This is how you make a horror film

Rating: 8/10 (13 March 2016)

What a film. I generally don't like horror movies because I get annoyed by the standard Hollywood formula. It's refreshing to see something that is disturbingly all kinds of wrong.
The Witch is not a jump-out-of-your-seat-in-terror-brown-your-pants horror film but what makes this film especially unnerving is that it feels real and plausible. Indeed, this story is inspired by a series of historical accounts.
The story begins with a family in the new frontier of the US in the 1630s getting banished from their township and their attempts to create a new life by the edge of a forest. Nothing else need be said. Just watch and squirm and be prepared to look away. There are some truly unsettling moments.
I can tolerate all sorts of weird and freaky stuff with my movie watching habits, but the Witch had me rattled and I've not quite figured out why or how. The entire cast was amazing - the guy from the Office who plays Chris the sleazeball, that creepy Lysa Arryn from Game of Thrones, all four children, led by striking newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy who was impressive as Thomasin, the eldest sibling. The eerie soundtrack and the use of shadows in the cinematography were also very effective. The manner in which this was filmed places the viewers in the midst of the family's struggles making us helpless voyeurs and at times maybe complicit... I'll stop right here.
This is exactly how horror films should be done. It is one of the best horror films I've seen in a loooooong time. Very promising feature debut by director Robert Eggers. Here's looking forward to see how he translates Nosferatu as his new project. Really impressive. Go see it.