The Witch offers much to the viewer via its well-researched and therefore, realistic portrayal of New England colonists and strong performances from its actors, but ultimately fails in its final act, unfortunately because Act I and II were promising. Set in colonial New England, The Witch is about a family who is exiled from their village and live alone, struggling with bad harvest and a lack of food. After the abduction of the youngest child, the family falls into despair and soon, having previously survived on their faith and God and each other, fall victim to their growing distrust of one another and the witches that dwell in the wood.
After the movie, before the ending credits, a brief statement is projected on the screen informing the viewer that much of the movie’s dialogue and scenes are based on testimonies and events recorded in Colonial America. This is evident from the actors’ dialogue and dialect to their unwavering and strict adherence to following the bible and God daily. This realistic portrayal of early colonists offers the viewer a glimpse into the horror and destruction caused by the witchcraft accusations, with a twist– a real witch. There are good performances by the actors, especially by Ralph Ineson, who plays the patriarch of the family with a grim and flawed bearing.
The filmmaker in Act I and Act II did a decent job foreshadowing–through various shots– and building tension to the third Act, but in this reviewer’s opinion, Act III comes up short and feels empty. The movie seemed to be building towards something that never happened. Which may be a mistake by this reviewer, who assumed what would happen and was wrong and therefore, not receiving the ending most horror movies are expected, was turned off from the use of originality. All the same, the movie could have been great, but lost it in the final act.
Rent it, wait till it comes out on DVD, don’t pay the 8 bucks to see it in theaters. The Witch offers an interesting and well-researched glimpse into the lives of Colonists, giving the viewer an insight into their strong religious piety that revolved around everything they did and thought. The movie offered promise, but ultimately, sort in the final act. If you are interested in horror movies or Colonial America, then by all means rent it.
