Very Dark, Very Slow, Very Good

Rating: 9/10 (19 February 2016)

It would be a challenge for any movie to live up to the hype that The Witch has gotten since its Sundance debut last year, but wow, what a gorgeous film. The craftsmanship is beyond impressive. Every shot could have been an art photograph. All of the sets and costumes and props were so painstakingly period accurate that the world of this film felt viscerally real. The oppressive tone never lifted for the entire run time so that you leave the theater still feeling a bit weird.
The Witch reminds me strongly of "The Others". Much of the creepiness was drawn from the set and the location. The pacing is similar. Both have super small casts and center the action around child actors. There's very little blood and gore. If you hated "The Others" and thought it was boring, then "The Witch" is not for you. It's not the typical Hollywood horror "scare-a-minute" CGI romp. There's no break in the tension for a comedic relief. It goes to a very dark place right from the start and never shifts that tone.
The dialogue can be difficult to follow. It's much more similar to a Shakespearean play than standard issue Period Piece English. I could understand them with some effort, and it made the world of the movie feel that much more real, but some might be turned off by it, especially since the film is so dialogue-heavy.
All of the acting performances were top notch. The Twins were creepy and every one of their scenes made my stomach turn. I appreciated that the plot didn't hinge on "horror movie logic". Really, the only complaint I have is that I don't know if I quite buy the ending. Definitely looking forward to seeing this one again, and I hope it makes money because I want to see more smart horror with fewer terrible looking monsters and more filmmaking craftsmanship.