The Witch
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In 1630, a farmer relocates his family to a remote plot of land on the edge of a forest where strange, unsettling things happen. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, each family member's faith, loyalty and love are tested in shocking ways.
What critics thought
Critics embraced Robert Eggers' debut as a landmark of slow-burn horror, praising its period authenticity, atmospheric dread, and a cast fully committed to its Puritan nightmare — with many placing it alongside horror classics rather than among its contemporaries. The fault line runs sharply between critics and general audiences: viewers expecting conventional scares found the deliberate pace and theological density a frustrating mismatch with how the film was marketed, while admirers argued that same restraint is precisely what makes it so unsettling.
“A fiercely committed ensemble and an exquisite sense of historical detail conspire to cast a highly atmospheric spell in The Witch, a strikingly achieved tale of a mid-17th-century New England family's steady descent into religious hysteria and madness.”
Justin Chang·Variety
“Although Eggers is extremely discreet—the things you don't see are more horrifying than those you do—the picture's relentlessness sometimes feels like torment.”
Stephanie Zacharek·Time
“Building his film on the diabolical aftershocks of Puritan repression, Eggers raises The Witch far above the horror herd. He doesn't need cheap tricks. Eggers merely directs us to look inside.”
Peter Travers·Rolling Stone
“The Witch got under [his] skin profoundly, but it did not have the moment-to-moment, audience-pleasing shocks that moviegoers have become accustomed to thanks to movies like Sinister and The Purge and Paranormal Activity and every other Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes title in the canon.”
Chris Eggertson·HitFix
Parents guide
- Violence
- severe
- Sex
- moderate
- Profanity
- mild
- Substances
- none
- Intensity
- severe
Genres
Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Cast & Crew
Robert EggersDirector
Anya Taylor-JoyThomasin
Ralph InesonWilliam
Kate DickieKatherine
Harvey ScrimshawCaleb
Ellie GraingerMercy
Lucas DawsonJonas
Julian RichingsGovernor
Sarah StephensThe Witch, Young
Daniel MalikBlack Phillip (voice)
Mark KorvenComposer
Jarin BlaschkeCinematographyThe Witch
In 1630, a farmer relocates his family to a remote plot of land on the edge of a forest where strange, unsettling things happen. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, each family member's faith, loyalty and love are tested in shocking ways.
What critics thought
Critics embraced Robert Eggers' debut as a landmark of slow-burn horror, praising its period authenticity, atmospheric dread, and a cast fully committed to its Puritan nightmare — with many placing it alongside horror classics rather than among its contemporaries. The fault line runs sharply between critics and general audiences: viewers expecting conventional scares found the deliberate pace and theological density a frustrating mismatch with how the film was marketed, while admirers argued that same restraint is precisely what makes it so unsettling.
“A fiercely committed ensemble and an exquisite sense of historical detail conspire to cast a highly atmospheric spell in The Witch, a strikingly achieved tale of a mid-17th-century New England family's steady descent into religious hysteria and madness.”
Justin Chang·Variety
“Although Eggers is extremely discreet—the things you don't see are more horrifying than those you do—the picture's relentlessness sometimes feels like torment.”
Stephanie Zacharek·Time
“Building his film on the diabolical aftershocks of Puritan repression, Eggers raises The Witch far above the horror herd. He doesn't need cheap tricks. Eggers merely directs us to look inside.”
Peter Travers·Rolling Stone
“The Witch got under [his] skin profoundly, but it did not have the moment-to-moment, audience-pleasing shocks that moviegoers have become accustomed to thanks to movies like Sinister and The Purge and Paranormal Activity and every other Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes title in the canon.”
Chris Eggertson·HitFix
Parents guide
- Violence
- severe
- Sex
- moderate
- Profanity
- mild
- Substances
- none
- Intensity
- severe
Genres
Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Cast & Crew
Robert EggersDirectorAnya Taylor-JoyThomasinRalph InesonWilliamKate DickieKatherineHarvey ScrimshawCalebEllie GraingerMercyLucas DawsonJonasJulian RichingsGovernorSarah StephensThe Witch, YoungDaniel MalikBlack Phillip (voice)Mark KorvenComposerJarin BlaschkeCinematographyStream
Rent & Buy