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THE WITCH’s New Trailer Plays Peek-a-Boo with Evil

As much as people seem to enjoy the loud jump scare–the entire Paranormal Activity franchise is centered around it–I think slower, more deliberate, and ultimately more cerebral horror lasts longer in one’s psyche. I mean, how many jump scare nightmares have you had? The last one of those stick-with-you horror movies for me was The Babadook, which was deeply disturbing, and I think festival favorite The Witch (or The VVitch to use their stylizing) is going to do the same thing. Because who isn’t afraid of both puritans and goats.

The new teaser above focuses on young 1630s maiden Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) playing peek-a-boo with her baby brother and peeking a boo to see that somehow, somewhere, someone has taken the infant. She’s in the middle of a field so whoever did it must be very fast…or, you know, not human. The film, which opens February 19, is all about a family getting sucked into darkness by black magic, witchcraft, possession, and other bad-time things.

The rest of the teaser seems to suggest that nobody’s safe from this evil, not even the family’s children, who are shown in equal measure happily playing and being subjected to torture as a means of removing the evil. It doesn’t look all that appealing a lifestyle, if I’m being perfectly honest. And the teaser ending with the baby apparently being prepared for a naked sacrifice ritual is the chilling icing on that horror cake. Can’t wait or can’t-est wait?

Let us know your peek-a-boo thoughts in the comments below!


Image: A24

Kyle Anderson is the weekend editor and a film and TV critic for the Nerdist. Follow him on Twitter!

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