IMPORTANT NOTE: It was brought to my attention that I made a mistake in this video and accidentally took a phrase from another creator who made a video on The Witch as well. CinemaStix made a fantastic video about The Witch and how impressive the production was, which I watched when it came out and clearly internalised the sentiment of "not compromising your vision, but compromising to achieve your vision" and echoed the exact same phrasing in this video. We have very similar feelings about how well the budget was managed, and I clearly resonated with the way they talked about it so much so that their description of it stuck in my head. Wanted to make sure I was addressing this because if I don't it just looks like I'm ripping off their video, which I want to be very clear that that wasn't the case. It's definitely my mistake and just something I genuinely didn't realize had happened. Thank you to the comments who've brought this to my attention. I'm gonna try and reach out to CinemaStix as well to let them know about this. Thanks ya'll
Something SO impressive to me as a professional Shakespearean actor regarding the heightened language used in the script is that every single actor in the film, including the young children, perfectly maintains the balance of imbuing the period accurate language with it's inherent sense of urgency and poetry while ALSO adhering to 21st century aesthetic values of acting for the camera that preference a sense of realism and naturalism. That is such a hard line to walk for even the most seasoned of actors.
@@katelinwight you should watch Tray Clancy's review. It's a completely different style, more casual and really funny, but his critique focuses on the failures if the father and how he's at fault for nearly everything that happens.
With the early puritans putting such importance on everyone knowing how to read, they really hit it out of the park. Its also a major bummer to happen across things like letters written by farm-boy soldiers from the civil war era and find they are far more eloquent than most of the people you know in the modern era.
Everything is so subtle. I love the scene where Black Phillip comes to Tomasin and you just see an out of focus hoof step forward followed by a boot, and then his voice and hand. Like they don't make a thing out of showing him transform. Love it.
I think its in the directors commentary, Eggers says that actors costume was the most expensive lavish one in the movie and you pretty much only get to see his one boot lmao
I'm a historian of the witch trials and I live in Salem, MA and this movie is AMAZING in my personal and professional opinion. Fun tidbit, Caleb's death scene is word for word what was said by an actual child who was said to have been killed by a witch in Connecticut which triggered the Connecticut Witch trials in 1662
I dunno how to explain this, but watching The Witch invokes the same feelings in me as reading a good literary horror novel. It's something special, for sure.
Not the point of this comment section, I know, but since you mentioned it... Could you recommend some good literary horror novels for me? Especially ones that give similar feels as this movie, that would be wonderful.
@@kragary no problem! Now that I think of it, there were a few other books I liked called “The Year of the Witching” by Alexis Henderson and “The Manningtree Witches” by A.K. Blakemore.
"How I wish modern language was even half as poetic as some of the dialect that used to be commonplace." It still exists, all the energy was just given to Nigerian parents. 😭
I didn’t realize how much reading a king james Bible had affected me until I realized the language in this movie was actually hard to understand for some people
@@vandarkholme8548 Being ESL might actually be an advantage here. You probably speak it with more thought and care than many native English speakers (especially American).
I understood it. I just couldnt hear it. I saw it in theatres and at home. At home i had subtitles cause the dialogue in this movie is ridiculously quiet.
I watched The Witch purely on a whim a few years ago knowing absolutely nothing about it. When it ended I was absolutely speechless. Still one of if not my favorite film of all time. Robert Eggers is an incredible director and the stories he tells are the most compelling I’ve ever seen. Special shoutout to The Lighthouse
The scene where William is praying is actually nightmare fuel,seeing Thomasin peeking out from the boards as her father cries out into the heavens,begging whatever being is listening to please not hurt his family anymore and to take him instead,and then right after when the crow is eating Katherine's breasts,it's all so viscerally haunting...
A Roman slasher is actually a great idea! I would watch. It combines two of my favourite subjects - horror and history. "Sampson The Sadducee Strangler." (Life of Brian.)
Maybe you would enjoy "Prey" then? Sure, the Predator has some advanced tech and spaceships, but it's mostly about the Native Americans being clever with what they have and how they fight back.
actually, there is this move Apocalypto, that is not very accurate but looks good, and the whole thing is technically a Slasher set around 1400s in America (natives) Is one of my favorites
Back when i used to teach the Crucible by Arthur Miller, i would just show the kids the trailer of this film. That was all they needed. They got the culture and the fear they lived with daily just from that! Such a good movie.
I didn’t know the director had his own personal experience with witchcraft. But in hindsight I should’ve known given the quality of the film and accuracy. Interestingly, I grew up in a deeply southern & devoutly religious family under the holiness denomination. They also taught witchcraft as a real threat but much more modern. For instance; they preached paranoia as they often made it seem as if anyone could be a witch even your friends or teachers, or partners, etc. The witches couldn’t fly or dance naked in the woods but they would just practice the craft and use it to harm those around them in secret. The harm would usually be something like a surprise illness or hair loss or even financial problems, etc. I love the VVitch it’s one of my favorite films of all times. It’s beautifully disturbed and carefully crafted.
When it took the baby I was like what could've happened to it and dear lord the thing happened to it was not something me or my ancestors would've imagined.
My husband and I saw this in cinema and sat in stunned silence until the last credit rolled. Meanwhile we heard people leaving chuntering about it being boring. We talked about it for weeks and eagerly bought the DVD upon release. You've said everything we feel about this phenomenal film. We sang the Black Philip song and taunted each other about the 'taste of butter' over morning toast for months. The memory of Devil's voice in that scene chills me as I type this comment. I cannot praise this film enough, thanks for the video!
Ralph Ineson is such an incredible actor with an amazing voice. He’s under utilized in the horror genre IMO. He would make for such a great villain. With the right role and dialogue his voice alone would be terrifying lol. Never mind his emotional intensity.
He would kill it in voice acting in some high value animated project. Graham McTavish as Dracula from Netflix's castlevania killed it with his performance. I feel Ralph Ineson would as well in a similar project.
I can't adequately describe the deep feeling of fascination that comes over me watching movies like The Witch and The Village. Partly the time periods and setting,but more how thin the veil seems between reality and the world of spirits and dark magic,making tales of folklore seem kind of believable.
In medieval Sweden people believed trolls could snatch away infants and replace them with troll children, which was one reason as to why families hurried to have their infants baptized. It was believed christening would protect infants from being stolen and/or replaced.
What is interesting about Swedish folklore is that "troll" was something of a broad term and didn't always mean an ugly goblin like creature. It's just a supernatural being. A troll could actually be another term for a witch.
@Passions5555 I didn't know that, but it does makes sense. Folklore has for a long time been a tool to other people who are different and built moral stories to cement such views
Early Modern English, I'm pretty sure. Actual old English would've been indecipherable to modern speakers, it was practically another language. I agree though, it's incredibly poetic and lilting like a song.
I could say a lot about this film but a few things is the dialogue the mother and father have before Caleb dies. The mother explains that years ago she felt god’s love almost as if he was there with her. But since her son went missing her heart has turned to stone. If you read it from a witchcraft perspective it’s really the spell separating them from god and that is why she can’t feel it. She is surrounded by evil. Another scene which is small but I noticed is when they are having dinner after Samuel goes missing. Everything seems fine by their table manners and calm voices but we the audience knows that nothing is right. It’s so tense and cold in every scene but that scene was so perfect because of its misnomer quality. I also wanted to mention that I noticed some similarities between the 1997 film “Eve’s Bayou.” The main similarity is how the witchcraft causes chaos even if that chaos is controlled. Both films empathize how these spells are tearing them apart.
I've seen so many people talk about this movie, but never to the detail and appreciation that you have here. Your passion is unmatched. Thank you for making this, and happy spooky season!
I watched this in college when I was working at a theater and taking a history class in witchcraft. To this day this is still one of my favorite horror movies.
This video was my first exposure to your channel and it was great. This is how I'd like to be able to analyze and talk about movies with my peers. I love this movie too.
This has become my favorite horror movie and I’m absolutely astonished that Caleb’s actor didn’t have any experience in acting before this. He was phenomenal!
During the scene where Caleb is dying, he says "She is upon me". An often-overlooked mark in the occult history and witch trials is being "Hag Ridden". Which is when the witch sends out a specter of themself or their familiar to sit upon, attack or paralyze their victim. Back to the boy who is also associated with the Sin of Lust and sexual repression. I always took this scene as he being sexually assaulted by the hag / witch. Explaining his terror and "pleasure". His body, mind and spirit is being confounded and attacked by the hag. It adds a whole other level of sick and twisted to this horror.
I really enjoy the way you speak about movies, you go beyond just recapping a movie and I find that really refreshing. you can tell you have genuine feelings and opinions about the movies you go over & i love to hear your insight :)
As someone from the same area who grew up on the same folklore and fears that still leak into New England culture (as well as being a reenactor who gladly picks apart inaccuracies) watching this movie just made me go “yup, this guy gets it”.
I can't tell you how much it pleased me to hear you mention the film's visual style being reminiscent of Andrew Wyeth's paintings. I've always found that dry, bleak look so beautiful in its own way, and Eggers clearly does too.
Many don't know the chosen moviescape here. Kiosk, Ontario. The dying pulpmill town with its own railway. Now swallowed up by Algonqin Park. Superb forested backdrop.
Ralph Ineson should narrate audio books or creepypastas. His voice is so insane, he growls as he speaks. Also, he looks like Shane Madejs 20 years older twin brother.
I love this film as a feminist piece, akin to Belladonna of Sadness. If the entire community demonizes a girl for being something she is not, don't be surprised when she becomes the very thing she's been accused of.
It's really interesting to hear Eggers talk about that, because he said he didn't write it as a feminist movie but realized afterwards that it absolutely is
This is my favorite movie made by my favorite director, and I’m so happy he finally got to make Nosferatu and I’m seeing it on release! He’s been wanting to make it for so long
The VVitch is my favorite movie, Max decided to stop streaming it, so I started watching analysis videos & this is the absolute best analysis/summary I've seen on TH-cam so far. Literally made me subscribe!
I absolutely adore and clamor over this film. The setting, the old English language, the characters and story, it all feels so genuine! Great coverage 👍
This is my new favourite channel, and I'm so excited to see what you have to say about one of my favourite movies!! I wrote my bachelor's thesis about how the witches' sabbath is depicted in modern popular culture, so I did a lot of reading and went through a whole rabbit hole with the flying ointment usage and had NO IDEA until then, that the ergot poisoning and the psychedelic effect it had on the alleged witches, even played a part in the production of LSD! 🤯
Yeah it's insane when you realize how much of that was the cause of how things went down with the witch trials. Thanks for the kind words! I'd love to read that thesis
Thank you for explaining why they moved out into the middle of nowhere. I saw this many years ago and forgot that it had to do with the father’s religious battle with the Church of England. 🏴
Saw this in theatres with my Mom, we've both been enamored with witchy folklore for as long as I've been alive so this was an absolute treat for us. Thanks for reminding me how much of a gem this film was. I think we're due for a rewatch.
I rewatched it yesterday.. & believe me I couldn’t keep my eyes out of this movie for even one second... That's how great this movie is, Cinematography, Acting, score were🔥🔥🔥
You are on a roll putting out amazing videos! They are absolutely a joy to watch. The VVitch is such a masterpiece. I've never seen another film that makes me feel the way this one did.
You good sir, have made me want to watch this a second time. My first time watching I think I was so unsettled that I wasnt sure if Id ever rewatch. But your passion when talking about this piece sold me.
Thoroughly enjoyed your insightful, with a side of comedy, commentary.... this movie legit blows me away and is my go-to watch on that chilly sunless fall day.......
This movie - as well as "Days of Heaven" and "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (which is also one of my favorite movies of all time) - are the three most beautifully shot movies I have personally ever seen. And maybe I'm biased, and it's the massive Wyeth fanboy in me that makes me feel that way... I don't know. But regardless, it doesn't make it any less true. They are such captivating films... there really is no other word for it: They are simply beautiful. I could sit and stare at a scene from any of them all day long.
First and only video of yours I’ve experienced - I say so instead of “watched” because I listened to it thru my headphones while at work - instant subscribe. Thank you for this!
Big horror fan, this is definitely on the top shelf. “Wouldest thou like to live deliciously?” As for the language I think visually the film tells the story well enough that nothing of importance is lost if one misses the meaning of a few words here and there. Imagine if Thomassin were one of Margret Morgan’s coven. The Lords of Salem. I’ll never forget that piece of demonic music. The visual of the coven playing it on instruments made of human bones. The demonic may not be my favourite sub-genre of horror but it does cover a large portion of the best horror films of all time.
Great review, Love this movie. William’s story is tragic, he fails as a hunter, and fails as a farmer, in the cursed land, under the dark influence of the witch. As his family is falling apart, he turns his back on them, to chop wood, as it’s the only thing he feels he can do to provide for them, chopping far more wood than is needed, and ultimately is buried under the log pile.
Excellent analysis! "The Witch" is one of my favorite movies as well. I am a fan of silent movies & found that, like with silent movies, the expressiveness in the actors facial & body language told the story very well at times when the language may have been difficult to understand.
I remember seeing this at a free screening at my university and loving it. A lot the people on my dorm floor said it was crap but I think it was just marketed entirely wrong. It looked like it was gonna be scares on scares not slow building dread. Now I am officially in Robert Eggars' bag for life. The man is 3 for 3 and I cannot wait for Nosferatu.
The first time I heard a Nyckelharpa was playing World of Warcraft when I got to Grizzly Hills. It is such a beautiful haunting sound that I bought an album of nyckelharpa music. It was perfect for THE VVITCH
I subscribed four minutes into this essay. This isn’t even one of the films I feel particularly passionate about but I so appreciate your thoughtful, illuminating, and plaintive exploration of this.
I love LOOVE your videos. And the way you talk about The Witch, is pretty much how I've felt about the film but couldn't put it into words. So thank you!
Terrific attention and articulation of detail and analysis of this film. Well done! I'm not very familiar with horror as a genre. In fact I never thought of it as a horror film until someone pointed it out to me as such. In any case, it is one of my favorite films.So well conceived, produced, acted. Storytelling at its best.
IMPORTANT NOTE: It was brought to my attention that I made a mistake in this video and accidentally took a phrase from another creator who made a video on The Witch as well. CinemaStix made a fantastic video about The Witch and how impressive the production was, which I watched when it came out and clearly internalised the sentiment of "not compromising your vision, but compromising to achieve your vision" and echoed the exact same phrasing in this video. We have very similar feelings about how well the budget was managed, and I clearly resonated with the way they talked about it so much so that their description of it stuck in my head. Wanted to make sure I was addressing this because if I don't it just looks like I'm ripping off their video, which I want to be very clear that that wasn't the case. It's definitely my mistake and just something I genuinely didn't realize had happened. Thank you to the comments who've brought this to my attention. I'm gonna try and reach out to CinemaStix as well to let them know about this. Thanks ya'll
Respect
My favorite tidbit about this movie is that the goat was an absolute terror to work with.
Yeah literally everyone complains about that goat haha
@@RocklinGraves It was a nightmare.
Goats really are agents of chaos LOL I love them so fucking much, ive raised so many growing up, theyre all wonderful babies
He was a method actor. 😆
Ha ha yeah apparently Ralph Ineson would exacerbate the issue by making the goat angry by teasing it before scenes with it 😂
Something SO impressive to me as a professional Shakespearean actor regarding the heightened language used in the script is that every single actor in the film, including the young children, perfectly maintains the balance of imbuing the period accurate language with it's inherent sense of urgency and poetry while ALSO adhering to 21st century aesthetic values of acting for the camera that preference a sense of realism and naturalism. That is such a hard line to walk for even the most seasoned of actors.
So true. It's wildly impressive what this cast was able to pull off, and it's also a testament to Eggers' ability of working with his actors
@@katelinwight you should watch Tray Clancy's review. It's a completely different style, more casual and really funny, but his critique focuses on the failures if the father and how he's at fault for nearly everything that happens.
@@saraivy thank you so much for this recommendation!
Yes! I love the way they speak and modulate their voices. Ralph Ineson's way of speaking and voice is astounding here.
With the early puritans putting such importance on everyone knowing how to read, they really hit it out of the park.
Its also a major bummer to happen across things like letters written by farm-boy soldiers from the civil war era and find they are far more eloquent than most of the people you know in the modern era.
Anya Taylor-Joy should have gotten an Oscar nomination for her performance in this.
ʏᴇs
Hard agree.
Unfortunately, the academy absolutely ignores horror movies, it doesn't matter how good it is, how good an acting is, is pure prejudice.
@@quesomquefazI'd never thought about that but you may be on to something there because I was shocked Toni Collette wasn't for Hereditary
@@Quack_attack_ Absolutely, she's the perfect example.
Everything is so subtle. I love the scene where Black Phillip comes to Tomasin and you just see an out of focus hoof step forward followed by a boot, and then his voice and hand. Like they don't make a thing out of showing him transform. Love it.
I think its in the directors commentary, Eggers says that actors costume was the most expensive lavish one in the movie and you pretty much only get to see his one boot lmao
@@daninervo5717 i would hope that the devil would be absolutely dripping
I'm a historian of the witch trials and I live in Salem, MA and this movie is AMAZING in my personal and professional opinion. Fun tidbit, Caleb's death scene is word for word what was said by an actual child who was said to have been killed by a witch in Connecticut which triggered the Connecticut Witch trials in 1662
That’s crazy, thanks for the interesting fact!
@jisu222 I seriously about screamed in public when I watched it for the first time and heard it.
@ Haha that’s awesome 😎
My ancestor Goodwife Knapp was one of the women killed in that, it wasn’t until I did family tree research that I knew about that witch trial
Damn wow. Is there a book or a article that it mentions so we can read it too
I dunno how to explain this, but watching The Witch invokes the same feelings in me as reading a good literary horror novel. It's something special, for sure.
Not the point of this comment section, I know, but since you mentioned it... Could you recommend some good literary horror novels for me? Especially ones that give similar feels as this movie, that would be wonderful.
@@kragaryyou’d probably like “Slewfoot” by Brom. Very similar story to The Witch.
@@skywalkerchick Thank you for the recommendation, I sent a request to get it to my local library, I hope it works!
@@kragary no problem! Now that I think of it, there were a few other books I liked called “The Year of the Witching” by Alexis Henderson and “The Manningtree Witches” by A.K. Blakemore.
Read more literature, the stuff works
Robert Eggers is a modern Master, and I'm on pins and needles waiting for Nosferatu. I need this man to keep making gothic, bleak horror like this.
"How I wish modern language was even half as poetic as some of the dialect that used to be commonplace."
It still exists, all the energy was just given to Nigerian parents. 😭
No.
You're so fucking right.
I just wanna know what kind of books are taught in school that give them such a vocabulary 😂
One of the creepiest details is that black phillip has human eyes. As far as I know, all goats have rectangular pupils.
i just went back and looked, pretty sure he has regular goat eyes. would be super creepy if true though.
@@MikaIsCritter 19:33 human eyes
@@MikaIsCritternah he’s right.
Omg you’re right
@@thenobletaco4232those look like normal goat eyes to me, just dilated pupils. I grew up with goats, they look like that.
I didn’t realize how much reading a king james Bible had affected me until I realized the language in this movie was actually hard to understand for some people
As someone who read many Shakespearean plays neither did I
It took me a bit to switch into the mindset but yeah, not the easiest thing for those who have never heard it.
No way, it isn't even that hard, I'm ESL and even I understood everything
@@vandarkholme8548 Being ESL might actually be an advantage here. You probably speak it with more thought and care than many native English speakers (especially American).
I understood it. I just couldnt hear it. I saw it in theatres and at home. At home i had subtitles cause the dialogue in this movie is ridiculously quiet.
Most chilling line in any movie ever: "Would you like to live deliciously?"
I watched The Witch purely on a whim a few years ago knowing absolutely nothing about it. When it ended I was absolutely speechless. Still one of if not my favorite film of all time. Robert Eggers is an incredible director and the stories he tells are the most compelling I’ve ever seen. Special shoutout to The Lighthouse
The scene where William is praying is actually nightmare fuel,seeing Thomasin peeking out from the boards as her father cries out into the heavens,begging whatever being is listening to please not hurt his family anymore and to take him instead,and then right after when the crow is eating Katherine's breasts,it's all so viscerally haunting...
Black Philip should have gotten an Oscar nomination for his performance in this.
One redeeming part of the film
I love horror from various historical stages. Hopefully, we'll soon have slashers from ancient Rome and home invasion films from the viking age.
Home invasion viking film? isnt it just what they did hehe ;)
Did you watch The Northman?
A Roman slasher is actually a great idea! I would watch. It combines two of my favourite subjects - horror and history. "Sampson The Sadducee Strangler." (Life of Brian.)
Maybe you would enjoy "Prey" then? Sure, the Predator has some advanced tech and spaceships, but it's mostly about the Native Americans being clever with what they have and how they fight back.
actually, there is this move Apocalypto, that is not very accurate but looks good, and the whole thing is technically a Slasher set around 1400s in America (natives)
Is one of my favorites
Back when i used to teach the Crucible by Arthur Miller, i would just show the kids the trailer of this film. That was all they needed. They got the culture and the fear they lived with daily just from that! Such a good movie.
Slewfoot by Brom is another book that had me connecting with this film.
I didn’t know the director had his own personal experience with witchcraft. But in hindsight I should’ve known given the quality of the film and accuracy. Interestingly, I grew up in a deeply southern & devoutly religious family under the holiness denomination. They also taught witchcraft as a real threat but much more modern. For instance; they preached paranoia as they often made it seem as if anyone could be a witch even your friends or teachers, or partners, etc. The witches couldn’t fly or dance naked in the woods but they would just practice the craft and use it to harm those around them in secret. The harm would usually be something like a surprise illness or hair loss or even financial problems, etc. I love the VVitch it’s one of my favorite films of all times. It’s beautifully disturbed and carefully crafted.
Robert Eggers is a ridiculous talent, 3/3 for masterpieces so far with The Witch and The Lighthouse being 2 of my favourites of all time
I feel exactly the same way
When it took the baby I was like what could've happened to it and dear lord the thing happened to it was not something me or my ancestors would've imagined.
They don't call it baby oil for nuthin'!
My husband and I saw this in cinema and sat in stunned silence until the last credit rolled. Meanwhile we heard people leaving chuntering about it being boring. We talked about it for weeks and eagerly bought the DVD upon release. You've said everything we feel about this phenomenal film. We sang the Black Philip song and taunted each other about the 'taste of butter' over morning toast for months. The memory of Devil's voice in that scene chills me as I type this comment. I cannot praise this film enough, thanks for the video!
Ralph Ineson is such an incredible actor with an amazing voice. He’s under utilized in the horror genre IMO. He would make for such a great villain. With the right role and dialogue his voice alone would be terrifying lol. Never mind his emotional intensity.
He would kill it in voice acting in some high value animated project. Graham McTavish as Dracula from Netflix's castlevania killed it with his performance. I feel Ralph Ineson would as well in a similar project.
@@Passions5555 absolutely
@@Passions5555 He voiced Cidolfus in Final Fantasy XVI
the original trailer of the witch nailed it when they said this movie is like watching something that we shouldn't see
I can't adequately describe the deep feeling of fascination that comes over me watching movies like The Witch and The Village. Partly the time periods and setting,but more how thin the veil seems between reality and the world of spirits and dark magic,making tales of folklore seem kind of believable.
It's mesmerizing
@@RocklinGraves 😃 we'll go with that! Amazing channel,my friend.
you know it’s a good day when RGP posts
absolute highlight of my day 👍
Thank you!
In medieval Sweden people believed trolls could snatch away infants and replace them with troll children, which was one reason as to why families hurried to have their infants baptized. It was believed christening would protect infants from being stolen and/or replaced.
What is interesting about Swedish folklore is that "troll" was something of a broad term and didn't always mean an ugly goblin like creature. It's just a supernatural being. A troll could actually be another term for a witch.
@Passions5555 I didn't know that, but it does makes sense. Folklore has for a long time been a tool to other people who are different and built moral stories to cement such views
8:32 The Olde English. The way the old English just rolled off the actors' tongues was better than any film I'd ever seen before.
Ralph Ineson, the father is from Yorkshire which is known as a dialectical time capsule since the area is so isolated
Early Modern English, I'm pretty sure. Actual old English would've been indecipherable to modern speakers, it was practically another language. I agree though, it's incredibly poetic and lilting like a song.
“Everyone was born with their life laid out for them.” That was true for much of human history, to a large degree.
It still is for many people. Most of the world I’d say…
"Stop saying that fuck shit" looool 😂
I've been hyped to hear your breakdown on this for a while now. Happy to be here and watch the channel grow. You're killing it dude!
Thank you David! I really appreciate it and hope you enjoyed the video
I could say a lot about this film but a few things is the dialogue the mother and father have before Caleb dies. The mother explains that years ago she felt god’s love almost as if he was there with her. But since her son went missing her heart has turned to stone. If you read it from a witchcraft perspective it’s really the spell separating them from god and that is why she can’t feel it. She is surrounded by evil. Another scene which is small but I noticed is when they are having dinner after Samuel goes missing. Everything seems fine by their table manners and calm voices but we the audience knows that nothing is right. It’s so tense and cold in every scene but that scene was so perfect because of its misnomer quality. I also wanted to mention that I noticed some similarities between the 1997 film “Eve’s Bayou.” The main similarity is how the witchcraft causes chaos even if that chaos is controlled. Both films empathize how these spells are tearing them apart.
Harvey is easily one of the best child actors I've ever seen. Amazing job.
I've seen so many people talk about this movie, but never to the detail and appreciation that you have here. Your passion is unmatched. Thank you for making this, and happy spooky season!
Wow thank you so much! That's very kind of you
I watched this in college when I was working at a theater and taking a history class in witchcraft. To this day this is still one of my favorite horror movies.
Watching Tomasin screaming “I love you” as her mother attacked her legitimately choked me up. Beautiful. Haunting. Beyond tragic.
This video was my first exposure to your channel and it was great. This is how I'd like to be able to analyze and talk about movies with my peers. I love this movie too.
Can you do a video on the Ritual and or Midsommar? Watching this video on the Witch put me in a folklore horror mood 😂 Great video as always btw
Absolutely! Thank you
Midsommar is a perfect movie just like The VVitch
I haven't seen Midsommar, but The Ritual was great. Couldn't get Moder out of my head for days afterward.
Both of those are also great films. Don't forget The Wind !
@@tinyfishhobby3138Midsommar is ... really out there. I wasnt expecting what took place. Great film
I'm going to need Eggers to make his depiction of the Tell-Tale heart by Edgar Allan Poe starring Willem Dafoe
this is probably one of my favorite movies of all time
Same
This was brilliant and Anya Taylor Joy is now one of my favorite young actresses. I love a good slow burn movie and this delivers
This has become my favorite horror movie and I’m absolutely astonished that Caleb’s actor didn’t have any experience in acting before this. He was phenomenal!
During the scene where Caleb is dying, he says "She is upon me". An often-overlooked mark in the occult history and witch trials is being "Hag Ridden". Which is when the witch sends out a specter of themself or their familiar to sit upon, attack or paralyze their victim. Back to the boy who is also associated with the Sin of Lust and sexual repression. I always took this scene as he being sexually assaulted by the hag / witch. Explaining his terror and "pleasure". His body, mind and spirit is being confounded and attacked by the hag. It adds a whole other level of sick and twisted to this horror.
I really enjoy the way you speak about movies, you go beyond just recapping a movie and I find that really refreshing. you can tell you have genuine feelings and opinions about the movies you go over & i love to hear your insight :)
Ah thank you that's very kind of you to say
The ending of this movie is SO fkn good!
This movie would be a masterpiece in any era.
I bet Kubrick would’ve LOVED this film 💯
As someone from the same area who grew up on the same folklore and fears that still leak into New England culture (as well as being a reenactor who gladly picks apart inaccuracies) watching this movie just made me go “yup, this guy gets it”.
This has been my new favorite channel to binge. I’m gonna be so sad when I run outta videos and have to wait for new ones to come out
I can't tell you how much it pleased me to hear you mention the film's visual style being reminiscent of Andrew Wyeth's paintings. I've always found that dry, bleak look so beautiful in its own way, and Eggers clearly does too.
Many don't know the chosen moviescape here. Kiosk, Ontario. The dying pulpmill town with its own railway. Now swallowed up by Algonqin Park. Superb forested backdrop.
One of the best horror movies ever made in my opinion. A masterpiece.
Yeap
What Went We is the most haunting, sorrowful song I've ever heard. RIP Black Phillip
I loved this movie. And still do. Just that perfect balance of realism and fantasy.
Ralph Ineson should narrate audio books or creepypastas. His voice is so insane, he growls as he speaks. Also, he looks like Shane Madejs 20 years older twin brother.
I love this film as a feminist piece, akin to Belladonna of Sadness. If the entire community demonizes a girl for being something she is not, don't be surprised when she becomes the very thing she's been accused of.
It's really interesting to hear Eggers talk about that, because he said he didn't write it as a feminist movie but realized afterwards that it absolutely is
This movie has become a personal favorite of mine. It's so well done!
FUN FACT: The goat from the movie (Charlie) died in 2019 in a accident. She was beheaded.
That's not fun. It's sad. Poor animal
a beheading does NOT sound like an accident 😭😭
Hey, the woods by themselves are scary enough without there being witches in them!
Especially at night *shudder*
Saw the thumbnail, came running 😊
Amazing filmmaking is showing me why people would ever be afraid of something as goofy (in my opinion) as a witch. Now I get it.
This is my favorite movie made by my favorite director, and I’m so happy he finally got to make Nosferatu and I’m seeing it on release! He’s been wanting to make it for so long
It works well because everyone involved was talented and loves their art.
The VVitch is my favorite movie, Max decided to stop streaming it, so I started watching analysis videos & this is the absolute best analysis/summary I've seen on TH-cam so far. Literally made me subscribe!
I absolutely adore and clamor over this film. The setting, the old English language, the characters and story, it all feels so genuine!
Great coverage 👍
Couldn't agree more! Thanks
This is my new favourite channel, and I'm so excited to see what you have to say about one of my favourite movies!! I wrote my bachelor's thesis about how the witches' sabbath is depicted in modern popular culture, so I did a lot of reading and went through a whole rabbit hole with the flying ointment usage and had NO IDEA until then, that the ergot poisoning and the psychedelic effect it had on the alleged witches, even played a part in the production of LSD! 🤯
Yeah it's insane when you realize how much of that was the cause of how things went down with the witch trials. Thanks for the kind words! I'd love to read that thesis
Thank you for explaining why they moved out into the middle of nowhere. I saw this many years ago and forgot that it had to do with the father’s religious battle with the Church of England. 🏴
Saw this in theatres with my Mom, we've both been enamored with witchy folklore for as long as I've been alive so this was an absolute treat for us. Thanks for reminding me how much of a gem this film was. I think we're due for a rewatch.
I rewatched it yesterday.. & believe me I couldn’t keep my eyes out of this movie for even one second... That's how great this movie is, Cinematography, Acting, score were🔥🔥🔥
YES im so glad youre talking about this! I adore this movie!
You are on a roll putting out amazing videos! They are absolutely a joy to watch. The VVitch is such a masterpiece. I've never seen another film that makes me feel the way this one did.
Definitely one of my favorite films. I have rewatched it countless times. A true gem
This movie, is so beautifully done. One of my favorites.
This might be the best video about this particular film
You good sir, have made me want to watch this a second time. My first time watching I think I was so unsettled that I wasnt sure if Id ever rewatch. But your passion when talking about this piece sold me.
I LOOOVEEE this marvelous well. 🖤🖤🖤
These are the kind of videos I miss. Thank you for this.
This was great! You go into details that would pass me by un noticed which is awesome. Brilliant video, man.
Thoroughly enjoyed your insightful, with a side of comedy, commentary.... this movie legit blows me away and is my go-to watch on that chilly sunless fall day.......
First time I've watched one of your videos. One of the best I've come across recently. Subscribed.
This movie - as well as "Days of Heaven" and "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (which is also one of my favorite movies of all time) - are the three most beautifully shot movies I have personally ever seen. And maybe I'm biased, and it's the massive Wyeth fanboy in me that makes me feel that way... I don't know. But regardless, it doesn't make it any less true. They are such captivating films... there really is no other word for it: They are simply beautiful. I could sit and stare at a scene from any of them all day long.
This is my favourite movie of all time
The way the candle-lit scenes, look like a Rembrandt painting brought to life
Incredible breakdown! What a haunting and genius film. Glad you talked about the score, so unique and unsettling.
Thank you! Yeah the score is insane
This is really interesting timing, I just watched this the other day
First and only video of yours I’ve experienced - I say so instead of “watched” because I listened to it thru my headphones while at work - instant subscribe. Thank you for this!
This wasn’t my favorite movie ever, but the people who say “nothing happens in this film” must be the types who have no attention span.
This movie is what made me love robert eggers and the way how he makes movies!
Fantastic review of this film! Your passion makes it such a fun watch.
Thank you kindly!
Big horror fan, this is definitely on the top shelf.
“Wouldest thou like to live deliciously?”
As for the language I think visually the film tells the story well enough that nothing of importance is lost if one misses the meaning of a few words here and there.
Imagine if Thomassin were one of Margret Morgan’s coven. The Lords of Salem. I’ll never forget that piece of demonic music. The visual of the coven playing it on instruments made of human bones.
The demonic may not be my favourite sub-genre of horror but it does cover a large portion of the best horror films of all time.
Great video!! Always learning something new about this movie! Looking forward to the next ones, specially Nosferatu XD
Thank you! My hype for Nosferatu is unprecedented
Great review, Love this movie.
William’s story is tragic, he fails as a hunter, and fails as a farmer, in the cursed land, under the dark influence of the witch. As his family is falling apart, he turns his back on them, to chop wood, as it’s the only thing he feels he can do to provide for them, chopping far more wood than is needed, and ultimately is buried under the log pile.
Excellent analysis! "The Witch" is one of my favorite movies as well. I am a fan of silent movies & found that, like with silent movies, the expressiveness in the actors facial & body language told the story very well at times when the language may have been difficult to understand.
I remember seeing this at a free screening at my university and loving it.
A lot the people on my dorm floor said it was crap but I think it was just marketed entirely wrong. It looked like it was gonna be scares on scares not slow building dread. Now I am officially in Robert Eggars' bag for life. The man is 3 for 3 and I cannot wait for Nosferatu.
I've watched 3 of your reviews and am so impressed with your ability to relate it in a way I can understand and completely agree with
The first time I heard a Nyckelharpa was playing World of Warcraft when I got to Grizzly Hills. It is such a beautiful haunting sound that I bought an album of nyckelharpa music. It was perfect for THE VVITCH
I subscribed four minutes into this essay. This isn’t even one of the films I feel particularly passionate about but I so appreciate your thoughtful, illuminating, and plaintive exploration of this.
I love LOOVE your videos. And the way you talk about The Witch, is pretty much how I've felt about the film but couldn't put it into words. So thank you!
Thank you! Glad you could relate
This is a fantastic analysis. Thank you!
The irony about the Salem witch trials is come to find out. It was all about one guy wanting to take the land of another family.
Terrific attention and articulation of detail and analysis of this film. Well done! I'm not very familiar with horror as a genre. In fact I never thought of it as a horror film until someone pointed it out to me as such. In any case, it is one of my favorite films.So well conceived, produced, acted. Storytelling at its best.
Saw it once in the theater and haven’t been able to watch it since. This is true horror in its purist form. I need to watch it again
Been waiting for this, I'm so excited!