Countdown, Days 15 & 16: Witches

The next two entries, to kick off a week focusing on women in horror, pairs two movies about witches: Suspiria (1977, dir. Dario Argento) and The Witch (2015, dir. Robert Eggers), which I have previously written about at greater length than I do here.

Suspiria might be one of the most beautiful, stylized horror films I’ve ever seen. It’s worth watching for Argento’s play with light and color and design, if nothing else.

Bad luck isn’t brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds.

The Witch is visually stunning, too, but less beautiful in its style than Suspiria. It is rather more bleak than beautiful. Dark and gray, with the forest looming over the tiny human settlement, it’s easy to imagine yourself in such an isolated situation, and this imaginative connection makes it a bit easier to understand why the characters behave as they do. The score is especially worth noting, too. Stark (like the visuals) and sometimes difficult to listen to, it presents a sustained anxiety throughout the film.

The best part of the film, however, has to be Black Phillip:

Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?

Earlier countdown entries:

1. Night of the Living Dead, dir. George Romero (1968)
2. Dawn of the Dead, dir. George Romero (1978)
3. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, dir. Philip Kaufman (1978)
4. Get Out, dir. Jordan Peele (2017)
5. Hellraiser, dir. Clive Barker (1987)
6. Psycho, dir. Alfred Hitchcock (1960)
7. The Birds, dir. Alfred Hitchcock (1963)
8. Jaws, dir. Steven Spielberg (1975)
9. Teeth, dir. Mitchell Lichtenstein (2007)
10. Candyman, dir. Bernard Rose (1992)
11. Creep, dir. Patrick Brice (2014)
12. The Wicker Man, dir. Robin Hardy (1973)
13. Texas Chainsaw Massacre, dir. Tobe Hooper (1974)
14. Cabin in the Woods, dir. Drew Goddard (2012)