Where Was The Witch Filmed? Robert Eggers’ Phenomenal Horror Drama Film!

Robert Eggers knocked it out of the park with his directorial debut, The Witch (2015). I’m sure you’ve seen the movie, but this Halloween season, make sure to watch it again. The historical horror drama film is set in the 1600s and follows a banished Puritan family who builds a house and a farm by the edge of a large remote forest. Soon, strange things start to happen! In this article, I’ll discuss the movie and tell you where was The Witch filmed.

The Witch is a cinematic masterpiece by Robert Eggers, who believes in perfection and pays enormous attention to details. The movie is not a clichéd horror film with jumpscares, but it uses mood, a particular atmosphere, and other cinematic forms of psychology to play on the audience’s fears.

Robert Eggers handpicked each and every actor in the movie. The film’s cast includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, and Ellie Grainger. Anya Taylor-Joy made her acting debut in The Witch. The 27-year-old actor won several prestigious awards, including a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award. She has also been nominated for a Primetime Emmy and BAFTA Film awards.

Now let me tell you where was The Witch filmed. The historical horror drama movie was filmed in Kiosk, Ontario, Canada.

From director Robert Eggers, The Witch premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 27 January 2015, followed by its theatrical release in the United States on 19 February 2016. The horror drama film is a Rooks Nest Entertainment production and was distributed by A24 in the US and Elevation Pictures in Canada. However, let me give you a detailed account of the filming location.  

Where Was The Witch Filmed? The Witch Filming Location!

Robert Eggers’ The Witch was made on a limited budget of $4 million. But surprisingly, the movie did quite well at the box office, earning over $40 million. Besides doing well commercially, the film was well-received by critics and garnered numerous constructive reviews. The historical horror drama film was screened at several International Film Festivals, where it won several awards.

Eggers is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, and production designer who is a critically acclaimed director widely known for his offbeat, dark-themed horror films. The Witch got a high score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and a rating of 7.0 on IMDb. However, let’s dive into the details of where was The Witch filmed.

Kiosk, Ontario, Canada

Robert Eggers initially wanted to shoot the historical horror drama film in New England, but due to the low budget and Canada’s tax benefits, he chose to shoot in Kiosk, Ontario. Kiosk is a township and an unincorporated area which is situated in the northeastern region of Ontario, Canada. Eggers scouted with the production team and found a location ideal for filming. The cast and crew set up camp in a remote place where the entire movie was shot.

As the production team was shooting on location, everything we saw in the movie was built from scratch. The farm and the house where they lived were all built by the production team. Interestingly, some of the scenes in the movie were shot with a vintage lens, as Eggers wanted a few of the scenes to have a specific effect.

To give the entire movie an authentic look, Eggers used natural light, and the interior scenes were shot using the light of candles. He did thorough research while developing the script. In most scenes, the characters spoke in Jacobean English, with Yorkshire English accents.

Plot Of The Witch (2015) |  Be Careful, She Might Be Around!

The story of The Witch is set in New England in the 1600s and revolves around a banished Puritan family. William, played by Ralph Ineson, is the father of four, and his wife, Katherine, played by Kate Dickie, is about to give birth to her fifth child. Finally, when the baby arrives, they name him Samuel. William and his family built a house and small farm by the edge of a vast secluded forest, far from the closest village.

One fine day, Samuel mysteriously vanishes from the house while under Thomasin’s (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) watch; her parents blame her. As her mother cries and prays to god, William criticizes and accuses Thomasin of being irresponsible. When strange things start to happen to them, they feel that it might be a witch’s work. With paranoia and suspicion mounting, the whole family suspects that Thomasin is a witch.

Final Words

Now you know where was The Witch filmed. Well, there is nothing much to see at the exact filming location of the movie, but you can surely visit the township of Kiosk in Ontario. Having said that, if you haven’t seen the movie yet, you better prioritize it because missing out on a movie like this would be a big mistake. However, if you want to read more filming location articles, check the Viebly website.