Disappointing and hard to get through

Rating: 6/10 (14 July 2016)

"The Witch" is a movie that starts with promise but ends up a chore to sit through. With each development of the plot it doesn't feel like you are in the hands of somebody who knows what they're doing, who's leading you from one twist or surprise to another. In fact, nothing in the movie is really surprising, or shocking, and it's not in the least scary.
The filmmaker went to a lot of trouble to get the actors speaking and sounding right, and looking right. But aside from that, it's a frustrating experience, because nothing really comes of anything. You expect something but don't really get anything.
There is one scene I didn't like, that made me feel for the actor involved. A young boy is made to appear naked in front of an older girl. If you are into that kind of thing, don't get excited: you can't really see anything, but you can tell he is undressed. Don't you wonder about how they filmed such a thing? How did the boy feel about being made to do that?