User reviews

Yeah, I hadn't even heard about this 2022 horror movie titled "The Winter Witch" when I stumbled upon it here in 2023, but I have to say that the movie's cover definitely seemed interesting. And it being a horror movie that I hadn't already seen was essentially sufficient to make me sit down and give the movie a chance.

And talk about a swing and a miss from writer and director Richard John Taylor. I managed to endure 41 minutes of the 82 minute, so I made it halfway through, and then I tossed the towel in the ring. In those excrutiatingly long 41 minutes nothing happened in the narrative. I kid you not when I say nothing, I mean that literally. It was just some girls sitting around talking without much of any gusto and without anything interesting to talk about. So I just gave up.

The acting in the movie, at least in the 41 minutes that I suffered through, was nothing noteworthy. I wasn't the least bit impressed by what I witnessed.

As for "The Winter Witch" being a horror movie? Well, in the 41 minutes I sat through there wasn't a shred of anything even close to resembling horror, unless you count utter pointlessness and boredom as being horror.

This movie is not something I would recommend for horror fans to waste their time, money or effort on. Some of us suffered through this ordeal, in some or full extend, so you don't have to. And believe you me when I say that I am not returning to attempt watching the last half of "The Winter Witch".

The movie's cover was actually the best thing about this movie.

My rating of "The Winter Witch" from writer and director Richard John Taylor lands on a one out of ten stars.

Well, aside from the decent cameraman shooting scenes of a beautiful autumnal woodland... this film was shocking.

The title and image were enough to lure this horror fan in, being a lover of B movies I was enchanted with the first 5 minutes. (Lovely opening tune).

SWITCH OFF at this point I beg you!

In my partners humble opinion, the end credits were a welcome relief and the best part of the film. He managed to put 4 loads of washing on, iron in another room and cook dinner (what a guy), hollering the occasional "have I missed anything"? To which I always replied, "no".

There was no story, appalling acting and terrible narrative. How do these films get made and endorsed? Fair play for trying but stick with restaurants eh?

The locations and cinematography are excellent, with establishing scenes often shot through a slight misty autumnal haze, which is very effective. The acting is mixed - some lines are garbled on occasion, but what lets this down is the lack of incident in a very dull and uneventful story.

There is a lot of dialogue issued from curiously underwritten characters. For example, the estranged Frank (Jimmy 'The Bee' Bennett - also the film's location manager) is treated with contempt by former partner Ingrid (Rose Hakki) and admits he deserves such treatment, but it's never explained why. From the evidence onscreen, he seems a fairly decent character. Cult actress Rula Lenska is Omi, and it is to her we return during the course of the film where she is given reams of static exposition to unload.

This is a real shame as much of the production is really good. The pace is leaden, any frights are few and far between. It's not really a spoiler to say that we do see the witch from the title ... for a total of about ten seconds, mainly in the anti-climactic finale.

Director and writer Richard John Taylor has helmed a number of productions, many of them gangster yarns (starring the late Leslie Grantham, to whom the production company - Hello Princess - is dedicated). A strong co-writer or script editor would do wonders for future endeavours. A real mixed bag; my score is 4 out of 10.

The acting was truely stoic, and awful for most of the actors. Except for Omi. But she wasn't enough to save the film because the leads were so dry and dull, to the point it sucked put any life or horror this film might have had.

The story had potential, but I think we needed a lot more creepy witch shots. And actors who didn't feel like they were reading the lines as they went. They didn't remotely sell it.

It was beautifully shot though, and the camera work was really pretty. Some of the scenes were beautiful, and the overall quality of this part felt like it belonged to a much better film that it was in. Most of the stars I gave were because of this.

I recently watched the UK film 🇬🇧 Winter Witch (2022) on Tubi. The storyline follows a journalist and her daughter as they return to the journalist's hometown to write an article about a legendary witch, rumored to have killed seven people. Just as they arrive, murders begin happening around town. The question is, can the journalist solve the mystery before she or her daughter becomes the next victim?

Written and directed by Richard John Taylor (Vengeance), the film stars Rula Lenska (Queen Kong), Paul Hughes (Us or Them), Ryan Noir (Ballistic), and Jimmy "The Bee" Bennett (Dead Again).

While Winter Witch has horror elements, it often feels more like a family drama with dark undertones. The settings and backdrops are well-chosen, and the acting is decent, but the film consistently fails to deliver anything truly sinister or frightening. Moments that seem like they're building up to something eerie are often followed by a quick pan to the woods with spooky music, and that's about it. It's disappointing because there are subplots with potential that, if better developed, could have made the film worthwhile.

In conclusion, Winter Witch doesn't offer much in terms of redeeming qualities. I'd rate it a 2/10 and recommend skipping it.