The Witch in the Window (2018) Reviews

• The Witch in the Window: Surprisingly enjoyable

  Platypuschow2019-02-05

  Let's be clear, though The Witch in the Window is advertised as a horror and certainly has horror elements it's hard to identify it as such. I don't know quite why, it just doesn't feel right labeling it as one. It tells the story of a father and son who are refurbishing a house with a dark secret. Not exactly original right? Thankfully it's revelations are well above par, the cinematography is great and our leading man is excellent. Even the kid was quite good considering how I despise crotch goblins of all shapes and sizes. More of a mystery genre type than anything else it's an intriguing little film which despite my claim isn't horror actually managed to have the biggest scares and most disturbing moments I've seen from a film in months. I actually jumped several times as well as the proverbial sitting on the edge of my seat. I was gripped, I was chilled and most importantly I was entertained. Sadly once everything wraps up it's not actually all that great an ending, it should have by all rights been better. If I had to do an analogy I'd say this movie is a beautifully crafted multi tiered cake filled with yummy sweet stuff but instead of a cherry ontop it has a brussel sprout. Regardless this is still a very enjoyable effort. The Good: Alex Draper Disturbing understated imagery Really quite scary stuff The Bad: Disappointing ending

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• Watch in the day

  mrshiraz_gigs2018-12-16

  Decided to watch this alone in bed. It was a mistake haha Genuinely creepy slow burning horror. Doesn't go for easy jump scares, slowly builds the dread. Great performances by all the cast, really great cinematography. If you like your horror to have a bit more depth then give this a go

• Enjoyable if slightly underwhelmed drama/horror effort

  kannibalcorpsegrinder2018-07-25

  Taking a trip into up North, a father and his young son intending to use the trip to flip a property he owns into a bonding experience between them, but as they begin to fix up the house a series of strange events causes them to believe that the locals' witch stories might be real. This wasn't all that bad of an effort. One of the strongest points of this one is the rather fine way this dives into the family dynamics between the two which is at the heart of the film. As the opening shots of this immediately giving us the idea of a strained relationship at the heart of the film, from their inability to really get an idea of each others' likes and dislikes or the outright disapproval of their trip which is further enhanced by the events showcased once they arrive. Although you can tell it picks up nicely between them as the two develop a somewhat closer bond over time, the fact that we still get to see him blow up at the kid for totally unwarranted situations still manages to ring true here. Most of the events in the second half where it becomes far more obvious that something's in the house with them all stem from the idea of trying to protect the kid which gives them far more potency and impact. Once that occurs, this one picks up rather nicely with the fine ability to showcase some really enjoyable scenes here. The early idea of the haunted farmhouse, from them hearing rattling in the walls or in the basement to the boxes being found in different places than where they left them really help to give this a strong atmosphere already before it even brings up the ghostly legend of the area. That helps to tie into the freaky sequences in the second half, where they actually encounter it sitting in the chair in the fabled room unresponsive to anything and then chasing them out of the house in one of the better scenes in here. Another rapid-fire series of scenes in the final half twisting around a tender moment between them is a fine jump, and the melancholia of the ending is certainly well-deserved. As well as the great location-work to make the house itself seem creepy and foreboding in its unassuming matter, these here work nicely to hold this up over its flaws. The main problem to be had here is the rather obvious low-key approach to the material that can turn some off. This isn't explosive or action-packed in the slightest, even with the shortened running time as the family drama over the first half is the main focus of the film. Taking on more of bonding, reconnecting style of presentation rather than going for more of a horror atmosphere that could've been developed with the idea of the witch haunting the house. The lack of real supernatural demonstrations and overt witchcraft dealings that most normally expect in such efforts are totally missing here and somewhat stall this one from what it could've offered which isn't a detriment to the film at all for that might be a positive in some regards. Still, it's an overriding issue here and one that should be brought up. Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Mild Violence.

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• horror + drama, why not

  ariqakbar2018-10-27

  First of all i do really enjoy the cinematography from this movie, it's good. even the story not too perfectly strong and good, i still amaze from how they can make a horror movie so warm. the family sense that they want to show really serve very good. and it has a really good ending too.

• A bit different from your run of the mill horror

  omendata2019-01-14

  This is more of what I would call a Chiller - a drama with some scares thrown in so do not go into this thinking its full of gore and nasty scares type horror - Its not! Having said that i like its lugubrious pacing as this adds to the movies sense of gloom and foreboding and I do like that type of film! Quite a sad little film, made me feel quite chilled and that is a good thing as most movies these days just leave me laughing or wishing it was all over. Acting was not bad contrary to the other reviews and the boy reminds me a lot of Haley Joel Osmont and does plays his part well! Not a bad little chiller at all!

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