The VVitch: A New-England Folktale (2015) Limited Edition Release
The VVitch: A New-England Folktale (2015) Limited Edition Release
New England, 1630: An English farmer (Ralph Ineson – Game of Thrones, The Green Knight) – upon threat of banishment by the church – leaves his colonial plantation and relocates to a remote plot, surrounded by an ominous forest, with his wife (Kate Dickie – Prevenge, Red Road) and their children… But deep in the dark woods lurks an unknown evil.
Strange and unsettling things start to occur, animals turn malevolent, crops start to fail. Then one of the children disappears and another becomes worryingly sick, could he be possessed by an evil spirit? With mounting paranoia, suspicion falls on eldest daughter Thomasin (Joy – The Queen’s Gambit, Last Night in Soho) and they accuse her of witchcraft… then darkness descends.
Written and directed by Robert Eggers Sundance hit The VVitch is surprising, occasionally shocking and has a resonance that will ensure that it will get under your skin and freak you out long after viewing. Eggers milks unease and gloom from every beautifully framed image of his movie and he pulls no punches.
Horror author Stephen King – you may have heard of him – tweeted that The VVitch scared the hell out of him and The VVitch has also been endorsed by The Satanic Temple who consider Egger’s movie ‘an impressive presentation of Satanic insight that will inform contemporary discussion of religious experience.’
The film will alienate those more associated to standard Hollywood genre thrills however for the more cerebral amongst you this delivers big time. At times I was reminded of The Crucible, as well as Hansel and Gretel, but otherwise The VVitch is a wholly original work that garnered a terrific critical response upon its theatrical release and a healthy return of $40.4 million from a $1 million budget.
It’s a slow burn, unsettling and not reliant on the usual cheap tricks used in the genre. The nearest flick in tones of haunting tone and visuals I can compare this to is Neil Jordan’s The Company of Wolves which also incorporated classical fairy-tale imagery into its mix. With accomplished cinematography (courtesy of Jarin Blaschke), a great score (Mark Korven) and terrific acting from the younger cast members The VVitch, Eggers’s film is a class act on every level and deserving of its status as a modern horror classic.
The VVitch Limited Edition comes with special features on both discs, brand new interviews with Robert Eggers, Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Dickie, Ralph Ineson and Harvey Scrimshaw, new and archive commentaries, a short film by the director and more! The set is presented in a rigid slipcase with new artwork by Peter Diamond, a 150-page hardback book featuring brand new essays and collector’s art cards, please see full list below.
Special Features
Features 4K UHD and Blu-ray with bonus features on both formats
4K UHD presented in Dolby Vision HDR
Archive audio commentary by Director Robert Eggers
New audio commentary by film writer and broadcaster Anna Bogutskaya
A Puritan Nightmare: a new interview with Robert Eggers
Embracing Darkness: a new interview with Anya Taylor-Joy
Love Thy Father: a new interview Ralph Ineson
A Pious Wife: a new interview with Actor Kate Dickie
Caleb’s Lament: a new interview with Actor Harvey Scrimshaw
A Primal Folktale: features interviews with Robert Eggers and cast
BFI London Film Festival Q&A with Robert Eggers, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson and Producer Jay Van Hoy
Brothers: a short film by Robert Eggers
Optional English subtitles for the hearing impaired
Limited Edition Contents
Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Peter Diamond
150-page hardback book with new essays by Emerson W Baker, Daniel Bird, Anton Bitel, Charles Bramesco, Lillian Crawford, Shelagh Rowan-Legg and Anya Stanley plus stills, costume and production design gallery.
