Review: The Witch (2015)
The Witch, stylised as "The VVitch", is a 2015 film directed by Robert Eggers. Getting right into it, this film is an absolutely stunning directorial debut. In its tight 90-minute runtime, The Witch evokes a clear sense of place and communicates its tense, horrific tone without hesitation or adulteration.
I have always been a bigger fan of atmospheric/tension horror than other horror subgenres, and The Witch is an exemplar of the former. Eggers puts the screws on early and keeps twisting; brief moments of calm were consistently interrupted by a pervasive wrongness, stealing respite from the characters and audience. The malaise suffusing the film is no better exemplified than by the forest near the family farm; it is a dominating, looming presence whenever onscreen. Woodland can often seem deeper than one imagines, and the ways the score and cinematography frame the forest only serve to enhance this perception.
Underpinning the uneasy atmosphere of the film is one of its most striking qualities: the lighting. Eggers chose to light sets solely by daylight or candle light, and this single choice fuels much of the film’s stunning visual style. Daytime scenes appear brutally real whilst shadows push in around the characters at night, threatening to consume their faith, sanity, and life. The way in which Eggers uses visual contrast to highlight conflicts and emotions foreshadows his foray into black-and-white media with The Lighthouse (2019). The same stark, high-contrast thinking can be seen in the film’s characters. In particular, Ralph Ineson portrays the spiralling religious desperation of the family’s patriarch excellently, with full support from the script.
The film wraps up with a poise and dignity that I sorely wish was present in more productions; the credits could have rolled at any point in the final 10 minutes or so and I would have felt satisfied. Having said that, I believe the ending we got was the most complete and thematically strongest. In summary, The Witch is a masterful film; go watch it, ideally in a darkened room.