Scary View of Religious Fanaticism, Ignorance and Madness

Rating: 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")