The Witch.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

"Set in New England circa 1630, 'The Witch' follows a farmer who get cast out of his colonial plantation and is forced to move his family to a remote plot of land on the edge of an ominous forest rumored to be controlled by witches. Almost immediately, strange and unsettling things begin to happen-the animals turn violent, the crops fail, and one of the children disappears, only to return seemingly possessed by an evil spirit. As suspicion and paranoia mount, everyone begins to point the finger at teenage daughter Thomasin. They accuse her of witchcraft, which she adamantly denies…but as circumstances become more and more treacherous, each family member's faith, loyalty, and love will be tested in shocking and unforgettable ways.”

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

[CrumpsBrother Member Find all posts View Profile Close CrumpsBrother]

This movie is great. Saw it at two different film festivals this year and loved it both times.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

New trailer!

[Randy G Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Randy G]

Looks promising, about time someone updated the awesome Blood on Satan's Claw.

[Ian Jane Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Ian Jane]

New trailer. Goats are scary.

[Scyther Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Scyther]

I'm pumped for this one! Been on somewhat of a tear in the theater lately, so I'm definitely there opening night.

[Keeth Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Keeth]

http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-witch-get...tan-1756899938

[Tom Clark Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tom Clark]

This is why we can't have nice things: “The Witch” and horror fandom's gatekeepers.

Thoughts. I find myself torn. On one hand, I agree that there are people out there with the mentality he describes but there are people like that in virtually every area of fandom, be it movies, music, video games, ect... On the other, a good chunk of that just read like bitching and moaning because some people don't like the same films as he does.

[CrumpsBrother Member Find all posts View Profile Close CrumpsBrother]

I get where the author is coming from because I hear this a lot the other way. When non-genre fans ask me to name a horror film that isn't all blood & gore (in other words, it has more on its mind than shock value) and I counter with something like Don't Look Now, they say that it isn't a horror film. Well, yes, it is.

I'm fine if you don't like what I like - and I'm well aware that The Witch might be a tough slog for some folks - I'm even fine if you say it wasn't scary. That's a valid opinion. But the film is a horror film...and one I'll be using to defend horror to non-fans in the future. :^)

[Lalala76 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lalala76]

I'm genuinely looking forward to this film. I have not said that about any "horror" film in years. If its a slow burn then so be it. It sounds to me that its all about the atmosphere and creepiness it generates. Hell, even films like Blood on Satans claw were all about that.

[John Bernhard Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close John Bernhard]

The film excels in it's details and performances, but for me fell way short on chills and the ending went awry and didn't fit well.
The witch's motives are obscure to a fault, and the film has a very dark look, cutting away from what looks like something shocking quickly before you can fully discern what you are peering at.
A lot of it worked but overall a mixed bag, tremendous atmosphere throughout ( if a tad unrelenting ) but I left the theater thinking it was just OK and could have been much better.

It does score points for avoiding the genre cliches and the animals are creepy.
Now Black Phillip has his own twitter page :)
https://twitter.com/blackphillip

[Keeth Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Keeth]

I don't get the title. We have "nice things", The Witch was made & it's being distributed into theaters (it's in my small town). And who, specifically, are these "Gatekeepers"? Who gives a damn if someone doesn't think it's a horror film. Everyone has different opinions, which, is exactly how it should be. Different viewpoints is all part of that "diversity" people keep yapping about.

I haven't seen The Witch. I'm waiting to rent it. I should go see it in the theater but I don't like my local theaters.

Here's a review: http://reason.com/archives/2016/02/1...view-the-witch

In the comments, someone says it sounds like a film called "Eyes of Fire". I've never heard of it.

[Randy G Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Randy G]

This is why we can't have nice things: “The Witch” and horror fandom's gatekeepers.

Thoughts. I find myself torn. On one hand, I agree that there are people out there with the mentality he describes but there are people like that in virtually every area of fandom, be it movies, music, video games, ect... On the other, a good chunk of that just read like bitching and moaning because some people don't like the same films as he does.

His target does seem a bit vague and undefined. But I do agree that there is a vocal contingent of horror fans on the web who are pendantically critical of any modern horror film while praising every half-assed piece of hack trash from the 70s no matter how poorly made.

Don't get me wrong, I loves me some trash 70s horror, but I do wish these young-old-men (they never seem to be actually old enough to have seen the 70s classics in a theatre) would try to be more consistent and moderate in their views of older vs. newer films.

But then as we all know the net has given voice to assorted kranks and self-important killjoys. Why let their blather bother us? Best to ignore them.