It is around 1630 and a family of Puritans have just been banished from a New England plantation. They travel into the wilderness where they establish a farmstead. The family consists of William (father), Katherine (mother), Thomasin (eldest daughter), Caleb (eldest son), Mercy and Jonas (twins), and Samuel (infant). The trailer shows Samuel goes missing while playing peekaboo with Thomasin and so begins the witching of the family. More wicked events follow, often coincided by the appearance of a hare, a black goat, or a raven. There is plenty of suspense and tension.
The look of the movie is tremendous. The costumes, the sets, and the dialogue provide an immersive experience. The characters are well-developed and interesting. However, the story stumbles in the end. The goal of the movie was to take folk tales from the time period and make a movie of them. Though I have read many reviewers on IMDB who think the ending was brilliant and gave a very compelling basis for their view, I still found it lacking. The end comes too suddenly with insufficient development.
As for horror, it was not scary. After seeing it, I can only imagine that Stephen King was paid a hefty sum to say that it scared the hell out of him. Such a master of horror should be inured to all but the most terrifying movies and this isn't one of them.
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