This Is What Bothers The Witch Director Most About The Movie

When it comes to horror films from A24, one that instantly comes to mind for some fans is director Robert Eggers' "The Witch," — or "The VVitch" if you're going by its stylized poster. It follows a family who moves to a forest in the New England wilderness during the 1630s when they're banished from a Puritan village. The family slowly become prey to an evil, sadistic, witch, with Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) even accused of helping the devil himself. Awkward. It's an eerily paranoid horror that leaves audiences thinking about it long after it finishes, especially in the final few moments of Taylor-Joy's performance.

Surprisingly, the actress hated her own work in the film, as she explained to The Hollywood Reporter. "Rob [Eggers] showed us the film maybe two hours before the audience screening, and I was devastated," she said. "I thought I'd never work again, I still get shivers thinking about it. It was just the worst feeling of, 'I have let down the people I love most in the world. I didn't do it right.'" Luckily, she's worked tirelessly ever since.

"The Witch" isn't a typical horror blockbuster packed to the brim with over-the-top kills or crammed with jumpscares. Instead, Eggers chose to haunt audiences with the dread-filled atmosphere that the family's new home has, especially since they're cut off from society and left to fend for themselves. "The Lighthouse" director paid plenty of attention to making sure this 1600s folk horror felt as immersive as possible. Unfortunately, there's a smaller detail in Taylor-Joy's appearance in "The Witch" that Eggers wishes he'd changed during post-production to completely match the era.

Although the film's location, the set, and all of the costumes worn by the actors help immerse the audience into this 17th-century tale of terror, there's a minor error that does break the illusion. If you pay very, very close attention to Anya Taylor-Joy's ears, it's possible to spot the earring holes in her ears throughout the film, and Robert Eggers confessed on the DVD's commentary track that he wishes he'd edited the holes out of the film.

Sure, it won't exactly ruin the horrifying atmosphere that "The Witch" creates in its 93-minute runtime, but it's understandably annoying for the director. Although earrings have supposedly been around since the 8th century (via Diamond Foundry) it wouldn't have been common for a banished peasant girl to have her ears pierced in New England in the 1630s. However, Eggers also pointed out that maybe he's being too picky about his work, suggesting "maybe that's getting insane." 

Don't worry, Robert, it doesn't get in the way of the twisted tale.