As anybody who has had the pleasure of reading Robert McCammon's masterful "Matthew Corbett series" already knows: New England back in the day was all kinds of fucked up! Disease, hostile animals, food shortages, no internet, lack of fresh drinking water, harsh weather and worst of all..witches.
As the film opens, a family (mother, father and four children) are banished from a colony due to unspecified religious differences. The family sets up shop in a promising looking field near running water and the edge of a forest. Things go alright for awhile, but then insects start eating the crops and the youngest baby straight up disappears. Tension among the family grows and grows. All the while, a large black goat watches the family with a smug look on his evil, furry face that you could just hug to death! He's so cute! Yes, he is!!! Who's the cutest, most evil goat in all the world?!
THE WITCH is an impressive directorial debut by director/writer Robert Eggers, but personally I would have went for a more fucked up ending. That's just me though. I always enjoy a steady build-up followed by an explosion of violence and gore.
Mild violence, poorly lit nudity that doesn't even really count, good pace, impressive acting by the entire cast, awesome old-timey dialogue, atmospheric music that added to the creepy feel of the movie, surprisingly low amount of actual witch action. Also, for some unknown reason, while thinking about the film afterwards, my handsome mind kept going back to the final act of THE BLACKCOAT'S DAUGHTER. Now that I think of it: that'd actually make an interesting double-feature with this film.
Recommended.
