THE WITCH

A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession. —IMDB

Critics have been praising THE WITCH but, in my view, it is pretty average apart from the interesting fact that it is based on fairy tales, historical trials, and witchcraft of the 1600s. Much of the dialog is verbatim from records of the time. The screenplay is quite subtle so this is not a horror film as most contemporary ones are. The acting is good, particularly that of Anya Taylor-Joy who plays the part of Thomas who is accused of being a witch by her family. The soundtrack is silent a lot of the time but, when there is any music, it is eerie and screeching. The cinematography is dark, pale, washed out and depressing lending an oppressive atmosphere to the story in which there is constant unease and the feeling that “something” is going to happen. The ending is very bizarre and I assume is drawn from some of the fairytales of the time — very over-the-top. I think this movie is probably for those who want an arty horror mystery rather than those who like modern, slasher horror.