Director: Robert Eggers
By Alex Watson
Robert Eggers conjures up one of the most impressive debuts of 2016 in The Witch. Focusing on themes rather than outright scares push this movie to a new level of spooks. Set in the time of 17th century Puritans, there is a foreboding sense of eerie dread only minutes into the film. Eggers has confessed his own childhood fascination with witches and his picture doesn't resort to cheap gimmicks and instead forces us to look around us for the answers.
In 1630, deeply religious father William (Ralph Ineson) forces his wife Katherine (Kate Dickie) along with children to leave their New England plantation in search of their own land. When they find a spot they attempt to grow corn and live a righteous life. When their crops fail to materialize and their baby son disappears while in the care of daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) it becomes clear that all is not right with the land.
The Witch has a lurking sense of evil almost from the get go and as the family finds their land opposite a deep and scary woods- we hear loud and frightening wails. When Samuel disappears while Thomasin plays peek-a-boo with him, the family automatically assumes it was a wolf that dragged him away. Through the brief but unnerving glimpses of the creature, the audience knows far differently. This along with the failing crops causes the family to slowly break apart. The subtly of the evil on show is well done by Eggers and what starts with little things like the young twins continually whispering to a black goat soon starts to raise serious questions.
At the centre is a heavy religious vibe and with bad luck constantly striking this family we begin to wonder is this a curse from the almighty? Thomasin along with her younger brother Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw) both recognise that their father's fanatical approach isn't the way forward. Though both fear damnation and reminiscent of the New England witch hunts, Thomasin is at first jokingly accused of witchcraft. What starts as being in jest soon escalates into sheer terror and suspicion and Katherine begins to lose her mind. Caleb is a boy being pushed into manhood prematurely and although he wishes to do good, he is in over his head. The moment when he comes across a beautiful incarnation of the witch is a sure-fire candidate for the biggest scare of the picture.
What is most impressive about this picture, is how Eggers continually maintains the tension. Among the Ye Olde English language, he only uses scares when absolutely needed. This comes in handy during a third act which in other hands could have fallen to pieces. Watching the family come apart as the devil likely wanders the outside the farm is devastating. Eggers tendency to use bizarre and unusual framing also adds to the discomfort. What is perhaps the most shocking is sheer unbelievability of the denouncement (spoilers to be withheld). After nearly two hours of our assumptions going back and forth- the truth is far more frightening than we could have imagined. Eggers emerges as a real star but his creatures although infrequent leaving a far more lasting impression.
Veteran British actors Ralph Ineson (best known as Finchy in The Office) and Kate Dickie give a fine and believable impression of fanatical parents both coping with grief in opposite ways. Dickie, in particular, is a barmy revelation as a mother who by her own admission tells us "My heart has turned to stone!" The picture, however, belongs to Anya Taylor-Joy in a star-making turn. Showing us innocence gradually becoming lost, Taylor-Joy goes from bright-eyed youth to desperate young woman pretty quickly. Sporting a presence that is unrivaled in Egger's film, this 20 year old actress is one to watch.
The Witch is one of the big surprises of 2016 and after finding an audience at Sundance it is odds on for the scariest experience of the year.
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