10 Greatest Religious Horror Movies Of All Time
4. The Witch
For a beautiful, compelling exploration of puritan zealots, banishment, religious conformity and sin, you can look no further than The Witch.
This film - created by Robert Eggers - follows a family in the 1630s who are banished from their home in New England and forced to live apart from society. From there, they are tortured and plagued by witchcraft and devilry.
It also approaches the concept of scapegoats (literally) and delivering on a self-fulfilling prophecy. Alongside its horror elements is a tragic sense of injustice, which ultimately ends up feeding into itself. The philosophy of the film acts around the effect that sin has, but also the compelling impact of enforcing sin on the innocent. This is all evident in the treatment of the families daughter Thomasin.
The Salem Witch trials are one of the most horrifically unjust occurrences from human history. The film seeks to encapsulate that hellishness in its runtime and achieves it fully. However, the twist in the ending takes all of the morals taught throughout the film and subverts them.
Ultimately, it is a horror film that generates far more than just scares. It will haunt you with its powerful narrative, wonderful performances and excellent atmosphere.