Never thought I’d be a fan of a horror film but “The Witch” (or “VVitch”, as it’s appearing in most promo materials) is special: it is fantastically historically accurate (they even speak Shakespearean English throughout) and the horror is slow and subtle. Spoilers abound:
- The Most Accurate Part of The Witch? It Nails the Desperate, Crazed Mindset of Early American Settlers – AND HOW. The terror in this film comes not from blood and guts but from the characters’ own minds. The ambiguity of what’s going on – is it really a witch, their imaginations, something else, or all of these? – is what I aspire to in my novel.
- How Robert Eggers Wove the Nightmares of The Witch Out of Historical Documents – I am still blown away by the director’s fanatical accuracy. Proof that a movie in an archaic tongue representing beliefs alien to the modern mind can be riveting without anachronisms.
- Female Freedom and Fury in The Witch – not sure I agree that it’s a celebration of female agency – the protagonist’s choice at the end is the only one open to her – but to each their own.
- THE WITCH: The Media Witch’s Review – review of the movie by a modern witch.
