Review of The Witch (2016) by Amy-Lauren B — 09 Aug 2016

Set in 1630s New England, a devout Christian family must learn to fend for themselves in the wilderness, after being banished from their town settlement. All the elements are against them, as their crop fail and their foraging trips into the woods are fruitless. When life seems it can get no worse, their infant child inexplicably vanishes. What follows is a story of bereavement, paranoia, and black magic, as the family are forced to fight unseen evil.

The Witch's most interesting aspect is how it plays with tension. It isn't the generic, jump-scare film we get multiple times a year. Instead, it attempts to scare you by creating an atmosphere that's unsettled and uneasy. It relies on your imagination to fill in the blanks of the un-seen evil beyond the tree line. That said, there are a few moments of brutality and shock-horror to jar the audience. One comes right at the start of the film, in a montage of frenzy and gore. After which, the plot plateaus to a slow burner, with lots of dialogue and sequences between the family, playing out like a period drama. It is very much in the vein of the critically acclaimed The Babadook (2014) - thoughtful, subtly, psychological horror which will most likely captivate critics but leave audiences feeling cold.

I went into the screening with big expectations - that'll happen when you're told this is the scariest thing you'll see all year. What I struggled with at times was understanding the dialogue. Thick accents and olde English idioms make some of the back-and-forth conversations a little difficult to concentrate on at times. I also got a little bored in the middle, though thankfully it picked up again by the finale. I don't see it being one of the horror films I'll be returning to time and time again, but for a one time experience, it delivers.

In my eyes, The Witch is a mature family drama, battling with puberty, bereavement, and the questioning of faith in a time where religion was a way of life and the motivation of many. The supernatural horror elements come second to the greater narrative, which will most likely find its message and payoff wasted on modern contemporary audiences. Did it scare me as much as a might have liked: no. But was it thought-provoking, visually stimulating and narratively captivating: on all accounts, an outstanding yes.