The North Witch Image

The North Witch

By Terry Sherwood | January 16, 2025

From Brigadoon to The Blair Witch Project, stories of people getting lost in the woods, for better or worse, have been around since the early cinema days. Director Bruce Wemple and screenwriter Anna Shields walk down that path again with their horror outing The North Witch. They center on five young women who venture into the forest for adventure, self-healing, and answers to a long-held mystery. Do they find it, or do the friends encounter something worse?

Madison’s (Anne Shields) roommates have just given her an ultimatum to move out. Needing a place to stay, she calls her friend Gemma (Jessy Holtermann) and gets an invitation to an already-planned hiking trip. Talia (Kaitlyn Lunardi), Alice (Ameerah Briggs), and Laura (Brianna Cala) plan to hike across the Canadian wilderness toward the infamous site of The Barren Cabin, which lore has it that 40 people staying there throughout the years have vanished. It does not take long for the hikers to see signs that something isn’t right, like the vacant space where the cabin has been geo-located.

Further trouble arises as a storm blows in, resembling a planetary ion event from the original Star Trek. The wind, the electric charges, and the crashing of bodies against trees result in the women being separated. Anna takes shelter in the cabin, which suddenly appears. She finds one of the other women in the forest just in time for her to die an agonizing death. Meanwhile, Talia undergoes a demonic transformation brought on by the atmosphere.

“…plan to hike across the Canadian wilderness toward the infamous site of The Barren Cabin…”

The North Witch makes the journey into the woods short. The only time dedicated to character development is on the drive to the trails, which results in not many personalities emerging. This means that it is challenging to feel horrified for these people. Terrifying things happen, sure, but the stakes for the characters are never clearly laid out, aside from a potential loss of life.

The film draws inspiration from The Evil Dead, Cabin in the Woods, and even the real Canadian folk horror story of the Black Donnellys. You get a monster mash of ideas like the discovery of a creepy drawing book, portraits right out of Roger Corman’s The Fall of the House of Usher, and time distortion. Mysterious evil entities that force self-mutilation upon people to make them “pay.” The musical score by Nate Van Deusen recalls a subtle version of Hammer Film music without bombastic themes. And as a loving homage, this does work, thanks to the look and atmosphere. But odd bouts of humor interpret the terror at awkward times.

The North Witch is successful as a battle for survival. However, it’s punctuated by unintentional humor, such as when a police officer teaches Anne how to do a tracheotomy on his wounded partner. There are a lot of screams but not much gore, but some unsettling images of the toothless Talia grinning make for an odd mix of terror and laughs. This works in the moment, but strong characterizations would let this remain in one’s memory for a longer time.

The North Witch (2024)

Directed: Bruce Wemple

Written: Anne Shields

Starring: Anne Shields, Kaitlyn Lunardi, Jessy Holtermann, Ameerah Briggs, Brianna Cala, etc.

Movie score: 6/10

The North Witch Image

"…a monster mash of ideas..."

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Join our Film Threat Newsletter

Newsletter Icon