The Real-Life Inspiration For The Witch, This Year's Most Disturbing Horror Film So Far

The film's director, Robert Eggers, referred to a wide variety of literature during the early stages of his research process. The period sources included pamphlets on witchcraft, court documents, the Geneva Bible, and even everyday Puritan diaries. This means much of the dialogue was lifted almost word-for-word from the aforementioned sources and incorporated into the film.

Eggers learned of one old story in particular that seemed to make a major impact. The events describe a Massachusetts teenager named Elizabeth Knapp, who "became prone to seizures and fits . . . When the local pastor came to investigate her predicament, the young woman flew into hysterics, prompting the religious official to conclude she was possessed by the devil."

Eggers notes that he explored both versions of witch lore: those in fairytales, and those in the actual accounts from the time period. This led to a blurred depiction of the phenomenon, one that mixes all of the information into one terrifying piece. What's clear is that the film's plot is very much rooted in the canonical tales of what it means to be a witch, both fictional and nonfictional.

As part of his research for the film, Eggers gained access to Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts; it's a full re-creation of Plymouth Colony in 1627. He was afforded the opportunity to examine the plantation, the colonial village, and the library. He reportedly "studied the vernacular architecture and details of the period, right down to the chimneys and dirt floors of rural dwellings where people like William [Ralph Ineson] and his family might have lived." That's dedication.

Of course, there's plenty of material to sift through when it comes to witchcraft in the colonial era, especially in the context of the Salem witch trials. Two very notable figures extensively documented accounts of witchcraft during this time: Cotton Mather and Samuel Willard, who wrote The Wonders of the Invisible World and Groton in Witchcraft Times respectively. The books offer an in-depth look at the persecution of witches in New England at the time, and both were consulted when writing the movie. These men don't appear as characters in the film, but you may remember that Cotton Mather appears as a character on the TV show Salem.