Film Review: The Book of the Witch (Panic Fest 2025)

Film Review: The Book of the Witch (Panic Fest 2025)

Synopsis:

Driven by her fear of death, Victoria hunts a mythical Witch, determined to steal her book that grants eternal life-but at a sinister price.

Review:

Written and directed by Joshua Sowden.

There is NOTHING I love more than a great witch movie. Yes… Practical Magic, Suspiria (THAT’S A WITCH MOVIE… WHATTT… I can hear some of you.), The Craft, Black Sunday, The Witches of Eastwick, The Blair Witch, The Witch, Love Witch (UGHHHH, PERFECTION… Written and directed by the AMAZINGGGGG Anna Biller.) I Married A Witch, Bewitched, Eve’s Bayou, Teen Witch (A CLASSIC), Rosemary’s Baby (It wasn’t just about the fun devil), Season of the Witch, Haxan, Terror at Orgy Castle, Midnight Offerings, Spellbinder, Blood Orgy of the She-Devils, Mark of the Witch, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (Our Amazing Elvira can rock as a witch always), The City of the Dead, Cry of the Banshee, Witchcraft (1964), Inferno… I think you get the point. There are a lot of films based on witches… Women… Those of us who may love natural healing, we may see some things… Guarenteed there will be an unpleasant person, a basic human, SHOUTING, WITCH!!! And, you should just smile, and say, why, thank you… I am and there will be always be witches.

We meet this wonderful Witch portrayed by Ali Williams. There are SECRETS… Oooohhh, it gets interesting. There is always a reason behind the madness. Krishna Smitha portrays Victoria, and Danny Parker-Lopes portrays the funny and optimistic, August. Lorne Wood is Kyle Foster, Sadhana Singhal plays the mom, and Ian Cardoni is Francis.

The film is dark and gritty. The witch is DARK and GRITTY. I love it. Joshua Sowden gives us the dark side, the side that the love and light people run from. I greatly appreciate this as too many people proclaim to be light without understanding darkness. Am I psychoanalyzing this movie? Maybe.

Just when you think its one thing, the story turns, and well people should explain this stuff. People want to mess with the darkness, the “strange and unusual,” until they actually face to face with the darkness. Joshua Sowden did a amazing job with this film. Ali Williams does such a great job as The Witch, she plays this role with such grit, and she plays it with heart and soul. You can tell this film was make with heart and soul.

Make sure to check out The Book of the Witch.

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