How to Ruin What Could Have Been A Masterpiece

Rating: 4/10 (21 February 2016)

The Witch was the film I was anticipating most out of all the films slated to be released in 2016. I can not think of a word that means beyond disappointed.
There are many possibilities in the first act that tease subjects the film could go on to explore in-depth. Instead they all lead to dead ends. In a way, the entire film is a tease of bigger ideas that are traded in for a cliché horror ending.
A film like The Witch can choose to be ambiguous or it can give the audience a sense of satisfaction. The Witch tries to do both and in doing this, the ending betrays everything that came before it. Casual audiences may be somewhat satisfied as the end credits begin to roll. However, those of us who love films that demand multiple viewings will feel cheated or, even worse, indifferent. The writer/director takes away any sense of lingering mystery, he takes away any want or need we may have had to watch the film again. It's like watching a painter dump a bucket of water all over a painting we just watched them meticulously paint for hours. It all seems like a complete waste. And it is.
The trailers for The Witch are more frightening than the film itself. However, The Witch's biggest sin is how forgettable it all is in the end. And that is unforgivable.