Haunt-tober 2024 is here and it’s time to dive into the macabre, the strange, and the frightful during this beloved time! Join me as I spend the month discussing new and classic films.
When I first watched the fantastic film from Robert Eggers I was surprised to find that this supernatural tale was much deeper, darker, and layered than I could have ever anticipated.
For a horror fan, that’s a huge win.
Set in the 1600’s in New England, The Witch follows a devout Puritan family that is banished into the remote woods. The family includes: William (Ralph Ineson) Katherine (Kate Dickie), their eldest daughter, Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw), and youngest Mercy (Ellie Grainger) and Jonas (Lucas Dawson).
When their infant son mysteriously vanishes, the family descends into paranoia, suspecting witchcraft as strange occurrences plague them.
What occurs within this family is a uniquely odd sequence of events.
The Witch wrestles with aspects of extreme faith and a loss of innocence within the wooded isolation that the family has to grapple with. This atmospheric horror tackles so much in a way that’s organic and understandable that it is terrifying.
There’s an incredibly immersive quality to the movie that is further heightened by Egger‘s painstakingly particular attention to the details and customs of the time. Along with gorgeous cinematography, The Witch is unlike any other folk horror that came before or since. In many ways it reinvigorated the subgenre and inspired others to rediscover what makes this so riveting.
The Witch showed us horror, but most importantly, made us feel the unrelenting tension and discomfort within an intimate setting. This doesn’t feature a lot of characters so the mood is especially important within this familial group.
It also uses ambiguity, leaving viewers questioning whether the evil is supernatural, psychological, or both.
The Witch is an exceptional horror that dives deep within the confines of our own uncertainties, especially within the time it’s portrayed. Infectious and influential, The Witch is one of the best horror films of the 2010’s.
More Haunt-Tober coverage to come!