving family politics and the nature of organized religion by not giving concrete answers as to what its intent is. It lets audiences draw their own conclusions about many aspects about the film, but not because of not having actual material to back up answers. It is made to be impressionable and able to start thought, as the Witch is able to do in the film. It does not put clear messages in your head. It only gives that initial gentle push and lets your own fears and insecurities do the rest. The most truly terrifying and unsettling elements in this film are not the things that you can see but rather the things you fear could be outside your view. Because, as a certain witch knows, its purposes will come to fruition just by implying its presence. A little bit of doubt is all it takes. The mere presence of this film was enough to win me over and lead me into the woods of praise it belongs in. In the tradition of recent indie hits like The Babadook and It Follows, this is horror film-making that is not present in Hollywood anymore and its existence is a small miracle in itself.

The Witch is an ingeniously crafted film that is intelligently acted and written with some amazing cinematography and choice special effects. I was left completely moved and haunted. It is horror like none have seen for quite some time.

Grade: A+.