By Mark Hockley
It seems somewhat unreasonable to criticise a movie that is something of a small miracle to even exist. Made for a reported $12000, this mainly one man show (director and writer, Joshua Sowden), deserves praise for surpassing the limitations of its minuscule budget. The look and style of the witch from the title is actually very strong and is well played by Ali Williams, who also designed her impressive costume.
The official synopsis reads: driven by her fear of death, Victoria (Krishna Smitha) hunts a mythical Witch, determined to steal her book that grants eternal life – but at a sinister price. While this is indeed the basic premise, a good deal of the sparse runtime (73 mins) is set in a building where two security guards (Smitha and Danny Parker Lopes) appear to bond over good-natured banter and their shared lack of family ties.
Although the performances are competent, muddled motivation and some inconsistency in characterisation, lead to confusion when certain choices are made later in the story.
The best sequences are staged out in the desert, where Sowden has an eye for an effective shot and feature some nice moments with Ali Williams’ witch.
Less polished are the dialogue scenes between the main characters, feeling drawn out and disjointed in the editing.
But surely these relatively minor criticisms are to be expected with such limited resources.
Although The Book Of the Witch has its faults (the conclusion is underwhelming), Joshua Sowden and his collaborators deserve credit and encouragement. I look forward to seeing what they can achieve with some extra money and a more coherent script. Here’s wishing them success in the future!
Bloody Flicks 