Witches have always been portrayed as malevolent beings that take away small children or cast spells on unsuspecting people. Although there is not a witch in sight in the terrifying trailer for Robert Eggers' new movie, it suggests that this person will do all those things, and so much more.
The trailer for 'The Witch' starts with a family deciding to leave their old town behind to settle down close to a forest. In a classic case of "what could possibly go wrong," a harmless game of peek-a-boo leads to a disappearance, the goats begin acting strangely and a young boy becomes possessed after stumbling into a cabin in the woods.
The synopsis for the film reads as follows:
"In the 17th century, a Puritan family lives alone on the edge of a New England wilderness. Soon their infant son disappears, their daughter is suspected of witchcraft, and the family begins to break down in the face of an unknown evil."
'The Witch' has already terrified audiences at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and first-time director Richard Eggers won the Directing Award in the US Dramatic category. The film, which was written and directed by Eggers, was eventually acquired by A24 Films for a theatrical release in 2016.
The creepy trailer was also accompanied by one of the simplest yet chilling posters ever released.
The film stars former 'Game of Thrones' star Kate Dickie as the Puritan mother Katherine who grieves for the shocking loss of her baby and 'The Office' alumni Ralph Ineson as the family's patriarch William. Young actress Anya Taylor-Joy turns in a stunning performance as Thomasin, the daughter may or may not be practicing witchcraft.
The success of 'The Witch' at Sundance may have led to more ways that Robert Eggers can continue to scare the wits out of audiences. There have been speculations that the director will work on the remake of the classic vampire film 'Nosferatu.'
