Jace Frye

Good ingredients for fantasy, horror, and historical fiction were ruined by bad storytelling. The film moved along awkwardly, even when there seemed to be some action as well as a climax. The witch was introduced early in the film as a physical creature who would be vile and menacing, but soon after her role appeared vague, and at the end, absurd and unnecessary. The central character, the oldest teenage daughter of the family, developed poorly. Throughout most of the film she had no understanding of the evil that lurked until suddenly she was well aware of more immense evil forces that the audience was never introduced to until the very end. After many slow and awkward moments the conclusion felt very rushed, and it all seemed rather senseless when the film finally ended. The visuals, costumes, set design, as well as some of the dialogue were exceptional. The film is worth watching for those components... but it's not worth all the hype!