THE WITCH (Might Be One of the Best Horror Films of 2016; Opens February 19)

[Stev3]

Looking forward to this

 

[Plissken]

Yea most of those you listed would be considered classics. Compared to other genres their aren't that many great horror films. I'm not sure why the horror genre is so hard to do right but it is. I would also add this as a sort of iconic horror film.

I don't think that's true at all, but it's a genre where the same handful of films get recycled in the public consciousness and so people don't generally know of a significant amount of other great horror films, many by well respected directors from outside of the genre. I mean how many people have seen A Picnic a Hanging Rock or The Last Wave, two films by Peter Weir, who is better known for Witness, Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show, and Master and Commander? Carl Theodore Dreyer, one of the most well respected directors of all time also did a horror film called Vampyr as well as a dark drama about witchcraft with supernatural tones called Day of Wrath. Murnau directed Nosferatu then went on to Sunrise and City Girl and then decades later Herzog does his Nosferatu. Robert Mulligan directed To Kill a Mockingbird and Sumer of '42, then years later went on to direct a creepy horror film in The Other. People know of Rosemary's Baby, but how many have seen the Tenant or even Repulsion both by Polanski. Bergman did Hour of the Wolf, People at least know about the original Nosferatu (though a lot of them haven't seen it), but again these are well crafted horror films by well known and respected directors that never get mentioned, never mind those by lesser known directors. A lot of black and white films post 1960 that most horror fans know about are also absent from these general lists, including The Haunting, The Innocents, Onibaba, Black Sunday, Carnival of Souls, etc. I mean how many people have even heard of amazing directors like Kiyoshi Kurosawa or Michele Soavi or art house horror films like The Iron Rose or Possession or Habit? All of these are high quality great horror films, but you have to actually search for them.

Horror in its' effect is also quite subjective (though a lot of "lower" grade" horror films are sill entertaining), it's not as specific as comedy, but it's still a very reactionary genre in terms of immersion and overall mental effect. Good horror need not have all the same elements as good drama, as a lot of times the offbeat nature that comes with the lower budget and more amateur conditions adds to the effect.

Horror is a genre that's easy to get into on the film making side and seems easy to create given how many low budget films turned out to be classics, but is often difficult to take hold. The 80's had its' glut of horror films, but most of them were fun even if they weren't classics. The digital age though brought on a slew of horror films with a lot just not working at all. People want to be famous and get a quick buck now more than ever, and social media is all the proof of that, so you see these people that seek attention and have deluded themselves into thinking they have talent making films. Compound that with the ease of making films in the digital age whereas before you needed people that would know how to handle film including color timing it in post production, needed lighting people and color gels, film specific editors, analog audio people, etc. You needed training/schooling and studying to be able to do a lot of things that can be done with digital cameras and software much easier, so you had to put a lot more time into the craft of film making, and that sort of thing weeded out a lot of the hacks that today can get crap onto Netflix and onto dvd.

 

[neverwas]

i thought this was a remake of the 80s one. gonna have to check it out,cause i love a good horror flick.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: February 19, 2016

Critics' Reviews for THE WITCH

Rotten Tomatoes: 88% approval rating (113 out of 128 critics like it)

Critics Consensus: As thought-provoking as it is visually compelling, The Witch delivers a deeply unsettling exercise in slow-building horror that suggests great things for debuting writer-director Robert Eggers.

Entertainment Weekly - What makes this chillingly creepy little black-magic folk tale work so beautifully is its evocative sense of time and place ... Well, that and composer Mark Korven's unsettling soundtrack full of screechy, dissonant strings. A-

Arizona Republic - With incredible attention to detail and an unwavering commitment to the world he has created, Eggers slowly, surely builds tension until it's almost unbearable. And that's delightful, if you're a horror fan. It's a terrific film. 4/5

Toronto Sun - Helped by along by a great cast, a haunting soundtrack and terrific attention to period detail, The Witch is an auspicious feature debut for writer-director Robert Eggers. 4/5

USA Today - The first great film of 2016 is a horror flick with Puritans, possessed kids, naked forest women and a haunting goat named Black Phillip. 3.5/4

Newsday - An unsettling journey back to a time when Satan seemed much closer to our world. “The Witch” is the rare horror movie that will keep troubling you even when you’re back out in the daylight. 3.5/4

Rolling Stone - 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. Be warned: It'll scare the hell out of you. 3.5/4

CinemaBlend.com - Gloriously directed and constructed by first-timer Robert Eggers, The Witch becomes increasingly creepy and unsettling with each passing frame. Even beyond its audacious final shot. One of the early contenders for the best film of 2016. 5/5

 

[GordoBarraBJJ]

saw it earlier this evening.

8.5 out of 10 IMO. Starts a big slow but once the baby is snatched (the peek a boo trailer) it starts to build and build. No over the top CGI, loud soundtrack, etc. Leaves you with an uneasy feeling for sure - not quite The exorcist levels of uneasy but close.

 

[God_Emperor_Of_Mankind]

Seems too scary, not watching.

 

[da1nonlyBAYCAT]

9.7/10

This was awesome, a really eerie, tension-filled, cinematically refreshing experience. Lots of different symbolism, excellent use of sound, excellent acting, interesting story, I highly recommend it. I can't remember a recent horror movie I've enjoyed as much as this. I liked it follows a lot which someone mentioned, but this is way better.

 

[LATEXXX COMMANDO]

9.7/10

This was awesome, a really eerie, tension-filled, cinematically refreshing experience. Lots of different symbolism, excellent use of sound, excellent acting, interesting story, I highly recommend it. I can't remember a recent horror movie I've enjoyed as much as this. I liked it follows a lot which someone mentioned, but this is way better.

How'd the Witch look?

Was she an old creepy witch bitch?

 

[NelmarksGhost]

This is the first horror movie I've looked forward to. Hope it's alright. Might be one of the best horror movies of 2016 doesn't sound too encouraging though.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Might be one of the best horror movies of 2016 doesn't sound too encouraging though.

Just for context, I used "might be one of the best horror movies of 2016" as the thread title way back in August 2015.

 

[da1nonlyBAYCAT]

How'd the Witch look?

Was she an old creepy witch bitch?

Spoiler

Actually, yes. But in the movie a witch can take other forms also.

 

[melvinj0]

I gave it a 9/10, I fucking loved it. Such a dark/tense movie that really does a good job of building the tension. Cast was excellent. I didn't think it was boring at all, which seems to be a lot of peoples complaint, it isn't in your face the whole time but it definitely does enough to keep you entertained while things are boiling up.

The audience I saw it with didn't seem to like it though. Lots of people mocking the film and laughing at some of the more disturbing scenes. A few people even booed when it ended.

Best Horror movie in a very long time imo, but not for everyone.

 

[GordoBarraBJJ]

How'd the Witch look?

Was she an old creepy witch bitch?

Spoiler

Like a blob of flesh - well expect for when she transform'd in to a hot chick to seduce

 

[Tamriel Terror]

5/10.

Really really disappointed, started slow and never really picked up till the end and didnt explain much at all. It was somewhat errie but wasn't scary at all

 

[DocStrange]

Saw it tonight and thought it was great, 9/10. I haven't seen a horror movie in a long time that sticks to its premise so well and manages to keep the mood going throughout without anything to take you out of it. I have a hard time with a lot of horror movies because they seem willing to throw in inconsistencies and unbelievable writing just to keep the action going, and the genre sort of allows it, but "The Witch" tries really hard to make everything seem authentic and believable (for a movie about a witch). While the acting was great from pretty much everyone, I was really impressed by how good the kids in the movie were, which in a movie with a tone as serious as this one is key. Loved how they did all the religious stuff too, it was a pretty much perfect portrayal for me of what you'd imagine a super god-fearing frontier family would be like.

I almost think it would be a better watch at home than in the theatre though. While my theatre was pretty good, its still a really slow burner, and a little anti-climactic, so didn't play real well to the Saturday night movie-going crowd. I think I would've been even more into it if it wasn't for the bits of uncomfortable laughter/ impatient sighing going on. So better to catch it during the week when there's fewer people/ more interested movie-goers.

 

[MMA since 1993]

My aunt was telling me about this movie an hour ago, and hell no i'm not watching this.

Sounds too graphic for me.

 

[lakersfan45]

4/10. What a disappointment. The ending was good but overall I just didn't care. I'm not a fan of movies where all the characters are not likeable.

 

[lakersfan45]

Also I feel like a lot of movies based on this time period or similar get good ratings despite their obvious problems.

 

[ObsoleteSoul]

Very meh. 5/10

Just got out, and in not sure what was supposed to be scary. Not even very tense, except for the Caleb scene.

 

[Osiris007]

Thought it was a well made movie. I found it to have more disturbing parts than a scary movie. 8/10.