The Witch

Rating: 9/10 (3 December 2016)

"The Witch" thrives on the suggestion of evil, which is truly the scariest evil of all. The film is based in 1630s New England during the early colonization of America. The characters are God-fearing and they are dedicated to their faith. It is what drove them to America, and it is implied that it is what got them banished from their town just at the start of the movie. The family moves out to the country to start their new home in isolation just outside the woods, and soon their infant child suddenly disappears.
Of course, this is a result of the witch living in the woods, as revealed to us near the start of the film during an incredibly disturbing scene, complete with very unsettling music. The music in this film contributes greatly to its success; it's frantic, upsetting, chaotic, and grating, and it works perfectly to compliment the atmosphere of the film.
As far as the setting goes, there is a striking attention to detail. The wardrobe, architecture, performances, and especially the dialogue, all done in old English, contribute to an incredibly accurate depiction that sucks the viewer right into that time period. This film heavily relies on its child actors for the majority of it, so thank God each and every one of them managed to have a convincing, realistic performance. The characters' dedication to their religion is ultimately what isolates each one, and causes their ultimate acceptance of evil. Since they follow all of these strict rules without question, it leads each of them to harbor repressed thoughts and hide their actions from each other, leading to a growing paranoia between all of them. It is a disturbing portrait of humanities' inclination towards evil.
The cinematography and the dark, muted color palette evokes a genuine sense of dread. Subtlety is the key here. Something as simple as a shot being held for a little too long can put a viewer on edge. The tall trees in the forest loom over the family at every moment and the dense collection of trees and branches in the shots within the forest give a sense of being trapped and overwhelmed.
The tension that is built in this film results from direction so confident you would never guess this is a debut. Horror movies need a real, universal fear in order to work, and in "The Witch" it is the fear that we are all naturally inclined to evil, and there is nothing we can do about it.