Not to brag too insufferably, but I’ve seen THE WITCH and it indeed matches the hype it has been steadily building for a year. Creepy, sometimes even downright scary, it’s the kind of moody, atmospheric horror film we dream about. I’m sure it’ll be overhyped for some – you just can’t win with everybody – but I think most genre lovers are going to find it’s a terrific piece of cinema. Robert Eggers is officially the new kid on the block to keep an eye on.
A24 has released a new trailer for the film, which will give you a nice taste of the frights in store. The marketing campaign for this movie has been ingenious, not showing too much or giving away the main story but enticing us with dread-soaked images and sounds. I can assure you these trailers get the movie’s tone just right.
New England, 1630. Upon threat of banishment by the church, an English farmer leaves his colonial plantation, relocating his wife and five children to a remote plot of land on the edge of an ominous forest – within which lurks an unknown evil. Strange and unsettling things begin to happen almost immediately – animals turn malevolent, crops fail, and one child disappears as another becomes seemingly possessed by an evil spirit. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, family members accuse teenage daughter Thomasin of witchcraft, charges she adamantly denies. As circumstances grow more treacherous, each family member’s faith, loyalty and love become tested in shocking and unforgettable ways.
THE WITCH opens February 19th.