Help with "The Witch"

Without meaning to suggest this is aimed at any specific person, I don't think whether someone found a film scary has much to do with whether or not it's "horror." Bad comedies are still comedies.

Seven (1995) isn't labelled as horror and yet, it freaked me out, as opposed to The Witch.

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"I may be rancid butter, but I'm on your side of the bread."
E. K. Hornbeck

That's typical of any good horror film.

'Horror elements' don't engage audiences unless they have some meaningful context (which is what 90% of the rest of the film is for).

All horror films (good ones) are mostly non horror with a few elements of horror.

People go nuts for the non horror elements of horror films. Look at Halloween for example... fans are into trajectories/back stories/characters etc that have nothing to do with being afraid.

Not looking not looking. Just want to ask if this thread is spoilery?

A horror movie is supposed to produce horror in the viewer. Ex: The Exorcist. Also is recognizable as such with the structure forms a horros story. Because there are elements that may scare the audience it doesn't mean it's a horror story [the example of Se7ev was given as a movie with horrifying elements that doesn't make it fit in the horror genre].

I recognize Thriller elements all over the WItch however. The main one being the "did it happen/who did it/what happen to the X plot mcguffin"

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Not to be a smart arse or anything, but you HAVE to look to read what anyone may reply to you with! Hopefully quoting you will send you a notification or something? hell if I know.

There are a few spoilerish posts, but it looks like they hid the text. I have no idea yet how to do that. I assume it's that big red "!" up there staring me down, but I've yet to test it.

Mostly, the thread has become an argument of what is or is not horror. So, grab a redbull and go!!1!

Yup. Just added this feature, in fact. Hopefully, you found this reply just now by receiving a notification (that little red circle with a white number in it in the header of each page, right by your avatar).

You're not a smart arse. I just saw the title so didn't read any posts because I havent seen the movie yet. I got some recommendations for it yesterday.

True, but then what about people who just don't get scared by ghosts, etc? No horror then terrifies them, but that doesn't mean the film isn't a horror.


I'm on the fence about The Witch being horror. It is, and it isn't. I'd call it more a beautiful, creepy drama...(edit:...but wouldn't NOT classify it as a horror)

I can't classify it as a Horror movie either. 90% of it is, as you said, family Drama that revolves around 2 or 3 family predicaments with the "did it happen? who did it?" motif. That motif is found in Thrillers.

If I had to find a movie scary for it to be classed as a horror movie or not then I guess I have not seen a horror movie since I was a young child. Films simply do not scare me, I do not get involved with them to a degree where they can trigger a fear reaction in me. At best they can make me jump but jump scares just piss me off and do not trigger a fear reaction in me. I still enjoy horror movies though and if it comes down to the Witch then no it did not scare me in the slightest but it most certainly would fall into the horror category. as far as I am concerned.

The problem in that case is effectiveness. What creeps you may not creep others, etc. However, picking on the Se7ev example that was given, or even 8mm, how can we call those Horror movies? They aren't. Yet they have some nasty stuff in them and revolve around those things.

Is Jacobs Ladder a Horror movie?
Is Mulholland Drive or Lost Highway Horror movies? Inland Empire?

They all have "horror" elements in them but hardly conceivable as "Horror movies" per se.


PS - This is the kind of discussion I enjoy and I defend. No need for unfounded attacks or dubious "meanings".

I agree - with Se7en and 8mm, I would say colour palette and choice of filters added to that horror feeling, not just the subject matter and effectiveness of gore makeup. Jacob's Ladder is a horror Movie in my book - also an unconventional one. I haven't found anyone I've talked to in person yet who doesn't find that film horrifying in some way. I even call Funny Games (original) a horror film. Not straight-up horrors, but the ones where you use double-barrel classification.


(and nobody's about to call anyone stupid for having a differing opinion here, so that's a very welcome change! )

I think that the Witch is more of a character study, so if you're interested in that definitely go and watch it. It's obviously not your typical horror film, it counts a lot on the cinematography, the performances and the atmosphere which is consistently eerie. It's simply a must-see ! for any moviegoer.

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"A film has to be a dialogue, not a monologue — a dialogue to provoke in the viewer his own thoughts, his own feelings. And if a film is a dialogue, then it’s a good film; if it’s not a dialogue, it’s a bad film."

- Michael "Gloomy Old Fart" Haneke

Jacobs Ladder is a very "special" kind of horror that ends up being much more than that. You can see it as either Horror, War movie, Political Thriller, Drama, you name it. The topics it takes and construes itself around are broad and well balanced. Visually the horror elements are all there. Thematically, goes beyond, That is also another movie I have a real difficult time stating it as a Horror movie per se

I'm with you on the "movies don't scare me" Some disgust me or shock me but no real dread. Never had that impulse to look away because it's frightening.

That said, the WItch would also be the last movie to ever produce such response in me.

But it goes beyond than just "if it scares it's horror" IMHO.

You might find the comments in this thread of interest:

http://www.movieforums.com/community...ad.php?t=43732

I do, however get qiite annoyed when I think I'm watching some kind of horror and get a lame thriller instead, with none of the markings of horror even in the "treatment" (colour palette, filtering, atmosphere). Oblique horrors, no problem, whether I end up liking the end result or not. THOSE ones, however, just make me feel cheated.

yeah I get you and can relate to that to a great degree. Samething happens to me.

The worst experience I ever had with a "horror" movie was with Hotel. Now that was excruciating. Talk about false advertisement.

Tell me more! But we should probably continue Hostel talk in that movie's thread in case we accidentally hijack this thread.