There is a reason why The Witch is considered to be the first movie in the "elevated horror" sub-genre. It raised the stakes for what a great horror movie could be. Think that's hyperbole? Well listen to our review of The VVITCH, and we'll state our case.

* Skip to Intro - 0:40* Skip to Trailer - 4:09* Skip to Synopsis - 6:30* Skip to Review - 8:08* Skip to Score - 15:50* Skip to Spoilers - 28:50* Skip to Final Recommendations - 1:33:27* Skip to Taglines - 1:35:37* Skip to Which is a Witch - 1:38:36 * Skip to Special Thanks - 1:45:35 * Skip to Outro - 1:46:35

Thanks @dgoebel00 (dustingoebel.com) for the awesome post art of Black Phillip

The Witch can be found streaming on Netflix and available to rent

https://youtu.be/iQXmlf3Sefg
The VVitch Trailer

Plot Synopsis for The VVitch

This film is about a family that is trying to live off the land in seventeenth century New-England after being banished from a Puritan plantation due to ideological differences. The film never tells specifically what these religious differences are, but the father William (Ralph Ineson) is a devout man of god that, while prideful and stubborn, is trying to raise his family as zealous christians. William’s family is made up of his wife Katherine (Kate Dickie) and his five children Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) the eldest teenage girl, Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw) the next oldest boy that is on the cusp of puberty, the young twins Mercy and Jonas, and finally the baby Sam. While the harsh realities of homesteading in 1630 present their own danger, the family is also beset by a witch that lives in the nearby woods. 

Poster for The Witch

Thoughts on The Witch

This film’s original title was The VVitch: A New-England Folktale, and it really is that. Great lengths are taken to make this period piece authentic. From the costume design to the dialogue which is sometimes directly taken from sources from the time. I went in with a certain set of expectations with this film. I thought that the major dramatic tension in a super realistic period film would come from the mystery or doubt surrounding false witchcraft accusations ala The Crucible. Well this is not the Crucible, while realistic, this is still very much a FOLKTALE, and as such, the Witches are VERY real, and the power of the devil is frighteningly apparent.

It should be noted that this film is important in the genre as the first of the modern wave of horror films dubbed “elevated horror” that have come out of A24 films. The seriousness and craft that the director Robert Eggars is undeniable, and showed how successful serious, cerebral horror movies could be. 

I really can’t say enough good things about this film. It creates a believable world filled with relatable characters, which brings a really unprecedented gravity to some fantastical supernatural elements. There is no doubt in this movie for the audience. They go FULL WITCH, very early on, and the audience gets to witness in horror, the dramatic irony of this poor family being ripped apart by the powers of Satan.

Score

10/10

Spoilers for The Witch

Expand for Spoilers
The film opens with the father of the family, William,