Robert Eggers’ directorial debut, The VVitch, placed him firmly on the radars of many film lovers for its mastery of creeping dread over jump scares and cheap thrills. Standing out among such an overpopulated genre is not easy, yet Eggers weaves intrigue, guilt, religious fanaticism and desire into an unsettling exploration of humanity.
Part cautionary tale, part criticism of religious fervour and its effects on our psyche, The VVitch taps into our historic paranoia around the consequences of sin under the watchful eyes of a vengeful god, and the horrendous treatment of those considered to be sinful.
Following an isolated and poor family struggling to comprehend mysterious and sinister events around them, we are treated to a chilling depiction of life in 17th Century New England set against the intimidating backdrop of a forest that looms over them with intent.
As things spiral into madness and macabre, base desires clash with religious fundamentalism, family members turn on one another and there’s something peculiar going on in the barn.