The VVitch
The VVitch: A New England Folktale
The VVitch: A New England Folktale is a 2015 period horror film, set in Puritan New England in the 1630's. The film is about a family whose patriarch's strong religious convictions go against the church of the Plymouth Plantation, and they are told to leave the Plantation and find their own way. So the father leads his family to a remote location in New England where they establish their farm in a meadow that borders a dark forest, which the children are told to never enter. When their youngest child goes missing, and their crops fail (plagued with a bad rot), and other mysterious things start to happen, they start fearing that the family is cursed and that the devil or a witch is causing their the family's collapse, and soon fingers start to point towards the eldest daughter Thomasin.
The VVitch was written and directed by a New England native Robert Eggers, who grew up in southern New Hampshire. The film was distributed by A24 Pictures domestically, and Universal Pictures Internationally (hmm...since Universal distributed this film, would that make the witch in the film a Universal Monster?). The VVitch was a box office success, grossing $40.4 million on its $4 million budget. Though the film was met with mixed reception from viewers and from the critics, and it seems like the views of the film seem to be pretty polarized, either high praise, or high criticism. There are many reasons why this film works, and why I honestly believe it is one of the best modern horror films to be released, if not just one of the best and most effective horror films ever.
The VVitch stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Thomasin (the eldest daughter), Ralph Ineson as William (the father), Kate Dickie as Katherine (the mother), Harvey Scrimshaw as Caleb (the eldest son), Ellie Grainger as Mercy, and Lucas Dawson as Jonas (twin brother and sister), and Axtun Henry Dube and Athan Conrad Dube as Samuel (the infant brother that disappears in the beginning of the film), Bathsheba Garnett as The Witch-Old, Sarah Stephens as the Witch-Young, and Charlie as Black Phillip (goat form), Wahab Chaudhry as Black Phillip (voice and human form). This film is perfectly cast, especially with Anya Taylor-Joy as Thomasin, though Ralph Ineson as her strongly convicted Christian father plays the role perfectly. In an Q&A session in Salem MA featured in the special features of the DVD, historians praise the film for its authenticity, and the realism of the characters.
Robert Eggers was inspired to write the film after visiting the Plymouth Plantation museum many times as a school child, and much of the film was inspired by books and from journals of actual Puritans from the 1630s and from the time of the Salem Witch Trials, and some of the dialogue was taken directly from those writings. He strove for a strong element of realism for the film, and no minor detail was overlooked in creating the film, even lighting for the film was either natural outdoor lighting, and indoor scenes were lit entirely by candle light. Even the construction of the sets and buildings were created by hand using the same techniques and methods that would have been used at the time that the film was set. Eggers wanted to shoot the film in New England, but due to lack of tax incentives was forced to go to Ontario Canada shoot the film. To find the right location he ended up going to a very remote area of Canada. 
My first impression of the film the first time I watched it, was that it was another witch film that reinforces the negative stereotypes about witches that have plagued us for centuries. However as I've seen the film a few times now, I can look at the film for what Eggers was trying to do, he wasn't trying to make a film about witches, and the reality of witches, he was making a film about Puritan New England, and their fear of the wild world that lies just beyond the borders of the dark forests that surrounded them. The witch isn't the demon in the film, the demon is what lies within the heart of the man, the evil didn't have to come from outside, the evil was within, and it tore the family apart, it turned them against each other, a witch wasn't needed for that, and THAT is the truth about religions like Christianity, with things like the Witch Trials, the Crusades, the holocaust of the Celts from Saint Patrick and the Catholic church and all of the other atrocities, the "evil" that they are so scared will destroy them, is in fact their own fear of what lies just beyond the borders of the forest, or the borders of their "civilized" society. This film, nor my statements are not meant as a criticism of Christianity or religion in general, but more so just looking at the historical context behind the Puritan myth of the evil witch that bewitches people and leads them away from the glory of God. In this purpose this film is absolutely amazing. There are many themes explored in this film, some intentional, some unintentional, and I am not going to dedicate this space to that, but you can find many philosophical discussions on this film and its theme online, if that is what you are into.
This film works because of the amazing cast, the authenticity and the attention to detail, and the amazing way that the horror elements are created throughout the film. The film is based on New England Folktales, and in many ways isn't really an original story, but what works is the way that Eggers brings those classic New England Folktales to life. The film has a slow build, and never reveals everything at any point in the film, and really each viewer is given a chance to come to their own conclusions about the film and the characters. Is Thomaston the witch, was it her father's pride what welcomed the Devil into their lives, it is the mother's failure to accept the loss of the baby, or maybe it is just some evil witch that lives in the forest and there is no metaphor at all? What do you think, whatever you believe is correct if it makes sense to you, and that is why this film works, because there is no right or wrong answer to what you just watched, it is your perception, your beliefs that shape the truth, just like it was the beliefs of the Puritan Christians that settled New England that justified their burning of those accused of witchcraft. I think that this is not "just another witch movie", it is unique in that witch either represents evil or liberation depending on your perspective, and neither answer is wrong or right. This film is terrifying, but what is the most terrifying, is that this film represented a reality that was written about by Puritan settlers of New England in the 1600's, the terrifying part of the film is the devolution of the Puritan family when confronted with the wild and unknown that lies just beyond the borders of the forest.
I love this film and I highly recommend checking it out if you have not seen it, or watching it again, and try seeing it from another point of view of you have seen it. I think this film is a great example of why A24 proves to us that horror films have a bright future in the new modern era, and that below the surface of the mainstream "horror" films like Purge, Paranormal Activity, and the other crap that dominates the mainstream horror genre, that there are these amazing independent films, and young directors coming up from the underground with a whole new breed of horror films. Films like The Green Room, Midsomer, Hereditary, and The Lighthouse, show that there are some amazing horror films being made by independent filmmakers that are the new direction of the horror genre, and A24 has been doing a great job at giving these young directors a place to get their art and visions out. So as much as I sometimes get down on modern horror films, there really are some amazing independent films being made, and it really does give me hope for the future of the genre.
The VVitch was written and directed by a New England native Robert Eggers, who grew up in southern New Hampshire. The film was distributed by A24 Pictures domestically, and Universal Pictures Internationally (hmm...since Universal distributed this film, would that make the witch in the film a Universal Monster?). The VVitch was a box office success, grossing $40.4 million on its $4 million budget. Though the film was met with mixed reception from viewers and from the critics, and it seems like the views of the film seem to be pretty polarized, either high praise, or high criticism. There are many reasons why this film works, and why I honestly believe it is one of the best modern horror films to be released, if not just one of the best and most effective horror films ever.
The VVitch stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Thomasin (the eldest daughter), Ralph Ineson as William (the father), Kate Dickie as Katherine (the mother), Harvey Scrimshaw as Caleb (the eldest son), Ellie Grainger as Mercy, and Lucas Dawson as Jonas (twin brother and sister), and Axtun Henry Dube and Athan Conrad Dube as Samuel (the infant brother that disappears in the beginning of the film), Bathsheba Garnett as The Witch-Old, Sarah Stephens as the Witch-Young, and Charlie as Black Phillip (goat form), Wahab Chaudhry as Black Phillip (voice and human form). This film is perfectly cast, especially with Anya Taylor-Joy as Thomasin, though Ralph Ineson as her strongly convicted Christian father plays the role perfectly. In an Q&A session in Salem MA featured in the special features of the DVD, historians praise the film for its authenticity, and the realism of the characters.
Robert Eggers was inspired to write the film after visiting the Plymouth Plantation museum many times as a school child, and much of the film was inspired by books and from journals of actual Puritans from the 1630s and from the time of the Salem Witch Trials, and some of the dialogue was taken directly from those writings. He strove for a strong element of realism for the film, and no minor detail was overlooked in creating the film, even lighting for the film was either natural outdoor lighting, and indoor scenes were lit entirely by candle light. Even the construction of the sets and buildings were created by hand using the same techniques and methods that would have been used at the time that the film was set. Eggers wanted to shoot the film in New England, but due to lack of tax incentives was forced to go to Ontario Canada shoot the film. To find the right location he ended up going to a very remote area of Canada.
My first impression of the film the first time I watched it, was that it was another witch film that reinforces the negative stereotypes about witches that have plagued us for centuries. However as I've seen the film a few times now, I can look at the film for what Eggers was trying to do, he wasn't trying to make a film about witches, and the reality of witches, he was making a film about Puritan New England, and their fear of the wild world that lies just beyond the borders of the dark forests that surrounded them. The witch isn't the demon in the film, the demon is what lies within the heart of the man, the evil didn't have to come from outside, the evil was within, and it tore the family apart, it turned them against each other, a witch wasn't needed for that, and THAT is the truth about religions like Christianity, with things like the Witch Trials, the Crusades, the holocaust of the Celts from Saint Patrick and the Catholic church and all of the other atrocities, the "evil" that they are so scared will destroy them, is in fact their own fear of what lies just beyond the borders of the forest, or the borders of their "civilized" society. This film, nor my statements are not meant as a criticism of Christianity or religion in general, but more so just looking at the historical context behind the Puritan myth of the evil witch that bewitches people and leads them away from the glory of God. In this purpose this film is absolutely amazing. There are many themes explored in this film, some intentional, some unintentional, and I am not going to dedicate this space to that, but you can find many philosophical discussions on this film and its theme online, if that is what you are into.
This film works because of the amazing cast, the authenticity and the attention to detail, and the amazing way that the horror elements are created throughout the film. The film is based on New England Folktales, and in many ways isn't really an original story, but what works is the way that Eggers brings those classic New England Folktales to life. The film has a slow build, and never reveals everything at any point in the film, and really each viewer is given a chance to come to their own conclusions about the film and the characters. Is Thomaston the witch, was it her father's pride what welcomed the Devil into their lives, it is the mother's failure to accept the loss of the baby, or maybe it is just some evil witch that lives in the forest and there is no metaphor at all? What do you think, whatever you believe is correct if it makes sense to you, and that is why this film works, because there is no right or wrong answer to what you just watched, it is your perception, your beliefs that shape the truth, just like it was the beliefs of the Puritan Christians that settled New England that justified their burning of those accused of witchcraft. I think that this is not "just another witch movie", it is unique in that witch either represents evil or liberation depending on your perspective, and neither answer is wrong or right. This film is terrifying, but what is the most terrifying, is that this film represented a reality that was written about by Puritan settlers of New England in the 1600's, the terrifying part of the film is the devolution of the Puritan family when confronted with the wild and unknown that lies just beyond the borders of the forest.
I love this film and I highly recommend checking it out if you have not seen it, or watching it again, and try seeing it from another point of view of you have seen it. I think this film is a great example of why A24 proves to us that horror films have a bright future in the new modern era, and that below the surface of the mainstream "horror" films like Purge, Paranormal Activity, and the other crap that dominates the mainstream horror genre, that there are these amazing independent films, and young directors coming up from the underground with a whole new breed of horror films. Films like The Green Room, Midsomer, Hereditary, and The Lighthouse, show that there are some amazing horror films being made by independent filmmakers that are the new direction of the horror genre, and A24 has been doing a great job at giving these young directors a place to get their art and visions out. So as much as I sometimes get down on modern horror films, there really are some amazing independent films being made, and it really does give me hope for the future of the genre.
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