New England, 1630: William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life, homesteading on the edge of an impassible wilderness, with five children. When their newborn son mysteriously vanishes and their crops fail, the family begins to turn on one another. ‘The Witch’ is a chilling portrait of a family unraveling within their own fears and anxieties, leaving them prey for an inescapable evil
As the credits displayed on the screen (they didnt “roll”), I heard some people in the audience saying how unrealistic this was, surely no one was really that dumb to believe that a witch could actually exist and make deals with children. Obviously I currently live near Seattle. However…
As a (30+ year) native of New England.. I know differently. Hell, my class field trips involved a short ride down to Salem Massachusetts to learn about the witch trials. On a side-note, no one was actually burned at the stake in Salem. That’s a myth.
I really liked “The Witch”. Although the claims of it being “Terrifying” is a bit of a stretch, it was creepy. There is no musical score, making the silence in the theater add to an uneasy feeling, and very hard to eat my popcorn without feeling like I was disturbing others.. The acting was absolutely superb! I mean, every role, adult and child.. they killed it and made a very believable family living isolated in the 1600’s, Especially Harvey Scrimshaw (Celeb) who portrayed a scene of religious ecstasy, in this, only his 2nd movie role. Seriously, it was masterful. Well done.
My only real issue with The Witch, was the ending.. which seemed a bit off from the feel of the rest of the movie, in that it was the only part of the movie that I felt was a “movie”, taken out of what could have been a real life situation, and into fantasy.
As always, if you enjoyed this look at The Witch, please Like, Share and Comment! Thank you!
