A MODERN CLASSIC - The VVITCH Reaction

The Witch (2015 film)
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The Witch (stylized as The VVitch, and subtitled A New-England Folktale) is a 2015 folk horror[7] film written and directed by Robert Eggers in his feature directorial debut. It stars Anya Taylor-Joy in her feature film debut, alongside Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, and Lucas Dawson. Set in 1630s New England, the narrative follows a Puritan family who are preyed upon by an evil force in the woods beyond their farm.[8] In fear and desperation, they turn upon one another.

An international co-production of the United States and Canada, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2015, and was widely released by A24 on February 19, 2016. It was a critical and financial success, grossing $40 million against a $4 million budget,[6] and is considered by some to be one of the best horror films of the 2010s and the 21st century.

Cast
Anya Taylor-Joy as Thomasin
Ralph Ineson as William
Kate Dickie as Katherine
Harvey Scrimshaw as Caleb
Ellie Grainger as Mercy
Lucas Dawson as Jonas
Julian Richings as the Governor
Bathsheba Garnett as The Witch
Sarah Stephens as The Witch (young)
Wahab Chaudhry as Black Phillip (both voice and human form)
Charlie as Black Phillip (goat)[

Themes
According to analysts, the film's impact is delivered not through scares, but by the effect of ambience and scenography.[26][27] This is stylistically represented by the film's use of expressionist lighting, the use of different kinds of camera to draw thematic limits, the editing employed to hide horror from the main sight, and the soundtrack's sonic dissonance accompanying instrumental scenes.[28] Samuel's physically impossible disappearance at the beginning of the film introduces the viewer to the film's atmosphere.[26]

The film's plot orbits around a psychological conflict, using a repressive, patriarchal portrayal of Puritan society and the dark, murderous liberation of the witches.[29] The main female character, Thomasin, harbors worldly desires that differ from those of her conventionally Christian family,[30] yearning for independence,[29][31] sexuality,[32] acceptance,[33][32] and power.[33][32] While her father and the Christian God fail to fulfill her needs, Satan speaks personally to her, offering earthly satisfaction.[34] Therefore, with the demise of her family and the rejection of the Puritan society, Thomasin joins Satan and the witches, her only alternative, in order to find her long desired control over her own life.[35] Her nudity in the last scene reflects her act of casting off the bonds of her previous society.[31]

The difference between both options, nevertheless, is rendered blurred by an evocation of equal religious extremism.[36][32] This is first felt in the architecture of the family's own home, which ironically resembles an archetypal witch's cottage itself, hinting at the gradual reveal that evil is already instilled in them.[31] On the opposite side, Satan's temptation of Thomasin also acquires traits of ideological grooming, slowly alienating her from her family.[33][37] At the end, despite her newfound cause and ecstatic laugh at the coven, Thomasin has not escaped her previous religiosity, but merely changed its direction, turning to murder in exchange for freedom.[31][38]

The symbolic conflict between civilization and nature is also present in all aspects of the film.[39] The family lives next to a dark forest, a place tied to witchcraft in their culture, which underlines the conflict between their civilized, patriarchal religion and the Gothic, wild natural world that surrounds them.[40] The forest, as well as the state of nudity,[31] are associated with monstrosity, with the untamed wilderness where forbidden liberation and sexuality emerge.[29][39][41] Accordingly, Caleb returns nude after being seduced by the witch, the witches themselves perform their acts while naked, and Thomasin eventually adopts this code upon joining them.[31] At the end of the film, nature triumphs over its adversary, with the Pan-like Black Phillip goring the axe-wielding William in a metaphor for man being consumed by the wild.

Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 91% based on 337 reviews, with an average score of 7.8/10; the website's "critics consensus" reads: "As thought-provoking as it is visually compelling, The Witch delivers a deeply unsettling exercise in slow-building horror that suggests great things for debuting writer-director Robert Eggers."[55] On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 based on 46 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[56] However, audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C−" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it a 55% overall positive score and a 41% "definite recommend".