Fascinating and Disturbing

Rating: 6/10 (6 March 2016)

Some of the earliest settlers to America were religious fanatics - The Puritans - who believed in strict, joyless adherence to their principles. One byproduct of this strictness was the growing belief that the Devil, through Witches, would possess the pure in order to lead them to wicked ways. This fanatical belief in witches led to the famous Salem Witch Trials of the late 1690's.
Director/Writer Robert Eggers, then, asked the question in his film THE WITCH - "What if these fables and folk stories of witches were, in fact, true"? The result is a fascinating and disturbing film that doesn't flinch in showing the supposed results of Witchcraft.
Is it a good film...not really. It's a little too slow and the Olde Engish language used is tough to follow (lots of "thee's" and "thou's") and, ultimately, the tale of a Puritan family's unraveling at the hands of the Witch is, as I have stated earlier, fascinating and disturbing to watch, but is it entertaining? Not really.
Is it a bad film...definitely not. It is a strongly made film by writer/director Eggers who is better know as a Production Designer and it shows, as the production values are strong and consistent, but the plot is weak (there really isn't a plot, except that the Witch is tormenting the family) and none of the family is particularly easy to root for.
So, do I recommend this film? Ultimately, I don't think so. I've used the words fascinating and disturbing quite a bit in this review and that is what this movie is...but entertaining? For me "fascinating and disturbing" does not equal entertaining, in this case.
6 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (of Marquis)