The Witch in the Window is a 2018 horror film about a man who is renovating a house with is son only to realize that the spirit residing there is getting stronger with each repair.
The Witch in the Window is the latest film from Andy Mitton, director of We Go On. Just as before, he wears many hats, serving as director, writer, editor and composer. Whereas his first film is about proving the supernatural existence of an afterlife, The Witch in the Window is about a family drama, entrapment and belonging all set in a haunted house.
The story starts with a woman deemed a witch by the community children because of how she acted when she was alive but also because of how she died by the window. A slow burner, it builds fear with its lurking details, pulling your eyes directly to the shadowed panes of glass. In the most subtle ways, it conjures a haunting feeling, like someone lingering just in the corner of your sight. It loads up on horror tropes like the nervous neighbor who cautions the new owner of trouble or the various knocks and creaks in the old house that signal doom, but because of the good use of silence and isolation, these moments have some strong impact.
While there are some moments that have us questioning some of what these people are doing, the story itself is unique and does a decent job of developing character motivation. In many ways, as any good film in this genre should do, the house itself become its own character. Because the house is new to this father Simon (Alex Draper) and son Finn (Charlie Tacker) and by extension the audience, it makes what to expect especially hard to predict.
What helps this film really set itself apart is the bonding of Simon and Finn. First, there is the mystery as to why Finn is sent into “exile” for whatever he was snooping into on the Internet. This clearly has some lingering effects on the boy but then, paired with his self-aware nature, casually asks if there is some dark gory history about the house the moment he lays his eyes on it. However, he is also showing his youth when he doesn’t understand terms like ‘flipping a house.’
On the other hand, Simon has a few secrets of his own. For starters, he has a heart condition that weakens him and also his dedication to repairing this house. The bond may start off weaker in the beginning but as the film moves along, the one thing stronger than the horror is in the strength the world during apocalypse.
There are a few well-earned twists that Mitton handles well. As with We Go On, has an out of the ordinary vision to his stories and the same applies here, especially with an ending that might just take you by surprise.