Featuring a family’s struggle with losing their faith, and the loss of childhood innocence, The Witch has every viewer not only at the edge of their seats, but at the edge of their comfort level. From the washed out color palette consisting of blues and greys to the face of its star, Anya Taylor-Joy, the film screams mystery and intrigue. The naive innocence she brings to the film is both comforting and disturbing once the viewer sees what is in store for her and her family.
On the surface, it is the story of a puritanical 17th-century English family enduring an American nightmare, tormented by a wicked witch who steals their children and their souls. But beneath that surface lurks something more disturbing – a tale of God-fearing folk whose terrified belief in the twisted fantasies of folklore hides their own darker secrets.
Set in the isolated mid 17th century New England a family is religiously persecuted against and is forced to move from their town into the wilderness. Once the youngest child, Samuel (Axtun Henry Dube) is snatched away under his sister Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), our protagonist’s, watchful eyes, the family begins to delve into utter chaos.
As the movie progresses, the tension builds. Even when nothing explicitly scary is happening, all of the parts work in tandem to make the plot feel frightening: Jarin Blaschke's cinematography, the score by Mark Korven, Robert Eggers' direction and script (drawn from New England lore), and the small, phenomenal cast.
The discordant strains of Mark Korven’s score evoke a symphony of strings and eerie scrapes that give way to an image of thoughtful prayer, as father William (Ralph Ineson) leads his brood in face-down worship on the outskirts of an imposing wood.
The woods, in this film, also pose a very interesting prospect. While being the subject of seemingly out of place cutaways that are however perfect for this film, we only venture into the mysterious setting briefly. However, Eggers’ plan was to play off the fear that he created, the fear of the unknown. By rarely showing us images of the actual witches that wreaked havoc among this family the viewer was easily able to just imagine the horrors that took place in those woods without even needing to see them. The Witch as a story whose demons lurk largely within the mind.
New England native Eggers has clearly researched his history in depth (as he did quite literally find his own devil in the details) and lifts dialogue directly from contemporaneous diaries, letters, and religious documents.
When we finally reach the film’s shocking finale, it is almost a welcome release as the viewer feels quite on edge while enduring such an inclusive film.
Overall, the performances delivered by each one of the actors was phenomenal. The efforts of everyone who worked on this project seemed to blend perfectly into something truly spectacular. The Witch is chilling, drawing out not only the witches that we dream of, but the witches that walk among us.
