This won't be to everyone's taste.

Rating: 7/10 (4 April 2016)

The Witch is an indie flick, it will be enjoyed by lots of people who are aware of this and were expecting this. It's a film for lovers of real horror, not Hollywood horror, people who have a passion for art films filled with great cinematography will appreciate this movie. The stereotypical, mainstream movie goer who is hoping for jump scares and cliché horror plots will ultimately be disappointed.
There is a scene within the first 15 minutes or so which is uncharacteristically brutal and gory. The rest of the movie doesn't resemble this level of horror and this scene will last in your memory long after the credits have rolled. This is a horror, there is no doubt about that, it just isn't a horror in the conventional way of the mainstream Hollywood movies.
A devout Christian Family are banished from their plantation and set up home on farm on the edge of a woods, in the middle of nowhere. Before long, strange things start happening, their new-born seemingly vanishes into mid-air and their crops start to die out. We see the stress and strain take its toll as they slowly begin to turn on each other and become more and more emotionally unstable. Paranoia, hopelessness and resentment are all strong emotional factors and we truly get to see how these traumas can shake a family to the core. Their distress leaves them as a collection of individuals rather than a compact family, vulnerable to the evils within the forest.
The Witch is a slow burner, a very slow burner. There were parts which I found boring and seemed to drag for no particular purpose. It is a very heavy dialogue driven movie with very little action; it focuses on the family and their relationships with each other much more than what is lurking in the forest.
The acting has been praised very highly but I honestly didn't see it as that strong. I can appreciate that speaking in Old English was a challenge, especially for the child actors and this showed quite glaringly. The father of the family and the eldest daughter gave the strongest displays, both showcasing their emotions very well.
The Witch has a fantastic score, the music used is perfect, capturing the old era and adding very strong tension. The music used with the breath-taking cinematography made for one very special looking movie. It is full of panoramic camera work, slow and drawn out shots which create tension and atmosphere perfectly. You never felt like there was going to be a jump scare as it is very obvious that it isn't that type of movie, but the tension is there nonetheless – it is essentially a very uneasy watch. Another strong aspect for me was the ending. I was watching the movie unravel, with underlying thoughts of how they would end this movie. I won't say too much as it's a spoiler free review but I was very, very impressed with how they did it. The very final scene was powerful and graphic, it ended in a way that felt very concluding way and ended in a climax of drama.
I felt like I had an idea of what this movie was going to be like and I was completely wrong, leaving me at the time, slightly disappointed. I have since been able to appreciate The Witch for what it is and when I look back on it I can see how very impressive this movie actually is. I will be watching this again as I feel I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have upon my initial watch at the cinema.
7/10