Last Saturday Megh and I had the opportunity to see The VVitch (stylized with the double V as it would have been in the 17th century typography.) Being a limited release, we were ushered into the smallest theater Memorial City Cinemark had to offer. The theater was about half full, the crowd consisting of mostly teens and young couples. I was worried. I had been very interested in this movie since its first Sundance reviews, and had been hyping the movie up in my mind for several weeks.
The movie started strong. The crowd quieted. It stayed completely silent throughout the film, save one man softly exclaiming "Jesus" at a particularly upsetting part near the end. When the movie was over, everyone silently stood and left. No one discussed the film. To me that is a good sign.
The plot was simple: A 17th century family is tormented by a witch. The movie had a slow but steady build-up of dread and every part of the movie, from the excellent cast to the cinematography and score, worked together to make the best horror movie I've seen in a long time. There are no twists. There are no tricks. There is only one mild jump scare, and it was used with care. The blood and gore in the movie was also used with care, and it was not over-the-top or ever unnecessary. The actors did their jobs well, even the children. The source material for the film, the legends and accounts of witchcraft in 17th century New England, are portrayed accurately and even sometimes verbatim with the literature of the time.
Describing the movie further is difficult. In fact, on our way home Megh and I remarked on the fact that there wasn't much to talk about, even though we both thoroughly enjoyed it. There's a certain element that the movie has that can't really be explained. The movie feels bad. In the same way that the old woodcuttings of satanic rites feel bad. The way that being alone in the woods can suddenly feel bad. Or hearing a baby cry in the dark feels bad. Not a feeling that something terrible is about to happen. A feeling that something terrible has already happened, and you're too afraid to look, because after you look you can't go back to not knowing.
The movie isn't for everyone. It's not a slasher. Its not a thriller. The dialogue can be difficult to understand in parts. There's no sex, although sexuality does have its part. It doesn't have a lot in common with most new horror movies. But most new horror movies, I would say, aren't very good. This movie was. It was upsetting, dark, and very, very good. I would give it a 9.5/10, and I plan on seeing it again.
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