Something Evil in the Woods...

Rating: 10/10 (25 April 2017)

The Witch, or the VVitch, as it is so cleverly marketed, is one of the finest examples of supernatural horror I've seen in a film for quite some time, and considering the current trend of jump-scare laden cheese-fests, that's definitely saying something. Even more shocking than the film itself perhaps is the fact that this is the directorial debut of writer/director Robert Eggers, a New England native who skillfully drew from his childhood surroundings of isolated colonial farmhouses and lonely cemeteries in the middle of the woods as inspiration for this film.
Cold, haunting, dreary, and sinister are all words which come to mind when describing the look and atmosphere of this finely-crafted work of art. From start to finish a creeping sense of primeval dread and suspense embodies every scene in one way or another. Taking place in 17th century New England, the film focuses on a Puritan family, father William (Ralph Ineson), mother Katherine (Kate Dickie), teenage daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), adolescent son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw), and fraternal twins Mercy and Jonas (Ellie Grainger and Lucas Dawson), as they are banished from their colonial settlement due to being too severe in their interpretation of the scriptures even by Puritan standards.
They travel into a deeply wooded, isolated region where they settle down, build a farmhouse, and try to start anew, with a newborn son, Samuel, soon arriving and bringing a tinge of joy to an otherwise dour household. However, other, unknown forces of evil are congregating just beyond the confines of their land, and it isn't long before they begin seeping into the lives of the family itself. The land itself is not very fertile and soon the crops begin to fail, and the animals, especially a goat innocuously named Black Phillip, begin acting strange and unnatural. Then things take a turn for the worse when the infant son Samuel, who was yet unbaptized, is abducted under mysterious circumstances.
Teenage daughter Thomasin, who was supposed to be looking after him when he disappeared, immediately falls under suspicion from the family and that's when things begin to get truly terrifying, for both the audience and the unfortunate family being tormented by some unseen evil lurking in the woods.
The Witch is not your standard horror film, as while it does have horror elements, parts of it also play out like a period drama a la The Crucible, a film which is often compared to this due to the similar settings/characters. However, while The Crucible is more about the dangers of mass hysteria and religious fanaticism, as opposed to witchcraft and sorcery, The Witch makes it far more clear that it's not simply paranoia slowly tearing the family apart, but something very real and very dangerous. The film moves at a rather slow pace, and doesn't feature any jump scares or any of the usual clichÃ©s found in horror movies nowadays, which is actually very refreshing.
In addition to that the soundtrack and cinematography perfectly compliment the film and add an extra dimension to the horrific plot as it slowly unfolds. As the family situation continually spirals downward into madness and chaos, and the family turns against one another out of fear and suspicion, the supernatural horrors of the surrounding forest become more and more evident, less subtle, and more terrifying, with a truly unexpected and shocking conclusion that I feel most viewers will not be able to predict, due to the very unpredictable nature of the film itself. In addition to the human characters, the animals and even the forest itself function as developed characters in their own right, perfectly complimenting the overall plot/story.
Overall I highly recommend this film for viewers who are looking for something different than standard modern-day horror fare, with a style that is more reminiscent of old-fashioned classics like The Innocents or The Haunting, with a dread-filled atmosphere, and slowly ratcheting suspense over explicit violence and gore. You won't be disappointed, Robert Eggers is a truly a force to be reckoned with.