THE WITCH changed everything...
The powerful filmmaking debut of Robert Eggers, The Witch, was released ten years ago today. The full original title, THE VVITCH: A NEW ENGLAND FOLKTALE, uses an archaic spelling with two capital “V”s in place of a “W” and a suggestion that it may not be entirely true, but the script draws upon actual historical documents from the days of witchcraft accusations and trials. This historical drama set is smart, beautiful, and often disturbing to watch, and made a star of its lead actress, Anya Taylor-Joy.
My review was fun and invigorating to write: I had never seen anything quite like this film. Shockingly, I attended two screenings in local movie theatres, and both times, I was with a friend, and the six or seven other people in the theatre all walked out within the first half hour. The film was promoted as an intensely frightening horror film, which indeed it is, but the slow-burn opening and the authentic period language apparently didn’t appeal to the average multiplex movie goer.
The A24 website let me write about watching and discussing the film with another witch (Pam Grossman, author of Waking the Witch and host of the Witch Wave podcast). I like to think the film had a positive impact on the modern witchcraft movement which seems to be constantly undergoing a mini-renaissance.
If it’s been a while since you’ve seen it, may I suggest you watch it this weekend and bask in its deliciousness? The superlative performances, the haunting imagery, the compelling narrative, and the brilliant exploration of the figure of the witch in history make this one of the finest films about witches, and indeed one of the best horror films of all time.
Also if you weren’t aware, I’m running a subscription special for February, where you can get 23% off on a yearly subscription, to help support my work on the forthcoming book, The Witching Hour: How Witches Enchanted the World. Thanks for reading!