'Blu-ray or Bust' - THE WITCH

'Blu-ray or Bust'

THE WITCH (R, 2015, 92 minutes, PARTS AND LABOR/A24)

First-time director Robert Eggers is a creepy mofo.

Honestly; the tone he sets early on about this tale of an ostracized family trying to survive in the New England wilderness is enough to make you want to watch a happy Disney movie immediately afterwards. Or at least something with unicorns and rainbows and people that smile.

When William and his family are kicked out of their settlement for being a mite bit too gregarious with their religious beliefs, they find a pleasant enough looking glade to build their farm. Trouble is, there is a witch living in the neighboring woods, and, apparently, she doesn’t care for people. AT ALL. What follows is the methodical destruction of the family, a riveting slow-boil that leaves no one’s sanity untouched.

There are some truly creepy and haunting images in this film, ones upon which the camera lingers at times, cementing the brooding mood and the slow, dark tone of the tale. The cinematography by Jarin Blaschke is a poetic compliment to the heaviness of the script, and the music composed by Mark Korven is another character unto itself. So much works so well in this film that you are willing to easily forgive a few minor inconsistencies with the continuity—which are really just nit-picky issues that do not affect the flow of the film at all.

Every player here is perfectly cast; relative new-comer Anya Taylor-Joy does a wonderful job as “Thomasin”, a young lady just coming of age that finds herself thrust in the middle of her family’s crumbling structure. Her younger brother Caleb is played by Harvey Scrimshaw, and he pretty much delivers a performance that guarantees his future in the industry. Even the young actors playing the five and six year olds of the family do so with such vigor you wonder at how Eggers was able to make this film as quickly and as cheaply as he did. The attention to every conceivable detail shows the care and respect not just for the story, but for the time it takes place, as well. It is almost like getting a history lesson, albeit one with a lot of blood, and an evil goat named “Black Phillip”.

The special features include a seven-minute behind-the-production doc that highlights the attention to detail that Eggers painstakingly adhered to. There is also a Q & A, shot following a screening of the film in Salem, MA, that gives you more insight into the production. There are a few scholars on hand to let everyone know how right the director was with everything he did.

His script, his vision, truly makes this THE creepiest film of the year so far.

Film Grade: B+

Special Features: A

Blu-ray Necessary: Most Definitely

T.S. Kummelman