Watch The Witch Files

In The Witch Files, a group of high school girls decides to form a coven for their school project. They meet in an old house that they believe to be haunted, and start practicing spells and rituals. However, their harmless project soon takes a dark turn when strange occurrences begin happening around them. The protagonist of the story is Claire (Holly Taylor), a quiet and studious girl who is looking for a chance to prove herself. She joins the coven along with her best friend Ruby (Alice Ziolkoski), who is more interested in the social benefits of witchcraft. The other members of the group are the popular girl Jules (Pagie Squire) and the rebel Hannah (Tara Robinson).

At first, everything seems to be going well for the girls. They perform spells for love, success, and revenge, and each of them starts seeing results. But then they begin having nightmares and strange visions, and their reality starts to blur with their fantasies. They become paranoid and distrusting of each other, and start suspecting that someone in their group might be a real witch.

As the tension between the girls escalates, they also begin to realize that they might have opened a portal to something dangerous. They start experiencing physical attacks from unseen forces, and some of them begin to disappear. The girls have to put aside their differences and work together to figure out what is happening to them, and how they can stop it.

The Witch Files is a horror movie that combines elements of found footage, coming of age, and supernatural genres. It was written and directed by Kyle Rankin, who also directed the horror-comedy film Infestation. The movie was shot in and around Portland, Maine, giving it a distinct New England small town vibe.

One of the strengths of The Witch Files is its cast of young actors, who are largely unknown but deliver believable performances. Holly Taylor, who played the daughter in the TV series The Americans, anchors the film as Claire, who is both the most sympathetic and the most complex character. Alice Ziolkoski provides comic relief as Ruby, but also gets to show her range in some of the movie's more intense scenes. Pagie Squire and Tara Robinson play somewhat stereotypical roles, but still manage to bring some depth to their characters.

The movie's cinematography and editing also deserve praise. The found footage style fits well with the story, and the use of different camera angles and perspectives keeps the viewer engaged. The movie also has a catchy and effective soundtrack, with songs by artists like Rosalie Cunningham and Ane Brun.

The Witch Files is not a perfect movie, however. Some of the plot twists are predictable, and the pacing could be tighter. The movie also relies heavily on genre conventions, and those who are familiar with horror films might find some of the scares to be clichéd. There are also some inconsistencies in the logic of the story that might bother more analytical viewers.

Nevertheless, The Witch Files is an entertaining and well-made horror movie that should appeal to fans of the genre. It offers a fresh take on the idea of teenage witches, and has enough suspense and gore to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. The movie also has a feminist subtext, as it explores the power dynamics of teenage girl groups and the ways in which they can both support and harm each other.

In conclusion, The Witch Files is a movie that is worth watching for its engaging story, solid cast, and creative direction. It might not be a groundbreaking film, but it is definitely a fun one. You might not want to try any of the spells at home, though.

The Witch Files is a 2018 horror movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 28 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 4.5.