I would prefer seeing a failed attempt at something different than a regurgitation of every modern horror trope. Yet The Witch proves unable to capitalize on being different.
The stakes are real. The Devil is real. All roads do not lead up the mountain. Some lead to the heart of darkness, to the depths of a witch-haunted wood.
The film is potently imagined and beautifully wrought -- although its hold loosens considerably when it strays from its eerie highpoints and into more conventional horror territory.
Helped by along by a great cast, a haunting soundtrack and terrific attention to period detail, The Witch is an auspicious feature debut for writer-director Robert Eggers.
In the tradition of William Friedkin's The Exorcist, this chilling low-budget horror movie taps into the same temporal fear that sparks religious feeling.
