Chad

Chad

Additional Posters Part 2:

Gobear

What a phenomenally scary film! The director really captures the feel of 17th-century America, when an English family exiled from Plymouth might as well be on another planet in a hostile new world filled with unknown dangers. The movie also takes no prisoners--that scene with the baby and the witch (shudder).

I understand why some viewers think the reveal that the witch is real at the beginning is a spoiler, but the witch picking off the family isn't the focus as much as the family's dysfunction that allows the witch to take them.

DaveyJoe

How do you know that?

Trevor

Could have sworn I own the BD of this, but can’t find it. Luckily, it’s on Max.

Found a commentary on YouTube and I’m going to watch it twice tonight.

WillieMLF

I forgot how unnerving most of this movie is. It’s been a while since I saw this and I still think it’s a fantastic movie. I think it would have profoundly sucked to live back in these times, and the kind of religious fervor makes me completely uneasy during some of the scenes. It’s amazingly how quickly things went sideways, and then nosedived. I really need something to lift my spirits after that one.

numbercrunch

A moody, atmospheric period piece that really captures the tough life of a family in the 1600s. Of course its got the witch horror elements, but I think the film is much more than just a horror film. Ive watched this probably four times now and it really holds up. Ill probably relisten to the director commentary track, but Ill hold it off until the end of the challenge

10/10

jholmes

Agreed!

I love historical horror and I also love witch horror, when it's well-done. I love that this film is set in that early American era, and involves witches, but that it's not the over-done Salem-witch-trials-inspired "burn the witch!" trope. Nope, in this film, the witch wins. This is a version of the witch folklore that shows why she was so terrifying. This is, in effect, the nightmare of an upright puritan, and it's some dark, deranged stuff.

The mix of hubris and sincerity in the father makes for a wonderfully nuanced character portrait. And I love that the witch is shown. That last bit at the witch's sabbatical is brilliant. This film is a 5/5 for me.

I've seen this film before, but I rewatched it on a 4K disc I bought. I'm annoyed that this 4K version is poo-pooed by mediaphiles. Supposedly the Second Sight one is significantly better, but it's now over $200 on ebay, so I don't think I'll be triple dipping.

Spiderbite

I guess I will be the lone voice of negativity on this movie, but it just doesn't do much for me.

This is my second time to watch it and I will say I enjoyed it more this time around than my prior viewing.

But it is just a slight bore for me. The acting, casting, cinematography, and sound design are all great, but the overall story just lacks something. While the movie is eerie at times and even possibly uncomfortable, it definitely doesn't scare me, and I have yet to understand why people say it scares the crap out of them. I also have the same problem with Hereditary which I consider "a set-in modern day" sibling in tone and feeling. Both movies are well made and at times interesting, but the overall product is just an "eh" for scares.

My rating: *** out of *****

DaveyJoe

You can order it directly from Second Sight, they will ship to the US.

The Witch UHD

clckworang

I've seen this film several times. It's easily one of my favorite horror films of recent years. Actually, it's probably one of my favorite films in general of recent years.

I love the slow burn dread and how this film is able to achieve a lot with relatively little. The acting is uniformly great. Anna Taylor Joy really was an incredible find.

I watched with the audio commentary for the first time. I thought it was a good listen. The director stays active throughout. I thought he had a good mix of technical and historical information and on-set anecdotes and such.


Anyone personally know if this disc is that much better? I have the Lionsgate UHD.

jholmes

Thank you so much! I grabbed it. On sale too!

DaveyJoe

I haven't watched it myself, I just ordered it from Second Sight and it's on its way to me. However Robert Eggers was supposedly unhappy with how the HDR grade turned out on the Lionsgate and worked with Second Sight on their release. I only have the Lionsgate blu-ray, not the UHD, so it was easy for me to go for the SS upgrade.

Undeadcow

I love the scenic melancholy of The Witch and the cryptic no hand holding storytelling. It seems ripe with symbolism and inference, much of which might go over my head. Still I end up finding myself not enjoying it as much as the hype I hear. It's a times too much of a slow burn. I think the real star here is the great slow eerie ambient soundtrack and sound design like the fathers piercing gravely voice is excellent. What a chilling great ending. It feels like there are probably tidbits I'm missing out on. The theme of exile from what passes for civilization leading the corruption and risk the family suffers is a cool but surface level seeming one. The quiet of the film makes the mothers murder so much more graphic and intense.

Obi-Wanma

I hadn't seen this since it was in theaters, and I didn't recall liking it very much. I also may have been in and out of sleep in the theater, so that didn't help. Watching again last night, there were several scenes that felt like the first time. I also put the subtitles on, so that I didn't miss anything. There's lots of really quiet dialogue in it, and then there's the whole old English thing that it's got going on in parts that can make it easy to miss things if you aren't listening very closely. I actually really enjoyed this one now, so thank you for putting it on the list and making me give it another chance.

Spiderbite

I actually put the subtitles on as well this time around and maybe that also helped add to my enjoyment of it more than the first time. As you said, there is a lot of hushed dialogue as well as the dialect and language itself can be hard to discern at time.

Toddarino

This is basically how I feel about the movie as well, although I’d go a little lower to **.

MysterioMan007

I agree with everything you said. This was my second viewing as well and I fail to see what everyone else does. I am just waiting for it to be over. Same for Hereditary the only time I've watched it. These movies just aren't made for me.

WillieMLF

Thanks for this! Also picked up Long Weekend, which is one of my faves.