31 best Netflix movies to watch for Halloween 2019

2. The Witch

Release Year: 2016

Directed By: Robert Eggers

Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, Lucas Dawson

The Witch was one of the most talked-about movies of 2016. It marked Robert Eggers’ directorial debut and featured a breakout role from the young actress Anya Taylor-Joy. Eggers credited the film to his obsession with witches while growing up in New England.

The supernatural horror takes place in 1630s New England and focuses on a family of English settlers after they are banished from their Puritan Plymouth Colony. William (Ineson) and his family then build a farm nearby. William’s wife has a baby shortly after but the child is kidnapped and taken by a witch. The family then suffers from other strange phenomena so William’s wife suspects witchcraft. Thomasin (Taylor-Joy) is then accused of being a witch from her own siblings.

The film was released at Sundance and TIFF in 2015 before it made its wide theatrical release in 2016. Viewers and critics have praised the movie for its twists and turns as well as the stunning visuals. The Witch garnered a multitude of accolades in the year following its release.