Review: The VVitch

First things first, I feel I should begin this review with a disclaimer, I generally don’t do horror films. Ever. Yet boredom and curiosity drove me to check out Robert Eggers’ latest production, The Witch (stylised as The VVitch), during the 60th Cork Film Festival, and I found myself to be pleasantly surprised. The Witch, subtitled A New England Folk Tale, tells the story of a Puritan family who are cast out by their village, and after setting up a new life in isolation, are terrorised by a mysterious force of evil coming from a nearby forest. It is a strikingly unique and tense slow-burner that teases you with the prospect of what is hiding beyond the woods without relying on unrealistic CGI or an abundance of jump scares. You are never truly able to predict how the story will go as it twists and turns and leaves you quietly asking “what the hell?” as you leave the cinema. Robert Eggers brilliantly manages to build up the suspense through an extremely eerie soundtrack that acts as a constant presence throughout the entire film, and startlingly realistic dialogue. In order to maintain an authentic atmosphere, written accounts from the period were used as a reference, which leads you to be fully immersed in the world the characters live in.  It has some great performances. Every character is portrayed in a gritty and realistic manner, with each family member standing out in their own way, ranging from the pious father, the grieving mother, and the ridiculously creepy twins who are disturbing enough in their own right, but also insist on conversing with a sinister black goat for the majority of the film. The two stand-out performances came from the eldest children, Thomasin and Caleb, who were played by Anya Taylor-Joy and Harvey Scrimshaw. I was originally unsure of Scrimshaw’s acting, but he redeems himself about halfway through the film, in a scene that in the interest of keeping this a spoiler-free review, I won’t describe, but will state is truly memorable. Now, it wasn’t perfect. I felt that the space between the creepy scenes was sometimes maybe a bit too long, leaving lengthy periods of what is more akin to a weird, religious-themed family drama rather than a horror film. Also, I wouldn’t watch The Witch for the sole purpose of getting scared. Despite what the trailer looks like, it really isn’t a full-blown horror fest. Rather it’s an incredibly intense and creepy film that teases the viewer, rather than giving fright after fright.