Saturday, October 21, 2017

The Witch (2015)

Director: Robert Eggers

Writer: Robert Eggers

Composer: Mark Korven

Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, Lucas Dawson, Julian Richings, Bathsheba Garnett, Sarah Stephens, Daniel Chaudhry

More info: IMDb

Tagline: A New-England Folktale.

Plot: A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession.



My rating: 8/10

Will I watch it again?  Yes.

Wow!  Congratulations to writer/director Robert Eggars on his impressive film debut.  I loved it.  The atmosphere is thick and dreary, much like how I suspect it would've been living like they did.  It's a story that I suspect will be enhanced with a second viewing.  And the music!  Wow!  Mark Korven's score perfectly compliments the dreariness and the mystery.  The only thing that bothered me were the couple of jump scares where a hand or something appeared out of nowhere with a loud bang in the music.  Other than that, it was one of the most creative scores I've heard in a long time.  The movie is only an hour and a half long but it feels longer and that's a good thing.  After the first few minutes I was captivated.  The story unfolds slowly but deliberately.   The last act gets justifiably frantic when the shit goes down and the ending is just fantastic.  It's so nice to see a small film like this that feels so fresh and takes its subject so seriously.  I watched some of the extras and there was a lot of care taken to make this film and it shows.  Highly recommended. 

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