Uncovering Curiosities: Andy Mitton’s THE WITCH IN THE WINDOW
Writer-director Andy Mitton’s 2018 film, The Witch In The Window is one of the most beautifully crafted horror films to hit screens in many years. Mitton’s film is a perfectly precise piece of genre cinema, filled with wonderful character moments as well as skin-crawling scares. Mitton proves to be a true horror auteur and he not only directed The Witch In The Window but also wrote the script, composed the music and edited it.
Alex Draper and Charlie Tacker both do sterling as the father and his 12 year-old son who start renovation work on an old farmhouse in Vermont. Things start-off well enough, but they soon discover that the house’s previous owner hasn’t gone very far.
Horror films tend to fall apart because of poor characterisation and ridiculous leaps in logic, but Mitton manages to overcome both these obstacles to deliver something which feels very real. This is often difficult enough for a straight-up drama and it’s damn near impossible for a horror – but everything which occurs in The Witch In The Window plays-out like it could happen. This is due to Mitton’s beautifully written script and also the wonderful chemistry between Alex Draper and Charlie Tacker. Nothing about their relationship feels forced and their interactions are note perfect. They act like real people – even when things start to go bump in the night. I can’t praise both actors enough.
Every aspect of The Witch In The Window is excellent and Mitton must also get applause for the score and editing too (cinematographer Justin Kane deserves kudos too). The film doesn’t feature any gore or gimmicks, just wonderfully old-fashoned storytelling which unfolds at a perfect pace. It’s not only the best ghost story to hit the screen since M.Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense in 1999, but it might just be one of the greatest ever! This might sound like hyperbole but it’s not – Andy Mitton’s film is just that good.
The Witch In The Window will warm your heart and scare the beejeezus out of you in equal measure. It’s stunning.
