Reviewing "The Witch": an excellent, moody slow-burn horror film

The Witch is a horror film directed by Robert Eggers, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, and Kate Dickie. It follows an American Puritan family in the 1630s living in exile at the edge of a nearby forest as they are tormented by hostile otherworldly forces.

Firstly, the acting. Anya Taylor-Joy's performance as Thomasin, eldest daughter of the family, is wonderfully intense and sincere in displaying the hardships of the life of a young Puritan girl, especially one whose role in the family is so thankless and ignored. Throughout the film, she tries to win her mother's approval and dutifully support her family, but is instead repeatedly used as a scapegoat for much of the family's woes. Ralph Ineson plays gruff but well-meaning father William, and Kate Dickie plays distant mother Katherine. Every character feels real, no doubt helped by the authentic dialogue accurate to the time period, which must have been difficult to remember and was painstakingly researched by the production team.

Secondly, the atmosphere. The whole film has a constant air of tragedy and sadness, and even in scenes where there is nothing overtly scary happening, the viewer will be on the edge of their seat, expecting something horrible to happen, but no. The tension builds and builds. Over the course of the film, the bonds between the family members are pushed to the limit as they grow increasingly desperate and some become hostile to one another, charging each scene with a sense of profound unease, so you're never certain of what will happen next. That is the masterstroke of the film, the continual "slow-burn" tension and uncertainty that will keep audiences disoriented and searching for concrete answers.

The film, aside from being a horror film focused largely on exploiting tension and unsettling imagery, is also an excellent demonstration of how harsh the average Puritan family's life was at the time, out in the wilderness without support, and how quickly a family can succumb to paranoia thanks to stress and tragedy. Thanks to the mixture of more mundane family drama and gripping terror, there are many ways to interpret the film's events, and I am glad that the film allows for that flexibility since I feel that horror, with its basis in creating fear, should let audiences draw on their own fears and experiences while watching.

In conclusion, the film is an excellent "slow-burn" horror film, with masterful performances, a great mood and atmosphere, and the benefit of being vague enough to allow for multiple interpretations.

Score: 10/10