Tuesday, 23 February 2016

Movie Review: The VVitch (2016)

Hello All,

After spending most of my weekend battling illness I am pleased to report that I triumphed through it, and am now back to my regular abnormal self. I also only got one other person sick along the way (maybe.) So to celebrate my recovery, what was my first reaction? Why to go watch a horror movie of course. One that has a particularly unique way of spelling it’s name (yes that’s how it’s spelt, I double checked.) The critics reviews have been good for it, yet the reviews I’ve heard from moviegoers has been mostly negative. So what’s my stance on this divisive film? Let’s find out together shall we?

Plot Summary - In the 1630’s, the deeply religious William (Ralph Ineson) and his family are banished from their plantation due to a difference of beliefs. Several months later, they have set up a farm surrounded by forest, and have a new son named Samuel. When he disappears, the farm becomes cursed and the family begins to turn on each other as paranoia and suspicions arise.

Pros - This is probably the creepiest movie I’ve seen since The Babadook, although the film that this reminds me more of surprisingly is Prisoners. I say that because the film is now afraid to show you what’s happening, without venturing into excess gore or jump scares. It relies entirely on slow build ups and creating tension rather than just throwing scary things at you every few minutes. The cast is really good too, even the children have their fair share of scenery and screen time. The kid who plays the oldest son probably gives the best monologue in the whole film when he’s feverishly praying to God. The look of the film is good too, and the time era helps as everything just looks spooky even in the day time. The pacing is fantastic, even at 93 minutes it was tense up until the very end and I was admittedly relieved when it was over. There’s also kind of a red herring in the film that makes the ending reveal a bit odd, but still satisfying overall.

Cons - Like I said the film is a bit of a slow burner, so if you don’t have the patience for slower horror films (which is understandable) then this is not for you. They do also speak olde english throughout the film so that’s another thing that people might not like about it. I didn’t mind it myself too much although I missed the odd word here and there.

Final Score - 9/10

It’s a really intense and creepy film, but if you’re looking for more scare packed film then this might be one you want to skip. If you’re a fan of the slow burn, I cannot recommend this enough.

Next: Race - Probably Wednesday, and I might try and do Triple 9 Thursday, but that’ll be a late night review.

Until next time, I’ll see you folks at the movies.

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