The Witch

2016 supernatural horror movie

Rating: 15/20

Plot: A family in 17th Century New England has ninety-nine problems, and a witch is one.

"Wouldst thou like the taste of butter?"

At the point in the movie where that butter line is uttered, I actually thought to myself, "Wait a second. Have I missed that this is actually a comedy?"

It's really not though. It's a creepy horror movie that is less effectively when it's overtly horrifying and much better when it's just kind of getting under your skin. It unfurls in surprising and shocking ways without ever seeming cheap. No, I'm not sure if the thing makes a lick of sense, but the surreal shades (raven breastfeeding, an expelled apple) give the movie a unique flavor. It's all pretty to look at, but it's also unsettling and builds to a very memorable final fifteen minutes or so.