Witch-Hunt

Clever, spare and modern horror movie with a great all-female cast. I recommend for Halloween, paired with Sisters or some other classic.

It is tough to find one with a script this good.

USA Film Festival 2017

Greetings again from the darkness. There may not be a mass-market audience for ultra low-budget supernatural horror-thriller-comedies, but that doesn't stop writer/director Philip Schaeffer and his cast of seven actresses from delivering a rollicking good time.

Best viewed late at night and preferably with a group of friends smart enough to enjoy a bit of satire, and not so pseudo-intellectual as to be unable to cut loose and possibly even create a new drinking game (not that such uncultured and unruly behavior would be encouraged). In fact, just keeping up with one of the character's propensity to shift from red to white wine and back again requires somewhat of a clear head and attention span.

Five ladies gather in clock-filled home to play a board game that could be named "Who is the Witch?" The clocks don't really matter, but do make for interesting set pieces and might also play into someone's unconventional drinking game. The birthday girl (Robyn Purcay) who receives the game as a gift is very excited to play, while the emotions of the others range from 'OK, I'll play along' to utter disdain (from the striking Abby Eiland).

The movie is divided into the different rounds played during the game … with each of the five participants getting special attention during a particular round. Additionally, the story has an external structure thanks to a late night strategy session at a book publishing firm. Of course, the story doesn't really matter. What matters is the periodic creepiness and abundance of humor stemming from the conversations of wine-guzzling, long-time friends who share a clouded and traumatic childhood memory.

Other than the aforementioned Ms. Eiland and Ms. Purcay, the other actresses involved here are Melina Chadbourne, Erin Curtis, Lillian Olive, Suzanne Blunk and Trisha Miller. Each brings their own style to the fun, and special mention goes to cinematographer Olivia Kuan, whose camera work provides the necessary claustrophobia and unease necessary to keep viewers guessing.

You have to be old enough to remember the McMartin pre-school trial and the ridiculous hysteria of the 1980 satanic cult frenzy to appreciate this movie. If you do, and you like witchy horror, it really works.

Okay, so it seems people either love or hate this movie. I will try to offer a balanced review (I'm not affiliated with the movie or anyone in the movie, just Joe Average horror movie buff). First off, this movie plays like a Lifetime movie, but edgier. That's not a slam; it just has that type of feel. The characters are a little under-developed early on, but not unlikeable. I thought the vibe of the characters as lifelong friends felt very authentic. The movie unfolds slowly, but the pace is steady and the tension is palpable. Things start off normal enough as the game begins, but gradually evolve from odd to weird to bizarre. The ending is somewhat open to interpretation, but satisfying. I thoroughly enjoyed the arc of this movie and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates "quiet" horror movies (along the lines of The Innkeepers, or House of the Devil).

I love seeing filmmakers faced with extremely low budgets figure out stories that can work within their limited resources, and Witch-Hunt is just such a movie. Wisely staying away from excessive, and expensive gore (if you want it to look right) and focusing on character and a twisting story in a confined setting, the film tries hard to succeed with severe restrictions. Although flawed with uneven performances and a script that suffers from not being developed enough considering the depth of the issues it addresses within the thriller framework - still, the filmmakers have attempted something that has more going for it than the average micro-budget zombie or slasher-fest. The story is clever and involving enough to have piqued my interest and to have kept me watching. It had me curious as to what would happen next and how it would all tie together and it's unfortunate that it doesn't necessarily accomplish that thoroughly or neatly (and the intercut sections with two ladies seemingly in possession of all the info we are waiting for are the most clumsy and clunky scenes in the film - although to be fair they are tied into the denouement, but that doesn't make them work any better). The actresses can go from believable to overacting within a scene which could be the result of less experienced actors only allowed a limited number of takes, or the less trained eye of the director to recognize when a performance is off. And it's a shame their characters aren't always believable in their interactions with each other - especially when things start getting strange - but that's a fault of the screenplay, not the performance. All-in-all a commendable but far-less-than perfect offering. It would be worth it if - as another reviewer suggested - the film was remade with a properly fleshed out and realized script and stronger talent behind the camera. But even as it is, it possesses a certain charm and the willingness to try and make it more than just "a little thriller" deserves credit in my book.