The Witch invests in atmosphere, which is the most essential feature of a good horror film: if you’re not caught up in its vibe, then it’s not going to be effective in its terror. It’s the slow zooms, the murky natural lighting, the careful plotting. Slow and agonizing tension, ever ascending and building the sense of ominous evil that surrounds the characters. During the entirety of The Witch, there is but one instance of a jump scare, and it is a mild one compared to how explosive they usually are. Robert Eggers realized that from the get-go. Not unlike a thriller, a great horror film gets you by the throat and doesn’t let you go.
WITCH MOVIE HOW TO
That’s not to say jump scares cannot be used effectively – James Wan and Sam Raimi are two modern filmmakers who know how to make good use of them – but they are so commonly employed in a cheap and predictable manner that it destroys any suspense or atmosphere the scene might have had.Ī good horror film isn’t necessarily the one that makes you jump in your seat the most times it’s the one that leaves you curled up in that seat, shivering from head to toe due to unbearable dread and tension. They’re distracting and incredibly annoying.
WITCH MOVIE MOVIE
Ring a bell? Yeah, that’s because it’s in every major horror movie you can think of nowadays. The couple turns and BAAAAM a loud screeching noise explodes the audiences ear drums when they hop into one of their friends at the hallway. The boy places his hand over the knob and yams the door open, only to find no one inside. The wooden floor creaks as they make their way towards a closed door. Picture the scene: a couple walks a secluded cabin in a forest. Jump scares are a plague of modern horror films. Every second of screen-time she has is filled with dread and anticipation, especially so because it reminds the audience what it is that makes witches so damn terrifying. In here, the titular witch is legitimately petrifying: a grotesque figure roaming in shadows and cruelly tormenting a family. Long gone is the big-nosed, broomstick-riding old lady so famously – and exhaustingly – depicted in film. Setting itself 400 years back in time, and drowsing its atmosphere into a believable representation of what it must’ve been like living in 1600’s New-England, allowed the movie to better explore the witch’s figure in its spine-tingling origin. They even went so far as to study rumored compositions of magical lotions, all of which made it into the film. The film had a team of experts bent on analyzing how witchcraft was perceived in that period and how a real witch was believed to behave and look like. It explored an iconic figure of horror folklore and literature in its primitive basis, by carefully studying documented 17th century rumors and tales surrounding witches.
The fear and apprehension that encircled and originally gave birth to these legendary creatures is but a tiny fraction of what it was. Their figures have been tremendously watered down by pop culture and, in many instances all that’s left is a shell of their original form an easily accessible and marketable totem. Growing up we learn of their evil natures and become aware of how they would behave, or what would they want with us were we face to face with them.Īll the famous folklore icons of western culture have, however, sort of lost their punch. All these iconic figures have social and cultural constructions behind them. Not just of witches per se, but also of ghosts, demons, vampires, even clowns. There is a reason why people are generally afraid of witches. Let’s dive into the main qualities of this two-time Independent Spirit Awards winner: This list strives to prove those very people wrong, and convince them why is it that The Witch is one of the finest horror films of the 21st century.
People who claimed the film wasn’t scary enough and that it moved slowly and uninterestingly. Afterwards, it was bought and widely released by indie darling A24, garnering extremely positive reviews and healthy box office returns. Initially premiering at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where it was awarded the prize for best directing in a feature film. Robert Eggers’ The Witch came out of nowhere and instantly blew everyone away.
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