New England, 1630. Upon threat of banishment by the church, an English farmer leaves his colonial plantation, relocating his wife and five children to a remote plot of land on the edge of an ominous forest—within which lurks an unknown evil. Strange and unsettling things begin to happen almost immediately—animals turn malevolent, crops fail, and one child disappears as another becomes seemingly possessed by an evil spirit. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, family members accuse teenage daughter Thomasin of witchcraft, charges she adamantly denies. As circumstances grow more treacherous, each family member’s faith, loyalty and love become tested in shocking and unforgettable ways.
Writer/director Robert Eggers’ debut feature, which painstakingly recreates a God-fearing New England decades before the 1692 Salem witch trials, is a thing of beauty. Every detail from the dialogue to the nails in the wood is damn near period perfect. It should also be noted that Eggers researched records of the period, even using them to shape the dialogue.
The cast is amazing and does a fantastic job of bringing Eggers' script to life, but Ralph Ineson steals the show as William. This man gives a performance that is so realistic that you'd believe he was abducted from 1600's New England. Ineson deserve an Oscar nomination and win for this role, because it was that good; astounding.
Lastly these three people deserve a huge round of applause. Louise Ford's editing is just magnificent. Jarin Blaschke cinematography is captivating and would make John Alcott proud. Mark Korven provides a haunting score that builds most of the tension and gets under your skin in a wicked lovely way.
The Witch is an entry into the horror genre unlike anything I have seen before. I can only liken it to The Shining and even that doesn't do the film enough justice. If you haven't sat down and watch this yet do so now.
Rating: 8/10 Stars
Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1