“The Witch” suffers from a lot of deceiving promotion that made it look like our average cheap theatrics horror. It’s actually a slow-burning, elegant dark fairytale dripping with a uniquely eerie, dreadful atmosphere and effectively brought to life by realistic characters. For his first feature film, director and writer Robert Eggers did extensive research on the 17th-century witchcraft folklore and puritan lifestyle. He went for a minimalistic approach, preferring realistic and crude staging over costume drama glamour and gothic cinema cliches. Everything is shot with natural lighting and little frills, yet each frame is haunting, poetically beautiful, blending perfectly with the supernatural elements. Visual effects and gore are kept minimal, yet there are a lot of genuinely disturbing moments. The approach and taste are modern, yet the style, pacing, and aesthetics somehow remind of classic cinema a la Bergman and Herzog.
The plot is simple and predictable: an outcast puritan family sets up a farm near the woods where a coven of witches lives. Needless to say, the witches cannot wait to get their hands on the children. You kind of know what is going to happen while you watch, and there is no mystery to solve. Everything is clear from the beginning, but what matters here is how the film manages to create a particular atmosphere and empathy for the characters through tasteful visual storytelling. The relationships between the six family members, the way superstition and faith in God manage to pull all the strings even before the witches actually come into play. You can’t help feeling bad for all of them. The acting is good and natural, bringing out the dramatic tone of the dialogues without cheapening the lines. Subtitles or earphones are highly recommended for non-native speakers as it’s easy to miss many nuances.
The film starts a bit too slow and verbose indeed, but the pacing gets a little better in the second half. Still, it will not give you what you want if you are looking for an entertaining film full of special effects, action and gore. Go for it only if you are into psychological and contemplative cinema. It lacks that unconventional, groundbreaking thing that a true masterpiece needs, but it’s definitely one of the most elegant horror films out there, and a great directorial debut for Robert Eggers.
Review by manicureVIP 4BlockedParent2021-05-01T14:35:39Z
“The Witch” suffers from a lot of deceiving promotion that made it look like our average cheap theatrics horror. It’s actually a slow-burning, elegant dark fairytale dripping with a uniquely eerie, dreadful atmosphere and effectively brought to life by realistic characters. For his first feature film, director and writer Robert Eggers did extensive research on the 17th-century witchcraft folklore and puritan lifestyle. He went for a minimalistic approach, preferring realistic and crude staging over costume drama glamour and gothic cinema cliches. Everything is shot with natural lighting and little frills, yet each frame is haunting, poetically beautiful, blending perfectly with the supernatural elements. Visual effects and gore are kept minimal, yet there are a lot of genuinely disturbing moments. The approach and taste are modern, yet the style, pacing, and aesthetics somehow remind of classic cinema a la Bergman and Herzog.
The plot is simple and predictable: an outcast puritan family sets up a farm near the woods where a coven of witches lives. Needless to say, the witches cannot wait to get their hands on the children. You kind of know what is going to happen while you watch, and there is no mystery to solve. Everything is clear from the beginning, but what matters here is how the film manages to create a particular atmosphere and empathy for the characters through tasteful visual storytelling. The relationships between the six family members, the way superstition and faith in God manage to pull all the strings even before the witches actually come into play. You can’t help feeling bad for all of them. The acting is good and natural, bringing out the dramatic tone of the dialogues without cheapening the lines. Subtitles or earphones are highly recommended for non-native speakers as it’s easy to miss many nuances.
The film starts a bit too slow and verbose indeed, but the pacing gets a little better in the second half. Still, it will not give you what you want if you are looking for an entertaining film full of special effects, action and gore. Go for it only if you are into psychological and contemplative cinema. It lacks that unconventional, groundbreaking thing that a true masterpiece needs, but it’s definitely one of the most elegant horror films out there, and a great directorial debut for Robert Eggers.