Due to a frustratingly limited release here in Australia, my fear of having to endure the agonising wait to see The Witch on home media was thankfully never realised. I was lucky enough to win a double pass to see it exclusively at Melbourne’s very own Cinema Nova this past Thursday night, thanks to an online promotion through Monster Pictures. Set in the early 17th century, a Puritan family are terrorized by an evil force dwelling in the large forest beyond their New England farm. Fear and superstition develop into paranoia as occurrences intensify, tearing the family apart.
With its basis firmly set in the annals of American folklore, first-time director Robert Eggers utilises striking and often disturbing imagery as symbolic reference to perceived incarnations of evil, the onset of womanhood and strict religious doctrine; while mostly subtle, this ambitious piece quickly gets under your skin. Many folktales tell of temptation’s lure in times of great strife, with witches and even the Devil himself often taking the form of seemingly innocent individuals or animals to entice the desperate and morally corrupt; implications of this are made towards certain characters who feel are most burdened with responsibility in the face of such dire circumstances. There’s an underlying sense of melancholia throughout the film, lingering beneath like an untreatable sickness; the unseen presence looms over the modest homestead as if it were hiding among the thick morning fog. Bland natural colours are fitting to the film’s dreary tone, reinforcing the increasing sense of despair, with only candlelight providing limited warmth and a feeling of momentary safety. The limited cast is a refreshing sight from Hollywood’s A-list, all of whom deliver emotionally intense performances. Newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy as the eldest child, Thomasin, is excellent in the film’s central role, a young woman who bears the brunt not of unforeseen darkness, but of accusations and animosity from her family.
Serving as more of a traditional slow-burner as opposed to a more conventional horror story, The Witch may not be what you expect. Filled with subtext and commentary on the social climate of pre-revolutionary America, graphic content is limited, but it’s the subtext and interpretive nature that prove to have the greatest effect on its audience.
THE WITCH
(2015, dir: Robert Eggers)
★★★★
You can follow cinematic randomness on Facebook and Instagram where you’ll find all my cinematic exploits. Thank you for visiting!
