'The Witch' A Review

The Witch is a period horror film set in 1630 about a puritan family in New England that is exiled from their community for the patriarchs pride. The isolated family sets up a farm on the edge of a forest. While eldest child Thomasin(Anya Taylor-Joy) is playing peek-a-boo with her baby brother he is mysteriously stolen. The culprit is quickly revealed to be a witch who lurks in the forest however her true identity is unclear. As strange events mount the family suffers under rising tensions and panic.

Taylor-Joy as the lead give a decent performance, engaging if not altogether authentic. Ralph Ineson and Kate Dickie as the father and mother provide compelling enough turns, Ineson especially aided by his raspy voice and the period language. Harvey Scrimshaw as Caleb is the weakest link falling short of believability through most of his screen time. All the aforementioned portrayals suffer from a nagging sense of artifice, the twins of the family played by Ellie Grainger and Lucas Dawson however have no such handicap. The twins embody and seem to relish the spirit of the creeping terror tale, a rival to the hall of fame horror twins of The Shining.

The period language, eerie score, and haunting landscapes do much to enhance the already palpable mood created by the piece however there is something over familiar that detracts from the intended fright. Perhaps because the Salem witch trials are such a part of the fabric of American legend that this seemingly by-the-numbers depiction of that eras worst fear holds little mystery. The personification of that often reiterated story rather too stock. Certainly there is some terrifying imagery however there is never any suspense about what will happen or where the story will end.

Aesthetically sharp, narratively routine, a retelling with no contemporary insight.

Rent It.