The Witch (2016) - Robert Eggers

Robert Eggers' The Witch is a well-crafted, slow-burning horror film that takes place in New England circa 1930, following an English farmer and his family who have been banished from the church.  Forced to leave the colonial plantation, the family which consists of five young children of varying ages, relocate to a remote piece of land which overlooks the ominous forest.  When strange and unsettling things begin, suspicion and paranoia begin to mount among the family, ultimately challenging their love, faith, and loyalty to god and each other.  Given the authentic look and feel of the time period which includes old English dialect, as well as tepid, atmospheric pacing, Robert Eggers' The Witch is a film that is going to frustrate some of the more mainstream horror fans, who will probably say the movie is "boring".  The Witch is a film that understands what true Horror filmmaking should be about, which I would argue is evoking the essence of pure, unadulterated evil, regardless of the horror subgenre it inhabits.  Through eerie sound design and cinematography that evokes a sense of voyeurism and unease, The Witch creates a brooding atmospheric tension surrounding these character, never relying on cheap thrills, jump scares, or excessive gore to get an arise out of the audience.  What makes The Witch so interesting is how effortlessly and subtlety it uses the Christian theology to create a new story on the age-old concept of black magic, witchcraft, and demonic possession.  The Witch captures the seductive power of sin which is such a major concept of the Christian perspective of the devil, with nearly every character falling victim to deception by the devil.  From the Father's underlying deception centered around his cowardice, to the mother's longing and regret centered around the loss of a child, The Witch uses these character's emotional weaknesses as the way in for the devil, who infests their weakness to create breed evil and chaos.  At one point the film basically has a scene where the devil is literally whispering into the ear of one of these characters, which some may find a little "on-the-nose", but I found it riveting fun. While The Witch can't be called the most original of concepts, the filmmakers have created a slow-burning horror film that captures the essence of pure evil, being a fun experience that understands atmosphere and tension go a long way.

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