Written and directed by Craig Hinde, co-directed by Marc Zammit, small town, England. 1575. William embarks on a journey to prove the innocence of his wife, Twyla, falsely accused of being a witch and will be put to death if found guilty. William must hunt down the real witch, to save Twyla from death. Starring: Russell Shaw, Ryan Spong, Sarah Alexandra Marks, Fabrizio Santino, Daniel Jordan, Mims Burton and Nick Tuck.
The premise of Witch holds a fair amount of potential, the setting is ripe for tension and darkness but unfortunately, none of that gets fulfilled. While the aesthetic itself is fairly well done, there is no atmosphere or energy to be found. It’s hard to dive into a story so hinged on a life or death event when there’s no real fear or anticipation at work. The direction feels insincere, it’s overly simple and manufactured, it doesn’t have individuality or personality to drive it.
Similar can be said of the story, these characters are intensely bland and by the book. They’re not giving you anything to genuinely root for, and disappointingly, the performances don’t really help. It’s mostly very wooden and again, missing out on a tangible energy. Especially when a lot of the dialogue delivery can feel overly slow or even patronising, as if it’s dumbing things down for the audience.
It’s somehow simultaneously too simple and convoluted, it starts out on the right footing but tries to create something beyond its means. It brings in fantasy and almost sci-fi-esque elements which end up taking away from its horror origins rather than adding to them. As well as really struggling with the pacing, leaving too much too late, and with little else to hold onto the audience’s attention, there’s nothing much to keep you invested.
Witch is sadly completely devoid of magic, everything feels too purposeful and formulated. It doesn’t have any particular personality or something to set it apart, especially with its characters who feel two-dimensional. The quality of the visual itself is more than decent but cinematography alone isn’t enough, the writing and direction are overly slow and don’t manage to build up a palpable energy or tension.
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