Paul Thomas’s review published on Letterboxd:
William and Katherine are devout Christians who are kicked out of their community for defying the church. They steadfastly hold onto their beliefs, even while in exile, until their children are tempted by an evil that threatens the family.
The Witch is about the mindset of America's conservative Christian roots and the sexual liberation that frees the daughter from the bondage of religious tyranny. It's also a warning to overbearing parents of today of the rebellion your children will make if the restrictions are too imposing.
The Witch feels like the ultimate anti-Christian film (not anti-Christian so much, but anti-"Christian film"). Christian filmmaking being a form of filmmaking that shows the dangers of being of the world and straying away from the family and patriarchal word of Christ. The Witch plays into that framing by showing that freedom in the form of an evil, but then shows the pleasures and happiness you recieve by embracing it and the dangers of obeying the family.
Don't let this take away from the fact that it's still scary as hell and masterfully directed. There's a sharpness to the filmmaking, from the editing to sound design, that adds to the brutality of this world.
Each time I watch it, it just gets better and the message is more layered. It was greeted with praise on it's release, but still undervalued, in my opinion. One day it will be reevaluated as one of the great American horror movies.
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