The Witch (2016)
directed by: Robert Eggers
starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, Lucas Dawson, Bathsheba Garnett, Sarah Stephens
format: Movie Theatre
6?
(out of 5)
The Movie: Wasn't sure how I would enjoy the Witch when I went to the theatre to see it. Period films are hard and most of the time nowadays you get a fair attempt but 90% of the time the wardrobe and dialogue is all wrong and in turn in my opinion just takes away from the film. Not the case with the Witch. The masses seemed to not get it which is predicable. A movie like this isn't for everyone, it's original, classy, well written, and not full of tits, explosions, and beautiful well known actors. People complain about remakes, cgi-overdone movies, PG-13 nightmares, etc. yet when a true horror film like this one comes out no one really goes to see it, masses wise. The horror community seemed to love it. For the most part, still a lot of people who need their dicks hard and eyes wowed to enjoy a movie but I think a lot of my fellow horror addicts at least "appreciated" the film for what it was, as a friend in the indie business told me. I will also add that this movie was the worst theatre experience of my entire life. A couple blathered the whole way through the movie after coming in almost 30 minutes in...missing the key scene during the first act which sets up the movie, and then yelling, "That's it!?" when the movie was over...all of this and I still very much enjoyed the experience of this movie. So much so I was able to block them out, even when they got louder as the film got louder.
The Acting: Just plain frickkn superb. The dialect the children and adults used must have taken a long time to use and all of them were flawless. Am I not used to the language and therefore a poor judge of it...maybe but at no point did I, like in many period films, roll my eyes because of the poor attempt at the dialect. Case in point Keanu Reeves, Bram Stoker's Dracula. Harvey Scrimshaw for me was the shining star. That boy did well.
The Gore/Fx: Very real, and while there isn't a lot thrown around for a gorehound the movie definitely has it's fair share of the red stuff. The Witch herself was just frightening...and naked. A small scene of obvious poor cgi but it gets a pass from me since there were no other noticeable cgi effects throughout the film. Very old school.
The Script: Best part of the film. Original and again the dialogue and dialect used was just amazing. To throw the basic set up without spoiling anything we have William and his family who set up their farm away from the plantation where the rest of the English settlers have staked claim. William has differences with the council and opts to leave and live elsewhere instead of being shamed and kicked out. Of course unknown to William he sets up his family in the territory of a witch, a very nasty witch and you can take it from there. The family dynamic is riveting here. Pretty soon the whole family including the young children begin to blame one another for being in league with or being a witch themselves. Loved this aspect of the film.
The Shots: The sets and shots used in this film were so on point I felt like I was watching a Hammer film. Most period films nowadays just flub the whole look. Either go 100% or don't bother making a period film. The angles during the Witch scenes created enough fear and tension to make me jump and ultimately creeped out. If you need jump scares (which I don't hate as much as some viewers) you probably won't like this kind of movie. The writing, shooting, and lighting sell the fear here.
The Score/Music: Great collection of sounds and score. No complaints.
The Rating: This one's off my chart. 5 for sure wish I could go 6. Lastly if you are a mass viewer and cannot appreciate period films or slow story building films please don't bother you won't get it. If that insults you don't bother either.
The Acting: Just plain frickkn superb. The dialect the children and adults used must have taken a long time to use and all of them were flawless. Am I not used to the language and therefore a poor judge of it...maybe but at no point did I, like in many period films, roll my eyes because of the poor attempt at the dialect. Case in point Keanu Reeves, Bram Stoker's Dracula. Harvey Scrimshaw for me was the shining star. That boy did well.
The Script: Best part of the film. Original and again the dialogue and dialect used was just amazing. To throw the basic set up without spoiling anything we have William and his family who set up their farm away from the plantation where the rest of the English settlers have staked claim. William has differences with the council and opts to leave and live elsewhere instead of being shamed and kicked out. Of course unknown to William he sets up his family in the territory of a witch, a very nasty witch and you can take it from there. The family dynamic is riveting here. Pretty soon the whole family including the young children begin to blame one another for being in league with or being a witch themselves. Loved this aspect of the film.
The Score/Music: Great collection of sounds and score. No complaints.
The Rating: This one's off my chart. 5 for sure wish I could go 6. Lastly if you are a mass viewer and cannot appreciate period films or slow story building films please don't bother you won't get it. If that insults you don't bother either.
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