Terror of dark forces encroaching and paranoia about your neighbours fill the dark heart of The Witch, with the film promising to be one of the more memorable horrors on offer in cinemas this year. Check out the new trailer below.
The stylish, haunting drama is set in New England in 1630, where William (Ralph Ineson) and Katherine’s (Kate Dickie) strictly devout life sees them largely shunned by their fellow colonials. The family moves to a remote plot of land on the edge of a forest rumoured to be controlled by witches and that’s when strange things start to happen. Animals turn against them, crops fail, and one of their children disappears, only to be returned seemingly possessed by evil spirits.
As paranoia and recrimination rise, fingers point at the couple’s teenage daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), who is accused of witchcraft even as the family begins to fall apart and finds both their love and faith tested.
Robert Eggers, who wrote and directed, made the leap from working on short films and serving in the art, production design and costume departments of other movies, bringing his keen eye for visuals to the film, and giving it a genuinely unnerving feel. The latest trailer strips the idea down to its bare essentials, giving a flavour of the fear to come, instead of overloading you with it. The Witch will haunt US cinemas on February 19 before stalking over here on March 11.