SHERDOG MOVIE CLUB: Week 235 - The Witch (2015)

[europe1]

NOTE to NON-MEMBERS: Interested in joining the SHERDOG MOVIE CLUB? Shoot me a PM for more info!

Here's a quick list of all movies watched by the SMC. Or if you prefer, here's a more detailed examination.

Our Director​

(That dude whom made The Lighthouse)

Our Stars​

(The Future) Young Furiosa

General Tarakanov of the USSR

Film Overview



Premise: A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic, and possession.

Budget: $4 million

Box Office: $40.4 million

Trivia
(courtesy of IMDB)
​

In one shot, corn can be seen with signs of ergot, a hallucinogenic fungus that many attribute to real-life stories of possession and witchcraft.

According to cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, the film was shot mostly with available and natural light.

The spelling of the title "The VVitch" is how the word was written in the story's period because the letter "W" was not yet in common use at the time.

All of the scenes involving the supernatural (e.g. Caleb's encounter with the witch, Katherine's dream of Caleb) are shot at a higher frame rate of 27 fps (as opposed to the usual film frame rate of 24 fps).


Members: @europe1 @MusterX @Scott Parker 27 @JayPettryMMA @Yotsuya @HARRISON_3 @Bubzeh @CHUTE_BOXE78 @the ambush @SalvadorAllende @The Big Babou @HenryFlower @Zer

 

[DC23]

Right. Going to do my best to watch this, somehow, someway.

Should be more active here (if SMC continues) in a month or two once my housing situation is sorted.

 

[Rimbaud82]

 

[Headkicktoleg]

Oh God, good luck. The most boring movie I've ever tried to watch.

 

[Drain Bamage]

Oh God, good luck. The most boring movie I've ever tried to watch.

 

[LHWBelt]

I've watched this movie and honestly don't remember a thing about it. Not one thing.

 

[Espresso]

One of my favorite "scary" movies of all times

Great story

 

[Scott Parker 27]

Love this movie, the main girl is awesome and she is also in an excellent movie about chess that is currently number 1 on Netflix. I think it is called the queens gambit. Different flavor of show but equally well acted.

 

[Fork]

nothing unique or insightful about my take, but this is one of the best.

 

[HARRISON_3]

I need to revisit this one.

First time I watched it, I couldn't understand wtf they were saying.

Yes, I know it's English, but it's all f*cked up kinda English.

That said, it did have a cool vibe, and I like the main actress.

Didn't love it the first time, but I think it deserves another shot.

 

[HARRISON_3]

I've watched this movie and honestly don't remember a thing about it. Not one thing.

I think it's about witches.

 

[LHWBelt]

I think it's about witches.

Doubt it. Doesn't ring a bell

 

[europe1]

[Btw that's a Stephen King quote]

The Witch gets this dynamic.

In a normal horror film, the focus would have been on some nefarious monster (or Witch, if you will) which would have stalked after the family and terrorized them. While Witches and nefarious goats certainly seems to exist in this flick... its focus lies elsewhere.

In the Witch, the focus is on the family's own puritanism. It's their extremist beliefs which drive them towards internal conflict and self-destruction. They are obsessed with the impurities of others -- hence the leave the village. Tomasin's youth and burgeoning sexuality is treated like some goddamn nuclear bomb and gets blamed for everything. They believe demons and evil forces to be everywhere... it's almost as if they're willing them into existence. All of this religious paranoia and extremism makes their situation into a boiler-cooker and the only people they have to lash out at are themselves.

Remember when Caleb asks William if baby Samuel has entered heaven despite being unbaptized? William doesn't answer. Why? Because the answer is "no. He's damned to hell". That's the sort of mindset we're talking in this movie.

The world around the family is so magical and dangerous... because The Witch is a movie shoot from a puritanicans mindset. They're terrified to go against the word of god. Being extremists, that's a very easy thing to do. Just as they're expecting, they become damned because of it.

 

[SalvadorAllende]

Just watched it.
I was entertained. Really good acting.. loved the twins. Super annoying little shits.

I enjoyed the story, it has a couple of twist and the ending was good too. I think the film unfolds really well and it does not get drawn or too slow at any point.

As a non religious person a lot of the god talk in shows/movies makes them incredibly boring for me (I remember skipping entire scenes watching Vikings) but in this one it all served the purpose of the film.

BTW.. the father had the deepest voice ever.

 

[Horus]

I think it would have been a lot better if the dialogue wasn't in old English.

Plus the female lead was borderline jail bait which was a bit concerning (as an older man).

There is a lot of legit old beliefs about witches in the movie though.

 

[Slick_36]

I think it would have been a lot better if the dialogue wasn't in old English.

Plus the female lead was borderline jail bait which was a bit concerning (as an older man).

There is a lot of legit old beliefs about witches in the movie though.

Disa-fucking-gree about the language choice. Sure it makes it more difficult to follow and demands more attention, but it adds a ton stylistically and I think really elevates the feeling of alienation both the family and the protagonist faces.

 

[Slick_36]

[Btw that's a Stephen King quote]

The Witch gets this dynamic.

In a normal horror film, the focus would have been on some nefarious monster (or Witch, if you will) which would have stalked after the family and terrorized them. While Witches and nefarious goats certainly seems to exist in this flick... its focus lies elsewhere.

In the Witch, the focus is on the family's own puritanism. It's their extremist beliefs which drive them towards internal conflict and self-destruction. They are obsessed with the impurities of others -- hence the leave the village. Tomasin's youth and burgeoning sexuality is treated like some goddamn nuclear bomb and gets blamed for everything. They believe demons and evil forces to be everywhere... it's almost as if they're willing them into existence. All of this religious paranoia and extremism makes their situation into a boiler-cooker and the only people they have to lash out at are themselves.

Remember when Caleb asks William if baby Samuel has entered heaven despite being unbaptized? William doesn't answer. Why? Because the answer is "no. He's damned to hell". That's the sort of mindset we're talking in this movie.

The world around the family is so magical and dangerous... because The Witch is a movie shoot from a puritanicans mindset. They're terrified to go against the word of god. Being extremists, that's a very easy thing to do. Just as they're expecting, they become damned because of it.

Very well said, hard to add anything to that. This may be something I am reading in to it, but I think denying what makes us human tends to create monsters out of men, or women in this case.

The protagonist is finally free to be human at the end of the movie, letting go of the shackles of puritanical religious dogma. She embraces what came before Christian influence, going back to the pagan ways and becoming a part of nature once again. The danger of banishment was surviving nature in all its cruelty. The family rejected nature, desperately attempting to control it with futile and barren crops.

It's the protagonists prayers towards nature, her own primal identity, that sees her not only survive but thrive in a world separated from God. A coven of Eves, or maybe Lilliths.

 

[Slick_36]

I honestly really liked the movie, my wife isn't in to artsy movies and she hated it. The opening with the baby is absolutely horrifying and the brothers death was extremely chilling, super well done and made it worthy of the horror genre despite it's almost empowering ending.

 

[Zebra Cheeks]

NOTE to NON-MEMBERS: Interested in joining the SHERDOG MOVIE CLUB? Shoot me a PM for more info!

Here's a quick list of all movies watched by the SMC. Or if you prefer, here's a more detailed examination.

Our Director
(That dude whom made The Lighthouse)

Our Stars
(The Future) Young Furiosa

General Tarakanov of the USSR

Film Overview



Premise: A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic, and possession.

Budget: $4 million

Box Office: $40.4 million

Trivia
(courtesy of IMDB)
​

In one shot, corn can be seen with signs of ergot, a hallucinogenic fungus that many attribute to real-life stories of possession and witchcraft.

According to cinematographer Jarin Blaschke, the film was shot mostly with available and natural light.

The spelling of the title "The VVitch" is how the word was written in the story's period because the letter "W" was not yet in common use at the time.

All of the scenes involving the supernatural (e.g. Caleb's encounter with the witch, Katherine's dream of Caleb) are shot at a higher frame rate of 27 fps (as opposed to the usual film frame rate of 24 fps).


Members: @europe1 @MusterX @Scott Parker 27 @JayPettryMMA @Yotsuya @HARRISON_3 @Bubzeh @CHUTE_BOXE78 @the ambush @SalvadorAllende @The Big Babou @HenryFlower @Zer

This was a fantastic movie. Enjoy everyone

 

[Horus]

Dogs sound the alarm, and the 2nd Amendment brings the heat. At the very least you can hopefully shield your family and take a few bad guys with you.

Disa-fucking-gree about the language choice. Sure it makes it more difficult to follow and demands more attention, but it adds a ton stylistically and I think really elevates the feeling of alienation both the family and the protagonist faces.

Initially I liked the language but tended to get lost in it a bit. I rewatched it recently with subtitles on and found it to be a bit more enjoyable.

It's not a bad movie at all, but doesn't enter the realms of greatness.