The Witch (2015 film)

The Witch
A silhouette of a woman's body walking into the woods, vignetted by a naturally shaped oval
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRobert Eggers
Written byRobert Eggers
Produced by
  • Jay Van Hoy
  • Lars Knudsen
  • Jodi Redmond
  • Daniel Bekerman
  • Rodrigo Teixeira
Starring
CinematographyJarin Blaschke
Edited byLouise Ford
Music byMark Korven
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • January 27, 2015 (2015-01-27) (Sundance)
  • February 19, 2016 (2016-02-19) (United States)
Running time
92 minutes[1]
Countries
LanguageEarly Modern English
Budget$4 million[5]
Box office$40.4 million[6]

The Witch (stylized as The VVitch, and subtitled A New-England Folktale) is a 2015 folk horror[7] film written and directed by Robert Eggers in his feature directorial debut. It stars Anya Taylor-Joy in her feature film debut, alongside Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, and Lucas Dawson. Set in 1630s New England, its plot follows a Puritan family who encounter forces of evil in the woods beyond their farm.[8]

An international co-production of the United States and Canada, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2015, and was widely released by A24 on February 19, 2016. It was a critical and financial success, grossing $40 million against a $4 million budget,[6] and is considered by some to be one of the best horror films of the 2010s.[9][10][11]

  1. ^ "The Witch (15)". British Board of Film Classification. February 18, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  2. ^ "The Witch". Sundance institute. Archived from the original on February 7, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  3. ^ Grierson, Tim (January 24, 2015). "The Witch". Screen Daily. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  4. ^ "Record-breaking year for Canada at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival". Telefilm Canada. January 14, 2015. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  5. ^ "2016 Feature Film Study" (PDF). Film L.A. Inc. May 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "The Witch (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  7. ^ Fleet, Adam (April 19, 2022). "The Witch: Robert Eggers' folk horror debut worms its way under your skin". The Guardian. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  8. ^ Wickman, Forrest (February 23, 2016). "All The Witch's Most WTF Moments, Explained: A Spoiler-Filled Interview With the Director". Slate. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  9. ^ Craig, Richard (July 4, 2022). "7 Must-Watch Folk Horror Movies, From Midsommar to The Witch". CBR. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  10. ^ "The Best Horror Movie of 2016: The Witch". pastemagazine.com. October 20, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
  11. ^ Chitwood, Adam (February 19, 2016). "The Witch Review: The Scariest Horror Film in Years". Collider. Retrieved July 23, 2022.