Common Sense Media Age: 17+ Violence 4/5 Sex 4/5
My Age Recommendation: 16+ (Due to some strong bloody violence, brief gore, brief graphic nudity, and disturbing imagery).
This has been on my list for a while, but I've never gotten around to watching it until I saw most A24 films are now on HBO Max. I went in only knowing it was set in the 17th century and was supposed to be very intense. The story follows a Puritan family who have been exiled to live in an isolated area since their Puritan beliefs went against the general religion of their town. This new isolated area has some spooky-looking woods and soon their infant child disappears completely. Other strange things happen and the entire family becomes suspect of the woods and religious entities, however they begin to turn on each other after their oldest daughter scares her younger siblings, leaving the family to believe she is a witch who took their son! I will say, the synopsis of this movie does not do it justice and this has to be one of the most suspenseful movies I've ever seen. To start off, the plot, characters, scares, and themes in the movie were all great with no flaws I can think of. The best part about this movie is that it seems like you are watching something you're not supposed to, and through the misconceptions the family sees and the disturbing truths the family doesn't witness, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The soundtrack also helps with the suspense, as it reminded me a lot of the sounds from Ex Machina, and the characters were definitely well portrayed and developed throughout. The main theme of religion guided all of the disturbing and intense scenes in the movie which is something I haven't seen in a while. The last 20 minutes (and no this isn't a 'slow burn' movie so do not be discouraged) were incredibly tense and disturbing and the soundtrack was probably at its best here. Overall, I think this is a great film for anyone non-squeamish horror fan!
