The Witch (2015)

Summary:

Based off of journal entries from the time period and folklore, The VVitch is a film about the psychological downfall of a puritan family. Ostracised by their community, a family of puritans is forced to relocate to the outskirts of an eerie forest. As they struggle to adjust to their isolated farm, their youngest son, Samuel, goes missing under the care of their oldest daughter, Thomasin. The family is plagued by thoughts of a witch living in the forest before them. Their fears of the witch mixed with their religious beliefs cause them to turn against one another.

Review:

The VVitch is a fantastically executed and chilling period piece revolving around Puritans in the 1600’s. With that being said, if you’re looking for a “hollywood” styled horror this isn’t it. This film focused on more of the horrors of humanity, the morality of the individuals, and effects of religion in that time period through a family’s decline. 

It was a very accurate portrayal of the time period. The costumes, dialogue, and acting was great. The bleak coloring the film I felt also really helped set the mood of what was emotionally going on with the family. That and the set design gave the film a claustrophobic feel to it. Some other aspects I enjoyed were the long periods of silence within dialogue and an intense music score which played into the tension of the film.

The dialogue and events of the film were actually based off of journal entries and writings of people who lived in that time period which made it all the more horrific for me. Relying on folklore to tell the story allowed the film to stray from current Hollywood style horror. It tied in the authentically historical aspect with an eerie supernatural one. I thought it was a great reflection of how people let their beliefs control everything. When the family gets hit with more problems that they come to face through their hardships, they become more suspicious of each other. They slowly turn against one another and shift blame out of their own fears and vulnerability.

The beginning scenes with the witch and Samuel were very disturbing. I loved the scenes of her in her den with the baby, it was incredibly shocking. For most of the film the family didn’t even know if there was truly a witch in the forest or not, and that fear of what could be, drove them mad. Throughout the film you’d wonder if that witch will attack the family, but in the end the family is what brought themselves down. 

Most of the time the thought of witches was used to blame Thomasin or shift blame of their hardships between one another in the family. The idea of what extreme religious beliefs can do to people was the most terrifying thing to me. A scene that sticks out to me was when Caleb was in the forest with his father asking if his missing brother would be going to hell, and his father talks about how they’re all sinners from birth. It really shows the extremism in their beliefs.

Wouldst thou like to live deliciously? The end scene with Black Philip speaking to Thomasin was chilling. Having the goat talk to her in the darkness was beautifully haunting. That scene was burned in my mind for a while. At that moment in the film you also feel a strange relief for Thomasin, especially with the following scenes of her joining the other witches. When she begins levitating and laughing it was such an emotional moment in the film. The whole ending sequence I thought was fantastic.

I loved the film, but if you go into it seeking the thrill of a horror film and expect jump scares and a rollercoaster of heightened suspense, this is not it. The VVitch was also a great mixture of genres so lovers of drama, period pieces, and psychological horror can come together to appreciate the film.