New The Witch Movie Received Positive Reviews From Major Critics
A24 dropped their new horror/thriller movie, “The Witch,” into theaters today, February 19th, 2016 and all the major, top critics have revealed what their opinions are, and it turns out that their opinions are extremely positive when it comes to this flick, giving it an overall 84 score out of a possible 100 score across 37 reviews at the Metacritic.com site.
The film features: Anya Taylor-Joy, Harvey Scrimshaw, Julian Richings, Kate Dickie and Ralph Ineson. We’ve posted comments from a couple of the critics, below.
Bill Zwecker over at the Chicago Sun-Times, gave it an 88 grade. He stated: “This is a very promising first feature by Eggers and showcases some exceptional acting.”
Robert Abele over at the Los Angeles Times, gave it an 80 grade, stating: “In a way, the movie is a tug of war between the fruits of exhaustive research into old-world madness — which plays out most prominently in the richly possessed performances (particularly Taylor-Joy and young Scrimshaw) and the evocative frontier trappings — and an entertainer’s pulpier instincts.”
Dan Callahan over at TheWrap, gave it an 80 grade, stating: “This is the kind of serious horror movie that will live in your head for days afterward, like a bad dream that’s difficult to shake.”
Ann Hornaday from the Washington Post, gave it a 75 score. He said: “For fans of horror at its most sinister, The Witch is not to be missed. It casts a spell that lingers long after its most disquieting mists have cleared.”
Todd McCarthy over at The Hollywood Reporter, gave it a 70 score, saying: “Writer-director Robert Eggers’ debut feature impresses on several fronts, notably in the performances, historical feel and visual precision, but the overall effect is relatively subdued and muted, probably too much so for mainstream scare fans.”
David Lewis over at the San Francisco Chronicle, gave it a 50 grade. He said: “Its slow-boiling brew of dread turns out to be more tepid than terrifying.”
Ethan Stacks over at the New York Daily News, gave it a 40 grade. He claims: “Early on, it seems that The Witch is tapping a higher metaphor for coming of age…or religious intolerance…or man’s uneasy balance with nature…or something. It doesn’t take long into the film’s hour and a half running time, however, to break that spell.”
Joe Morgenstern from the Wall Street Journal, gave it an excellent 100 score. He stated: “If the story’s psychodynamics are familiar, Mr. Eggers makes them seem newly discovered. The intensity of his writing and direction, as well as the eerie austerity of Jarin Blaschke’s cinematography, Craig Lathrop’s production design and Mark Korven’s music, all conspire to create a film of exceptional originality.”
Sara Stewart over at the New York Post, gave it a 100 score too, stating: “It’s a creepy little gem, and its imagery will stay with you long after you’ve left the theater.”
Michael Philips at the Chicago Tribune, gave it a 100 grade. He said: “Writer-director Robert Eggers’ “New England folk tale” film isn’t likely to go bonkers in the popular culture the way “Blair Witch” did. But it’s an infinitely richer, more meticulous, more elegant and more unnerving horror film — the best since “The Babadook,” and very likely a 21st century classic in its hardy yet malleable genre.”
Chris Nashawaty over at Entertainment Weekly, gave it a 91 grade, stating: “What makes this chillingly creepy little black-magic folk tale work so beautifully is its evocative sense of time and place.”
Manohla Dargis from The New York Times, gave it a 90 score, stating: “With a gentle rap-rapping, Mr. Eggers intensifies the shivers with art-film moves, genre shocks and an excellent cast that includes a progressively rowdy menagerie.”
Justin Chang over at Variety, gave it a 90 grade. He stated: “Writer-director Robert Eggers’ impressive debut feature walks a tricky line between disquieting ambiguity and full-bore supernatural horror, but leaves no doubt about the dangerously oppressive hold that Christianity exerted on some dark corners of the Puritan psyche.”
Peter Travers from Rolling Stone, gave it an 88 score, stating: “A crafty calling card brimming with beauty and terror. Eggers pulls us into the supernatural with subtle cunning and meticulous attention to detail.”
Simon Abrams over at RogerEbert.com, gave it an 88 grade. He claims: “The Witch, a feminist narrative that focuses on an American colonial family as they undergo what seems to be an otherworldly curse, is more like a sermon.”
Lastly, Ty Burr from the Boston Globe, gave it an 88 score, saying: “This startling, assured feature debut from New Hampshire-born, Brooklyn-based writer-director Robert Eggers has one foot in early American history and another in legend and fairy tale.” Stay tuned. Also, get your favorite Movie stuff, and more by Clicking Here.
