Horror film with near-perfect rating that Stephen King says 'scared the hell out of me'
The film was released in 2015 and has since been hailed as a modern horror classic, with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score and glowing reviews from critics and fans alike
A 2015 horror film with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score has been hailed 'visceral' by horror icons. The Witch, starring Split's Anya Taylor-Joy, is set in 1630 New England, where a family is panic stricken after their youngest son Samuel suddenly vanishes.
The family blames Thomasin, the oldest daughter who was watching the boy at the time of his disappearance. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, twin siblings Mercy and Jonas suspect Thomasin of witchcraft, testing the clan's faith, loyalty and love to one another.
Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger and Lucas Dawson star alongside Taylor-Joy. In his directorial debut, Robert Eggers shot only by natural light or candle light to give the film a more authentic look.
The Witch was awarded an incredible 91 per cent by critics on Rotten Tomatoes. But perhaps the biggest compliment of all is horror legends themselves praising the film.
Among them is iconic horror author Stephen King, who back in 2016 took to X to give his verdict. He wrote: "The Witch scared the hell out of me. And it's a real movie, tense and thought-provoking as well as visceral."
Wednesday's Jenna Ortega, who's starring roles also include horrors Scream VI, Insidious and The Babysitter: Killer Queen, described The Witch as a film which 'never gets old.' She explained: "I have a lot of admiration for The Witch. Everything about it - the cinematography, storyline, the performances - it's so high quality and so beautifully done. I think that's a movie I thought about for weeks after I watched it."
Meanwhile filmmaker Jordan Peele, who is behind blockbusters including Get Out and Nope, said of the film: "I really enjoyed 'The Witch', which had such an elevated style to it, and it really brought the gravity of introducing us to a real-life actual witch, with a capital W. I thought it was really great."
As if you needed convincing any further, the Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus is also glowing. It reads: "As thought-provoking as it is visually compelling, The Witch delivers a deeply unsettling exercise in slow-building horror that suggests great things for debuting writer-director Robert Eggers."
The Witch can be streamed on Apple TV for £3.49, Amazon Prime Video for £2.49 and Google Play Movies for £2.49