The Book of the Witch

Directed by Joshua Sowden, THE BOOK OF THE WITCH is a solid micro-budget indie horror film that blends Western American folk horror, with supernatural witch fantasy. It oozes lots of dreamy atmosphere and great wide angle shots with darkened silhouettes of our characters, giving us this doom impending slow burning mystery. I was very impressed with the production and cinematography right from the get go, and all done on a micro budget of $12k.

Victoria, who is plagued by her fear of death, becomes obsessed with tracking down a witch and stealing her book of spells out in the Californian desert; to help cheat death and become eternal, but there's a price to be paid. Like a moth drawn to the flame, you already sense the impending doom that's awaiting like a well planned trap. The visuals from Joshua Sowden were created nicely and I really enjoyed the dreamy sound design too.

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed THE BOOK OF THE WITCH, and thought the cast were all very solid with their performances. Krishna Smitha was excellent throughout the whole film and her chemistry with Danny Parker-Lopes was great too. Despite some little issues I had towards the end, where I felt personally that the film may have hurried itself to the finish line, I still enjoyed the film as a whole. I also loved the psychological hallucinatory fever dream feel throughout the whole story in a way that reminded me of David Lynch. I'll definitely be looking out for further projects from these filmmakers in the future.

The Book of the Witch - A Silhouetted witch in a desert landscape dragging the body of a man into an abandoned building laying the man out upon a pentagram, the witch places her book upon the altar and turns the page and begins to read in a ominous voice, setting the tone for our film. Were introduced to August and Victoria a security team hired to watch over a building, both seeming like loners, one dealing with loneliness and the other the death of her mother and her botched medical death. Flash backs of death, Victoria begins to see and hear things that August finds unbelievable but being his only friend, he finds himself concerned with her wellbeing, following her into the desert where they avoid the witch and steal her grimoire. Were left with a show down against an age-old witch and the pain of loss and incapability of helping ones loved one. Atmospheric desert imagery to city landscapes and liminal spaces, eerie scenery in confined spaces, The Book of the Witch cinematography alone is eye pleasing make sure to Check it out on Amazon Prime video.

I really enjoyed this film, excellent photography, editing and colour grading. Scary as hell, kept me on the edge of my seat. The lead actress was very easy on the eye too. Great performances. Highly recommend. It goes to show what you can do with small budgets. Films like this are a testament to quality micro-budgets and proves good acting, pacing and story makes it possible for any filmmaker to achieve great heights if you plan correctly. Reminiscent of 'The Ring' and 'The Hills Have Eyes'. And if you're a fan of occult movies then this is one to watch out for also. Really looking forward to see what this tram comes up with next!

The acting was on point! The chemistry between the 2 leads was great. The witch was creepy asf and she also did an amazing job of humanizing something we usually deem evil. The visuals and score and audio were great as well.

The story was something any of us can get behind. A healthy fear of death, someone we care about deeply, a moral compass, a price we are willing to pay for something we THINK we really want. I think the majority of people have all of these traits and I think this movie does a great job of showcasing the eb and flow between all of them. The Book of the Witch is definitely one that shouldn't be slept on.

The Book of the Witch (2024) - Indie Horror Review

Joshua Sowden and the crew at Self Esteem Productions were kind enough to offer me a screener for their new indie horror film, The Book of the Witch, and I couldn't be more grateful. Getting access to these low-budget indie films from passionate filmmakers is always an honor, and I'm so happy I got to see this one.

With just a $12K budget, I was seriously impressed by how great everything looked. The cinematography, the effects, and the overall production quality were way above what you'd expect at this level. The cast felt natural, with great chemistry that made their interactions feel authentic and engaging.

As for the story-it's about as witchy as you can get! From the spell book to the classic pointy hat, this movie embraces its theme fully, and I loved that about it. The practical effects were solid, and the overall execution made for a really fun watch.