Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie
The Witch
Director: Robert Eggers
Rating: 4/5
By the end of 2015, The Witch was one of the most talked about and anticipated horror films of 2016, having played extensively on the festival circuit.
The movie had been met with rave reviews and now the long wait for UK audiences to see the film is finally over... I am glad to say that it is a movie that does not disappoint and sets the bar for all other horror movies that follow this year.
The Witch follows a Christian family in 1930s New England, who struggle to survive on the edge of the wilderness in a remote cabin. The family was kicked out of a plantation due to William's outspoken views on the lack of religious principles in the settlement.
When one of their five children goes missing and their plants fail, paranoia sets in and the family begin turning on one another. The deterioration of the family unit allows evil to creep in and start to destroy them.
Hard to believe, but The Witch is the feature film and screenwriting debut for Robert Eggers and it really is a triumph - it is one of the best directorial debuts I have seen for quite some time.
Eggers really has delivered a masterclass in suspense as he creates an unsettling feel right from the start and build the tension scene by scene and moment by moment. It really is edge of you seat stuff.
What I loved about this film so much, is Eggers didn't rely on cheap scares and CGI gimmicks to make your blood run cold; instead, he did it all with terrific storytelling and wonderful imagery.
This may be a horror film, but The Witch really is a beautiful looking movie as he captures the struggle to survive on the edge of the wilderness in the 17th century so well.
The Witch is set years before the Salem Witch trials but Eggers shows how paranoia and fear of witches can cause people - even families to turn on one another. Eggers has decided to show this impact on just one family rather than a whole village, but it still packs an almighty punch.
The 17th-century setting does make The Witch different to any other horror film that is set for release this year and it is exciting to see a first-time filmmaker bring something different to this genre.
From start to finish, The Witch is a tense, atmospheric and incredibly unsettling film that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled. If you are a fan of the horror genre, The Witch is a film that you cannot afford to miss this weekend.
The Witch is out now.