Review of The Witch

A zealous man and his family are cast out of Puritan society after a difference of opinion about scripture and left to fend for themselves in the wilderness. The facade of piety soon gives way to the destructive nature of their personal demons which a coven in the woods exploits to their ends. But what will bring this family to its knees, dark and Satanic evil or their own natures?

To say "The VVitch" is brilliant is, quite frankly, an understatement. To be fair, it is not a film for everyone. Attention spans the size of a gnat will most likely not enjoy this meticulously paced affair. Gorehounds and those that obsess with slashers might as well hit stop before they play. This is not a slight on a viewer's intelligence but rather a fair warning to those expecting something else. For those of us that love a thick atmosphere, excellent character work, and a slow boil that builds up to an ear-piercing scream (not to mention beautiful cinematography, an excellent score, and an amazing cast)...well, this one is for us.

The VVitch is not just a film about the supernatural condemnation laid upon a family left to survive in the wilderness. Mind you, it would of been a great movie with that simple structure given how well it depicts this side of the whole affair, but it's a far better movie for what it aspires to say (and achieves) as a condemnation of the negative effects of oppressive piety and the corrupting nature of personal sin/guilt.

In many ways, the more horrifying aspects of this film are seeing how raging zealotry is used as a crushing hammer, how paranoia and resentment will foster enmity among those that love each other, and how an innocent scapegoat can be bent and twisted by the overbearing nature of other people's sin. Not to insinuate that the ethereal world doesn't dig its cold claws into you. On the contrary, the film balances this personal horror with the disturbing with expert ease that draws a stunning parallel between both which, ultimately, leads to a stunning conclusion for the annals of horror history.

This one is a classic, through and through.