The Witch review: Scariest film of the year? It's so much more than that (NO SPOILERS)

The Witch, "scariest film ever"™, is certainly dividing people. While many have found this year's unexpectedly hype-fuelled horror by first time director Robert Eggers seat-ruiningly terrifying, others swear blind it's dull and lacking in the fear factor. Why can't everyone just agree and make watching films easy? It's like The Blair Witch Project all over again.

In truth, both verdicts seem a bit off (as they indeed did around Blair Witch in 1999). 'Scary' is an over-used word linked to the viewer's expectations. To focus on it actually does a disservice to The Witch, an oppressive, claustrophobic and occasionally shocking feminist tale that's just as much about a young girl coming of age in a fundamental Christian household as it is wicked, broomstick-riding evil lurking in the woods. It's a costumed Carrie directed by Mike Leigh.

The Witch is one of those films where you sit on edge, waiting for something bad to happen. That's okay, it's what it wants you to do - but damn, is it uncomfortable. Dread drips off the screen. As comic book blockbuster running times get longer and longer beyond all reason, The Witch's tight 90 minutes are torturous in an entirely different way. Who will survive, and what will be left of them?

That Texas Chainsaw reference (it was the poster tagline) isn't made lightly - just like TCM, in The Witch the true horrors occur in the daylight hours, while the teeth-on-edge fiddle that carries the aggressively out-of-tune soundtrack is a character in itself. There are hints, if only subconscious, of Blair Witch (the trees), The Village (the clothes), Pan's Labyrinth (the painterly scene framing), Suspiria (the chanting), Black Death (the Brits) and Haute Tension ("What the hell is going on?"). Yet this is very much its own film.

For one, flirting with the supernatural and established folklore while "keeping it real" allows for multiple readings of what occurs. With the sparse puritanical New England farm set painstakingly recreated by the locally born, former production designer Eggers, down to the natural light (no electric here, only candles) and strong performances from the small, British cast (you'll never look at Finchy from The Office the same way again), you're back in the 17th century - for better or, often, worse.

Beyond that, going too deep on what plot there is can only lead to massive spoilers. Indeed, even some of the official trailers and blurbs have thrown away twists and turns that really should have been kept under wraps. It's a difficult film to sell without doing so - this isn't an Insidious or an It Follows, no matter how much people try to force them together. It's more Bergman than popcorn, so you can't fault the marketers' success in generating buzz.

But any advance knowledge could be to the detriment of your enjoyment, so our advice is to go in as cold as possible. A godly family - two parents, two boys, two girls, one goat - is banished from town for being a bit too godly and they go it alone on a new farm plot near a wood. That's all you need.

Whatever your reading of it after that, it's hard to argue it isn't very good indeed. Here's the trailer - don't say we didn't warn you.

Director: Robert Eggers; Screenwriter: Robert Eggers; Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, Lucas Dawson; Running time: 93 mins; Certificate: 15; Release date: March 11.

Matt Hill

 Matt is a journalist, audience strategist, editorial director and workflow consultant with over 20 years' of experience in the industry.

A former director of audience development and content strategy at Hearst UK, Matt was previously Editor-in-Chief of Digital Spy. There, he contributed features and reviews on TV, movies, consumer technology, video games and Lego sets, won BSME Digital Editor of the Year, and led the team to numerous awards including Campaign Consumer Media Brand of the Year and PPA Digital Content Team of the Year twice.

As Digital Development Director of the Hearst UK portfolio, he oversaw the central digital editorial teams including SEO, video, e-commerce and design, contributing to digital acceleration across all Hearst UK brands from Cosmopolitan to Good Housekeeping.

Before joining Hearst in 2015, Matt edited Future’s consumer technology lifestyle brand T3 and the UK arm of Gawker’s tech culture website Gizmodo, and was deputy editor at ShortList, the then biggest men’s magazine in the UK, interviewing the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Lord Sugar and Sirs Ridley Scott and David Attenborough in the process. LinkedIn