The Witch Casts Spell on Viewer

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Phil Minton, Columnist

Good horror movies are hard to come by. However, every once in a while I’ll find a good one. Over the summer I saw a trailer for a movie that was scheduled to come out at the end of February. The movie, The Witch directed by young film director Robert Eggers, looked so good The only problem was that it was only playing in the city or over the Tappan Zee Bridge at the Palisades Mall and nowhere else.

As I drove over to the theater with my brother I re-watched the trailer and started to get pumped. I looked up the movie’s rating on Rotten Tomatoes (90%) and it only raised my expectations.

When the movie was over I walked out in shock. This was the first horror movie I had seen in a while that included no pop out scenes, yet was still horrifying. How? This type of horror was more psychological than cut and dry “pop out” horror.

The Witch transports the viewer back in time to the strict period of the Puritanical colonies in the era of witches. The main character Thomasin, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, is accused of being a witch when her family’s youngest child goes missing. From that point on the viewer is in for a trip. The classic Puritan family members turn on each other and by the end it is everyone for themselves. If you like creepy, sinister movies this one is for you!

This movie left me wanting to learn more about the characters and also made me want to go back and read The Crucible again. Overall, I believe this movie is one that will continue to be watched and talked about for a while. I might even compare it to Stanley Kubrick’s classic horror movie, The Shining. One major parallel would be the use of twins to create an eerie feeling throughout the film. At the end of the day, The Witch is a must see. If you’re ever looking for a scary movie to put on, this is definitely the one.