Slow-burning, Disturbing Horror Period Piece

Rating: 7/10 (11 March 2016)

The Witch is a horror film set in 17th century New England, and after a family's youngest child is taken into the forest under supernatural circumstances, paranoia challenges the family's Christian beliefs and threatens their lives in ways they never could have imagined. The Witch premiered at Sundance last year, and following rave reviews, has finally received a wide release. The Witch is a very different horror film that relies on atmosphere, disturbing imagery, and sound to craft a slow, but terrifying, horror experience.
The story in The Witch takes familiar ideas of witchcraft and Satanism and puts them in an isolated setting with a family of six on the outskirts of the forest. The father and mother preach strict religious values, so after their youngest child goes missing, the family slowly begins to point fingers and the dark situation becomes a witch hunt within their own family. I liked this unique spin on witchcraft and demons, but I only wish the characters were more interesting. The mother and oldest daughter were the two most interesting characters, with the rest of the family being entirely forgettable.
The dialogue is taken straight out of the 1600s, so while it is authentic, some lines and words are hard to make out. Because this dialogue is combined with thick accents and some characters mumbling, there were times were I was legitimately missing entire sentences. The Witch does explore some interesting themes for a horror film, like faith and isolation, which I appreciated.
But most importantly in a horror film, is it scary? Yes, in chunks but not as consistently as I would have hoped. The scares are not jump-scares or anything like that. The scares are enhanced, and sometimes carried, by sound entirely. There are many times in The Witch where there is nothing on screen but the forest in the distance or a rabbit in the barn, but the sound gives you an unshakeable feeling that something terrible is about to happen. It's some of the best use of sound design I've seen in a horror film in some time.
There's also some really disturbing imagery I can still visualize a day after seeing The Witch. The use of off-screen space is cleverly utilized to add to the more psychological moments. There are palpable moments of dread throughout, but after these sporadic moments, there are lengthy scenes of downtime with the family speaking to one another in the cabin. So while The Witch does have atmosphere, the pacing of the scares and the storytelling makes for a somewhat uneven film from start to finish. However, the final 10 minutes are so incredibly twisted and satisfying that it makes up for the slower moments up until that point.
While I mentioned I was not in love with the characters in The Witch, the film uses the forest as a character itself, and very good one at that. The forest has an unmistakable presence and is completely captivating because of the potential darkness that lies within. Shooting on location with the forest and beautiful landscapes, combined with excellent costume design, results in a low-budget film that looks incredible. The cinematography is breathtaking, and I love the film's use of desaturated color to add to the dark tone.
While The Witch is slow at points and some characters are not very engaging, I still found the film to be a beautiful and unique take on the horror genre. Not to mention the last 10 minutes will remain etched in my head for the foreseeable future. If a horror movie can affect a viewer for even a moment following it's conclusion, it's definitely worth a watch from any horror fans who thinks they can stomach lots of gore, mutilation, and goats?
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