THE BOOK OF THE WITCH (2024)

New streaming on Tubi from Self Esteem Productions!
Directed/Written by Joshua Sowden.
Check out the trailer here!!

Victoria (Krishna Smitha) works the night shift as a security guard with her friend August (Danny Parker-Lopes). Since losing her mother, Victoria has had an obsession with death, or more accurately, avoiding it. Through painstaking research—meaning one of those poster boards with pictures and thumbtacks connected with string, Victoria has tracked down an ancient witch (played by Ali Williams) who is in possession of an ancient book that grants the owner immortality.

THE BOOK OF THE WITCH is proof that you can make an entertaining film while still keeping spending on the cheap. The thing that stands out the most in THE BOOK OF THE WITCH is the look of it. Using lens filters and creative lighting, director/writer Joshua Sowden makes everything look interesting and more importantly, scary. Seeing the image of the classic witch, with the pointy hat and green skin and everything, set against a bright light or in silhouette makes for some truly nightmarish imagery. This film looks like a million bucks, though I doubt the film cost nowhere near that to make.

The story is pretty simple, splitting the action between the parking garage Victoria works at and in a dilapidated building in the middle of the desert. Again, Sowden makes everything looks great flipping between these two locales and keeping this story on track. There is very little explanation as to what the witch is, other than, you know, she looks exactly like a witch when you think of what a witch looks like. Still, Ali Williams brings the witch to life with devious and wicked glee.

Krishna Smitha who plays Victoria is pretty good as the lead. She is determined and strong in the role. I also really liked her friend August, played by Danny Parker-Lopes, who gets a likable and meaty role to play with. Sure, this is low budget filmmaking, but no one let the people in front of or behind the camera know about that. This is a film that is legitimately scary and looks like not to many other films out there right now. I’m a big fan of this little indie gem and I think if you are a regular watcher of my videos, especially my Low Budget Binge videos, you should check out THE BOOK OF THE WITCH.