By Cameron Kerkau, Staff Reporter.
I think it’s natural to look back at the Salem Witch Trials with condescension. It’s disappointing to think of the mass hysteria that plagued colonial America that led to twenty executions. All because those silly 17th century Puritans believed in witches. We are so proud in our assurance of the modern world that it’s hard to relate to the fear that tormented early Americans, but “The Witch” will humble you.
The directorial debut of Robert Eggers, “The Witch” stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, and Lucas Dawson as a New England family banished from a Puritan plantation. They find a plot of land near a forest to try to start a new life, but there is an evil in the forest that has other plans for the family.
The film takes place in 1630, and since most of the film stays on the same plot of land, the actors are burdened with convincing us of the era. They do a remarkable job of making their 17th century speech patterns feel natural. Even the very young actors, Grainger and Dawson, are convincing.
The pacing in “The Witch” is extremely calculated, leading us steadily down the decline of the family’s collective sanity. It’s a slow burn, and it might have been tedious if it wasn’t for the hellishness of the beginning. That, along with the meticulous cinematography, makes it hard to be bored.
The movie plays on your expectations to keep you uncomfortable. It pelts you with screeching violins that beg for jump scares that don’t happen. Instead, they pull you through effectively jarring scene changes, and the halt of the violins is just as, if not more, disturbing than a scary face popping up on-screen. Though there are jump scares, they happen without the slightest visual or auditory forewarning.
“The Witch” mixes supernatural themes into the familiar story of paranoid Puritan settlers. It’s a silly and amazing feeling to experience the fear of a witch, as if you’re there with the family as a 17th century pilgrim. This blend manifests on screen as both grotesque imagery and palpable anxiety. There were two moments where I wouldn’t look at the screen. The first moment was violent and bloody, the other was just a conversation.
“The Witch” is a valiant entrance from Eggers, who is credited as both director and screenwriter. It may well go down in film history as a horror classic.
