The Witch, directed by Robert Eggers, became a hot topic when it was released in 2016. The slow-burning, horror film leaves the viewer with much to think about at the end of the movie. While there are many horror and gothic devices used in the movie, the setting is one of the more prominent ones and adds to the gothic theme of the movie. The setting shows an example of the sublime and provides a chilling backdrop for some of the more tense moments in the film.
In the opening scenes of the movie, the family is cast out of the village and the viewer watches them ride off towards the forest (3:30). The shot of the family in the wagon heading towards the immense forest shows an example of David Punter’s definition of sublime in the video “The Gothic: A Lecture.” There is another shot in the movie where the family is praying towards the forest (4:21).
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One shocking scene is when Samuel is taken into the forest (7:03). The shot of the forest is much darker than the previous scene when Thomasin was playing with the baby. Later, the viewer sees the witch kill Samuel and spread his blood over her body (8:00). This happens in the forest, leaving the viewer to relate the forest with witches and darkness. When Thomasin and Caleb go into the forest, the shot gets much darker again (38:00). The director relates the forest with darkness and the supernatural by making the scenes darker. This is also when the second witch encounter occurs, which creates an even stronger correlation between the forest and darkness. At the end of the movie, the final shot is of the witches floating around a fire in the forest (1:27:00). This brings together the idea that the witches stay in the forest and the forest is related to darkness. Throughout the movie, only Black Phillip is seen outside of the forest. The rest of the witches stay in the forest, leaving the viewer with the feeling that the forest is an evil