Witch (2024) Review

Witch is a British folk horror that will leave you yearning for more.

Directed by Marc Zammit and Craig Hinde, Witch has catapulted onto the indie horror scene, complete with an iconic poster which has helped to drum up a lot of anticipation for its release.
Additionally it has received some positive reviews and plenty of high praise online.

The film transports viewers back to 1575 England, where we find ourselves in a small town where we meet our protagonists couple Twyla (played by Sarah Alexandra Marks) and William (played by Ryan Spong). The film takes a plunge opening with what the viewer can assume is the dramatic climax of the movie, taking us on a journey to figure out how we got here.

After the horrific nature of a murder consumes the town, stirring the local folk into a frenzy, accusational fingers are quickly pointed. And when Twyla is named as a key figure in a tense witchcraft trial, it is up to William and a mysterious older man to prove her innocence. Without their help she faces certain death.

Without spoiling the film’s great twists, I can at least reveal that there were lots of unexpected moments, and I confess that I didn’t not see where this film was heading.

Witch is a film that takes leaps of courage, being Craig Hinde’s directorial debut and produced on a low budget. It’s clear that he and co-write/director Marc Zammit have been successful in relaying their ideas onto the big screen.

It’s unfortunate then, that at times Witch falls short; at times the low budget being more obvious with poor wardrobe choices somewhat removing the audience from the historical context.

I initially took this film on to review on the strength of its poster and a trailer, so was disheartened at the fact the gore that was clear in its promotion, didn’t feature much in the film itself.
With only a brief scene of actual horror, a majority of the film dwells more in the folk, fantasy and supernatural aspects of the story.

At times Witch is a tragic story about grief and loss, pulling on the heart-strings, and posing questions about the lengths one would go to in order to ‘bring someone back’. This makes it more of a gothic drama brought to screen, and that is not a bad thing at all.

The film’s strong points come in its captivating cinematography and superb colour grading that really shifts the its tone. With immersive sets transporting you back in time it’s evident that lots of time was talek to research period and the themes around the fear of witchcraft, a time when innocent lives were often taken on the strength of an accusation.

It pushes towards more accurate tellings which, for the audience, builds immersion. It’s also worth highlighting the strong performance from Russell Shaw (as Thomas) who delivers a compelling a performance throughout the film and really commands a presence. He was delectable to watch.

Unfortunately where the film loses its way, is when the complex plot asks us to work hard in unravelling something very far fetched. This leads to correlations between characters becoming hard to follow. And some of the dialogue-heavy scenes seem to go on forever. At times the scripting seems stretched and characters are forced to deliver some stiff dialogue.

But deep within there is actually a lot of clear potential for those involved in the production to grow. Leaving you with a sense of optimism.

With a bigger budget and more time taken developing the script and tightening up the lulls, Witch really could have been up there with gothic horror greats. I’m excited to follow the journey of these filmmakers and was encouraged by the ending that leaves the door open to sequels.

Considering the traction Witch achieved in the indie horror scene, I’m keen to see what’s in store for this new writer-director partnership.

Movie Rating:

Witch trailer