With September almost at a close, I've found myself on something of a horror kick as of late. I tend to prepare for Halloween the way most department stores prepare for Christmas (that is to say, months in advance), and what better way to get myself in the proper mood for the most wonderful time of the year than to take in a new horror film? I recall hearing good things about 2016's The VVitch, but it wasn't until Jay Bauman of RedLetterMedia described it as "a masterpiece" and named it his favorite movie of 2016 that it really showed up on my radar. It's been some time, but I finally found myself in that right proper mood for a slower, more mysterious horror film and boy does this one not disappoint.
As the subtitle implies, the story takes place in 17th century New England. A family is banished from their home on a Puritan plantation over a disputed interpretation of the New Testament and find themselves living in solitude on a small farm, just on the edge of a large and imposing forest. I really hesitate to say any more for spoilers sake, even though I've only covered the very first few minutes of the movie. This is truly one of those films where the less you know going in, the more you're going to take away from it. A strong sense of mystery and fear of the unknown are the bread and butter of the horror genre, and The VVitch is no different. Anything I mention beyond this point is going to delve into some mild spoilers, so if you haven't seen this movie and are wondering what I thought of it, I'll say this; The VVitch would make for an excellent triple-feature alongside The Exorcist and The Shining. It's got a surprisingly brisk pace for something so tense (even though things feel a little rushed near the end of the second act, but only for a moment or so) and there's seldom a dull moment. It's a modern day horror classic that will most definitely stick with you long after the credits roll and, assuming that endorsement is satisfactory, I'd like to go more in-depth as to just why I enjoyed this film so much.
If I wasn't clear enough yet, beware of Spoilers from this point onward.
The most immediately striking thing about this movie is the aesthetic choices at play. It's astounding to think that The VVitch is Robert Eggers' debut as a director, given his clear knack for the medium. The color grading, shot composition, and environments used work in tandem with the hair-raising soundtrack to result in a genuinely chilling experience. The tension somehow never completely fades for the entire 93-minutes; the use of long takes and wide shots left me on the edge of my seat, certain that something horrid lay just around the bend. And the majority of the time, nothing happened. But when something did happen?
Oh-ho.
Oh boy.
I've said in the past that the best horror films know how to manipulate audience expectations; like Pavlov with his dog, the horror filmmaker must train an audience to respond to certain stimuli, be they audio or visual cues (or some combination thereof). The VVitch understands this relationship between filmmaker and filmgoer, to the point where something as simple and innocuous as a shot of a rabbit can fill the viewer with a sense of legitimately disquieting unease. For anyone who's ever wondered how Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven is meant to be scary, watch The VVitch. The film is still fresh in my mind and all I can think about is how easy it would be for someone to scare me out of my wits by simply positioning a billy goat or bunny rabbit where I wouldn't otherwise expect to see one.
Like most good horror movies, there's more going on here beyond some sinister happenings in the woods. From beginning to end, the film shows how systemic distrust and repression can slowly destroy a once-solid family unit. The mother, Katherine (played by everybody's go-to crazy lady, Kate Dickie), lashes out at her children and husband once her baby disappears, flinging accusations and shifting the blame from one family member to another with frantic speed. In hindsight, it's hard to determine what causes the family more harm in the long-run; the actual coven of witches in the woods, or this seed of paranoia and fear that gradually grows and escalates until everyone is at each other's throats. The eldest daughter, Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), gets the worst of it, suffering the accusations of her younger siblings and even coming under scrutiny by her God-fearing but well-meaning father, William (Ralph Ineson). For the better part of this movie, she's treated as an outsider, shouldering the majority of her family's burdens despite her complete and total innocence. As a result, we see her pushed to the edge, eventually forced to kill her own mother in self-defense before embracing the darkness that did her family in.
And as she makes her pact with the Devil himself and wanders naked into the woods, the true message of this film comes full circle. Repression is a ticking time bomb; once fear enters the equation, it's only a matter of time before outright hostility becomes the status quo. And after that, those made to feel oppressed and marginalized will become radicalized, striking back against those who once put them down, becoming oppressors in their own right. As Thomasin rises into the air and becomes part of the coven, we see the culmination of her siblings' taunting, her mother's accusations, and her father's distrust. All of these negative emotions, brought about through only the most pious and holy intentions, amounted to nothing more than yet another witch being born unto Satan's flock.
Like The Exorcist and The Shining before it, The VVitch is a movie where what you don't see is just as terrifying (if not moreso) than what you do see. And like The Exorcist in particular, this is one of the few horror films I've seen that actually makes The Devil into a legitimately horrifying concept. More often than not, the scariest antagonists are the ones you cannot bargain with; the Xenomorph, Jason Voorhees, and even the Terminator. Creatures who will not hesitate to gut you on-sight, regardless of what you might say or do in an attempt to sway them. But The VVitch finds a way to make Satan so much more terrifying than any of these, simply for the reason that you can reason with him. He's not some mindless beast out for blood, but something much more sinister and intelligent than that. You can just talk to him whenever you want. And that's exactly what he wants. The Devil lives in an unexplored part of each and every human soul, waiting for the right moment to make his influence known. The VVitch poses the idea that Satan exists in all of us, that every human has the potential within them for great evil. And that all it takes for that evil to come bubbling to the surface is the proper incentive.
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