Witch

Witch
Starring Russell Shaw, Ryan Spong, Sarah Alexandra Marks, Fabrizio Santino
Directed by Craig Hinde & Marc Zammit

Movies about witches are about a dime a dozen, and follow the same formula: typically set in a time period long ago (since now, fortunately, the stigma of witches has been lessened and the religious fervor has diminished), in a small Puritanical town, a girl is accused of witchcraft which spirals the town into a frenzy filled with suspicion, doubt, and murder until the witch is put to religious justice. While that's not necessarily a bad formula (Robert Eggers' "The VVitch" and Mario Bava's "Black Sunday" immediately come to mind), most films fall by the wayside. "Witch" is a small film that, at first glance, seems to follow the mold before completely shattering it in a second act twist that's daring, provocative, and works in a lot of levels, but could've been more pronounced if given a bigger budget.

In the small town of Dawnbrook in 1575, young Johanna (Mims Burton) walks the streets at night holding the severed heads of her parents. She's taken to prison and declared a witch by the town's Judge Hopkins (Daniel Jordan) and sentenced to death. Local blacksmith William (Ryan Spong) served on the jury that convicted her, and his wife Twyla (Sarah Alexandra Marks) is warned by a strange old man named Thomas (Russell Shaw) that she'll be pointed out as a witch by Johanna if she goes to the trial, but she ends up going anyway and is indeed accused of witchcraft. William and Thomas break Twyla out of prison and they run into the woods where Thomas tells them the history of the witch that's taken Johanna - and threatens Twyla's very soul as well.

There's much more to the story than that, but delving into it would be going into spoilers, and this is one of those movies where the less you know the better. When that twist comes it really sets in motion the rest of the film, and makes it more exciting and mysterious than typical witch-centric movies. Being able to accomplish this with the modest budget they had, I could only imagine how much bigger they would've gone with a more massive budget. As it is, even within its strict confines, it manages to pull off a Houdini and craft something that's in every sense of the word...magical.

Directors Craig Hinde and Marc Zammit (the later also directed the powerful small independent film "Homeless Ashes") utilize every penny to their utmost limit, producing a richly-made film that doesn't feel like it was made for the budget it was given, but it was extremely polished and professional looking. The set designs really take you back to the 1500s, especially the town square and courtroom, and the special effects were top notch, another enjoyable surprise as I was expecting to see some cheesy effects due to the budget restraints. As it was, the effects were effective and well-done, and you sense the deep passion, desire and heart that the directors - as well as everyone else involved in the project - had for their final product. It doesn't feel rushed or something churned out for the sake of profit, but rather a labor of love that shows on the screen - and that's incredibly refreshing.

The main actors all play to their strengths and give full, rich performances. Ryan Spong and Sarah Alexandra Marks play a believable husband and wife because you sense the magnetism between them, and both William and Twyla are strong, capable characters on their own as well as together. Russell Shaw plays the mysterious Thomas who's underlying purpose is revealed in the film's twist and although at first seeming like the villain turns out to be a major hero. The villain roles go to Daniel Jordan's Judge Hopkins and Fabrizio Santino's Marshall, and both come off as vile humans, especially the Judge, who also seemingly is the pastor of the town as he dons a big cross and talks about burning witches according to the Bible. Mims Burton plays Johanna with delightful glee as she singsongs her way through the courtroom proceeding and generally has this faraway look in her eyes (not to mention looks like Eleven from the first season of "Stranger Things"). Not just the main actors, but the supporting actors as well are given their own roles to play - be it Nick Tuck's lovable pub owner, Jane Hamlet's Eda who witnesses Johanna's aftermath, Nell Bailey's Rose who serves as a major role later on, or Ritchi Edwards' soldier Nicholas - everyone gives it their all and it's evident on screen.

Offering more than a generic witch in the Puritanical era, "Witch" reaches for the stars in its narrative choices, and while not fully succeeding, manages to pull off a very entertaining, well-thought-out film that showcases the talents' desires for it to be made.

The Score: A-