The VVitch - A Review

I am a self-described, hardcore horror fanatic. People cringe when I tell them that I willingly watch horror alone, at night and still achieve a restful night of sleep. I will watch virtually any horror film but actively consult blogs and peer reviews for recommendations. Because I tend to offer gratuitous reviews to those unprepared to hear them, I figure it is better to start documenting here where those who so choose can read my thoughts and decide for themselves whether the movie is worth the proverbial plunge.

Ah, The VVitch. Mention it amongst hipster crowds and you’ll become an instant part of the club. Mention it amongst horror fanatics, and be ready to talk A24, the Lighthouse, Ari Aster, and why Puritan America is one of the most terrifying eras of our history. I recall reading somewhere that Eggers (who is only 37 years old) hired a costume designer to mimic the same materials that would have been used to design the 17th century garb of colonial America adding a harsh dose of reality to a fundamentally unrealistic film. In addition, he took the time to study what the Puritanical dialect would have sounded like and employed these nuances to the accents of Thomasin and Caleb alike. A facsimile of what we imagine Puritan America to look like, the setting of this film set the stage to feel just familiar enough to hit us in the heart as we watch the demise of a simply American family.

I have seen this film more times than I can remember, but the most recent time, I picked up on some motifs and “Easter Eggs” that I hadn’t noticed before. As a family exiled from society, our main characters are painfully isolated from anyone outside of their immediate circle. This brings me to call out the most cringe-y theme of INCEST. Yes, our least favorite sin to see come to fruition. Our biologically ingrained hatred for this act makes the tone of the Witch uneasy, particularly as we are introduced to the family dynamic in the earlier scenes. We see Caleb stealing glances at Thomasin’s breasts as well as Thomasin removing the blouse of her extremely well chiseled father, William. Thomasin is a paradox as a young girl with big girl problems and big girl appeals. Watching her father come to her defense and cradle her never feels innocent. I call this motif “ambient” horror. You don’t overwhelmingly see a particular action that makes you feel uncomfortable, but rather know that you feel uncomfortable without exact explanation of why.

Now here comes the big question - was Thomasin a witch the entire time? I haven’t fully made up my mind one way or another, but I did start noticing some signs that Eggers may want the viewer to believe she was a witch from the getgo. During the scene where Thomasin and Caleb go out into the woods looking for their baby brother, Thomasin is wearing a seemingly uncharacteristic hat that looks pretty close to what a stereotypical witch wears. Coincidence? Also, during the scene where Thomasin’s baby brother disappears instantly before her eyes, I felt a sense that she was not surprised that he went missing. She didn’t panic or look around, but rather just kept her eyes glued to the empty cradle before her.

What sets this film apart from other contemporary horror counterparts is that it is designed to make us believe what is happening. We are invested in Thomasin and feel her struggle with becoming a pariah from her family both because she is accused of being a witch, but also because she brings an objectively beautiful and womanly presence to a forlorn and unkempt family on the outskirts of society. Like A Clockwork Orange, The VVitch successfully makes us empathize with someone who wavers between protagonist and antagonist, feeling angered by the poor treatment they receive from others. But like Alex, Thomasin may truly be evil afterall. That bout of uncertainty is enough to make even the most advanced horror fanatic uneasy.

The final observation I will make is a reference to other successful films that have come out fairly recently. The “descent to chaos” is a common scene genre that is most notably in Hereditary (entire backend of the movie with piano strings and fires alike), the Lighthouse (in the end we are completely distanced from reality or rather tossed back and forth between it), Suspiria (new version, the final dance with the witches), Midsommar (wild sex scene IYKYK), and of course The VVitch (dancing and flying with other naked witches). I am not sure what to make of this commonality, but I think chaos as a theme is intrinsically horrific.