"The Witch" is a Powerful Depiction of Scapegoating
 |
| The Witch (2016) |
From the trailer alone I knew that The Witch (sometimes written as The VVitch for the sake of style) would be an absolutely horrifying experience, and I was not wrong. First and foremost, allow me to ramble momentarily about how phenomenal this film is and the fact that it is not only a fantastic horror film but a wonderful historical movie as well. It centers around a small family living out in the woods where they attempt to start a farm of their own after fleeing their colony due to the father's unorthodox religious beliefs (which, admittedly, must have been pretty horrifying and legalistic if they were severe enough to frighten pilgrims). The film's score is haunting, atmospheric, experimental, and composed using nothing but instruments available in the time period the story takes place in, creating a strange and surreal sort of immersive experience for the audience. All outdoor scenes were filmed with only natural lighting (not unlike another fantastic film, The Revenant, which took things to the next level with natural lighting indoors as well) and the entire farm was built from scratch by the crew in the middle of the woods in a matter of days.
After the family flees to a farm of their own strange things begin happening (which is to be expected, this is a horror movie, after all), such as animals escaping from traps set out for food, crops dying, goats no longer giving them milk, and their youngest son disappearing. These occurrences all lead to the family falling victim to one of humanity's most common acts of pastime: scapegoating. The scapegoating of their eldest daughter is hardly surprising, considering her mother resents her for being imperfect and stumbling awkwardly into womanhood while also longing to stay with her family rather than moving elsewhere so they could have more food for themselves. However, it is rare for a film to depict scapegoating in such an accurate and vivid way. Everything which goes wrong is somehow twisted to be blamed on their eldest daughter, and when she's proven innocent time and time again she's still watched with looks of disapproval.
While The Witch has few scares and is a rather slow burn, the frightening moments it does offer are extremely intense and often times difficult to look at. Sometimes sequences where nothing happens at all are terrifying just because of the anticipation from staring out into the dark depths of the forests, uncertain of what lies waiting in all those trees. Admittedly, this film may not scare everyone, its scares are quite surreal and seem to belong more in the universe of a David Lynch film than they do something released by James Wan, but perhaps that is what makes this film stand out so well among other horror movies - well, that and the fact that it seamlessly combines historical drama with horror.
The historical aspects of the film are also amplified by the fact that lines of dialogue are lifted directly from various texts regarding witches, an act which keeps the flow of speech beautiful and poetic, often times giving the impression that one is watching a Shakespearian play set in a demented Lynchian universe. Perhaps my one complaint would be that Ralph Ineson's low and gravely murmur of a voice combined with delivering such odd and unconventional dialogue calls for either subtitles or repeated viewings in order to fully understand what he says in each scene.
The Witch is also impressive when you take into consideration the fact that this is its writer and director, Robert Eggers', first full-length feature film. He has several new projects in the works now, one being a historically accurate depiction of knights in the medieval era, and a remake of the classic Nosferatu, both of which will certainly be fantastic since they rest in the hands of such a wonderful and capable director. After seeing The Witch I am absolutely certain that Robert Eggers can do no wrong, and I only hope that his future releases prove me right.
In conclusion, The Witch is terrifying in its realism, and its slow pacing only makes for a more memorable and haunting experience which cautiously avoids dipping into being boring. I cannot recommend this movie enough, both for fans of horror and people interested in seeing something unlike any other horror movie they have experienced before.
After the family flees to a farm of their own strange things begin happening (which is to be expected, this is a horror movie, after all), such as animals escaping from traps set out for food, crops dying, goats no longer giving them milk, and their youngest son disappearing. These occurrences all lead to the family falling victim to one of humanity's most common acts of pastime: scapegoating. The scapegoating of their eldest daughter is hardly surprising, considering her mother resents her for being imperfect and stumbling awkwardly into womanhood while also longing to stay with her family rather than moving elsewhere so they could have more food for themselves. However, it is rare for a film to depict scapegoating in such an accurate and vivid way. Everything which goes wrong is somehow twisted to be blamed on their eldest daughter, and when she's proven innocent time and time again she's still watched with looks of disapproval.
While The Witch has few scares and is a rather slow burn, the frightening moments it does offer are extremely intense and often times difficult to look at. Sometimes sequences where nothing happens at all are terrifying just because of the anticipation from staring out into the dark depths of the forests, uncertain of what lies waiting in all those trees. Admittedly, this film may not scare everyone, its scares are quite surreal and seem to belong more in the universe of a David Lynch film than they do something released by James Wan, but perhaps that is what makes this film stand out so well among other horror movies - well, that and the fact that it seamlessly combines historical drama with horror.
The historical aspects of the film are also amplified by the fact that lines of dialogue are lifted directly from various texts regarding witches, an act which keeps the flow of speech beautiful and poetic, often times giving the impression that one is watching a Shakespearian play set in a demented Lynchian universe. Perhaps my one complaint would be that Ralph Ineson's low and gravely murmur of a voice combined with delivering such odd and unconventional dialogue calls for either subtitles or repeated viewings in order to fully understand what he says in each scene.
The Witch is also impressive when you take into consideration the fact that this is its writer and director, Robert Eggers', first full-length feature film. He has several new projects in the works now, one being a historically accurate depiction of knights in the medieval era, and a remake of the classic Nosferatu, both of which will certainly be fantastic since they rest in the hands of such a wonderful and capable director. After seeing The Witch I am absolutely certain that Robert Eggers can do no wrong, and I only hope that his future releases prove me right.
In conclusion, The Witch is terrifying in its realism, and its slow pacing only makes for a more memorable and haunting experience which cautiously avoids dipping into being boring. I cannot recommend this movie enough, both for fans of horror and people interested in seeing something unlike any other horror movie they have experienced before.
Comments
Post a Comment