Disturbing Take on Puritan Folktales

Rating: 10/10 (21 December 2019)

(Rating as a movie) After watching The Witch, I felt something in my stomach. It was a feeling that I rarely feel after watching a film. The feeling that this movie created in my stomach was dread. Is this movie scary? I think so. But it wasn't the actual witch that had me sweating throughout the the film, rather, it was the psychological torment that the main characters were going through during the events of the movie. Seeing each character break down into madness was haunting, and was only complimented by the amazing soundtrack that added an extra layer of tension to each scene. The characters were extremely well written, each with their own motivations, fears, and flaws. The acting in this movie is fantastic, and never at any point did I not believe any of the characters, they were all portrayed very well, and even the child actors did a pretty good job. The whole film takes place around one small house, which creates a feeling of isolation and hopelessness, which is complimented by the film's ugly, grey color palette and dark lighting. Disturbing things happen throughout the film, but despite this, the film never relied on cheap gore to shock audiences, but rather sets up a disturbing canvas, and asks the viewer to paint the rest of the picture. It leaves the most disturbing moments up to interpretation, and as a result, made them more impactful to the audience. This psychological build up continues to grow until the very end, at which point the film just pours out all of the madness that it's built up for the audience to witness. I wouldn't classify The Witch as a horror, but rather, a dark drama with disturbing elements of horror sprinkled in. As a movie, I'd rate The Witch 10/10.