"The Witch": A New England Folktale Quiz

Answer: Samuel

"The Witch" begins with a court scene, in which William (Ralph Ineson), his wife Katherine (Kate Dickie), and children Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw), and twins Mercy and Jonas (Ellie Grainger and Lucas Dawson) are banished from their puritan community due to religious disagreements.

The family establish their new home on a farm on the edge of some ominous woodlands, and another child, Samuel is born. Samuel vanishes while Thomasin is covering her eyes in a game of peekaboo, leading to family panic.

In a gritty scene, a witch is then shown making a flying ointment from Samuel's remains.

Answer: Hare

The family are mourning the passing of their newborn child, and Caleb is especially distressed that Samuel may have passed into Hell due to being unbaptised. Katherine is praying and crying for God's mercy over Samuel. The family's farm does not seem to be yielding much crop, and William and Caleb go hunting in the woods.

The pair see a hare, and William takes aim. However, when he fires, the gun backfires and William's eye is injured. This hare is seen stalking the family farm throughout the film.

Answer: A cup

William admitted to Caleb that he had traded Katherine's favourite cup for hunting supplies while the pair were hunting. William attempts to deflect Katherine's adamant questioning of Thomasin over the whereabouts of the cup, knowing the truth but scared to admit it. Katherine also begins to suspect Thomasin of being responsible for Samuel's disappearance.

This marks the beginning the family turning on each other.

Answer: Black Phillip

Black Phillip is one of many foreboding animals that make an appearance in the film, and is the centre of much family controversy. Black Phillip was portrayed by a goat named Charlie, who was reportedly an untrainable nightmare for the cast and crew. At one stage in production, Ralph Ineson was attacked, on set, by Charlie who was hospitalised. In later interviews, Robert Eggers has said his number one piece of advice for aspiring filmmakers was to never work with goats.

The filming of "The Witch" was an overall difficult experience for all involved, especially due to weather and the remote filming location.

Answer: Blood

Caleb and Thomasin go into the woods to check the traps. They come upon the hare again, and the horse is whipped into a frenzy and bolts, tipping Thomasin off. Caleb, trying to find his way out of the forest, finds their dog Fowler's bloodied body. He comes across a witch's hovel, and the witch, appearing as an attractive young woman, lures him towards her. Back at the home, Katherine rebukes Thomasin for taking Caleb into the Woods and William admits to selling Katherine's cup. Caleb is found naked and delirious on the edge of the woods and is taken back into the home. Katherine is still unconvinced by Thomasin's purity and the twins accuse Thomasin of witchcraft.

Caleb is pale and bedridden and in in a desperate state. Katherine and William discuss selling Thomasin to another family. Meanwhile, Thomasin tries to ensure she attends to her tasks. However, while attempting to milk the goat, she is only able to draw blood. Thomasin is horrified. This moment is another escalation in the supernatural presence of the film.

Answer: An apple

In one of the most sinister scenes in the film, Caleb awakens and seems to be choking on something. Katherine breaks his jaw, and he vomits out a whole apple with one bite taken out of it. Katherine instructs the family to pray for Caleb, but the twins say they cannot remember the words. Caleb begins to writhe on the floor, and the twins writhe in turn.

As Katherine, William and Thomasin's prayers grow in intensity, Caleb begins to speak as if he sees God himself and enters his presence. As he dies, he smiles and moans pleasurably of his love of God.

This sequence is impressively performed, especially from the child actors at the heart of the scene.

Answer: The twins, Mercy and Jonas

The family unit has now completely fractured, and William now believes Thomasin is dealing in witchcraft. He tells her she will be trialed when they return to town. This refers to an earlier occasion wherein Thomasin jokingly confirms the twins' accusations and makes jesting threats, frightening the children. Thomasin in turn accuses the twins, who she has been seen speaking with and singing a chant to Black Phillip.

The children refuse to answer William when he asks if this is true, and William locks the twins and Thomasin in the animal shed for the night. Thomasin overhears William confess to the Lord that he left the village out of pride rather than genuine religious belief.

Answer: A raven

Inside the house, Katherine admits to William that Samuel had been born out of an affair. During the night, she is awoken by a vision of Caleb holding baby Samuel. When Caleb offers for her to hold the baby, she gratefully accepts and attempts to feed the baby. Back in the shed, the twins awake to see a monstrous woman drinking the blood of their goat.

The woman attacks the twins. The movie then cuts back to inside the house, where a crazed Katherine is seen holding not her baby but a raven, which is pecking at her bloodied breast.

Answer: Her mother Katherine

In the morning, the shed is found destroyed and the twins missing. Thomasin is lying nearby, covered in blood. William confronts Thomasin, but is killed by Black Phillip. Katherine comes across the scene and attacks Thomasin, accusing her of cursing the family and blaming her for the the death of the others. Thomasin kills Katherine in self defense with a nearby cutting tool. Thomasin is left as the only surviving human of the family.

Answer: Deliciously

A distraught Thomasin retreats into the barn and demands to speak with Black Phillip. A human voice is heard responding with, "Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?" This line is often quoted amongst fans and appears in merchandise and fan art.

Black Phillip, now in the form of a tall man wearing black, urges Thomasin to sign her name in his book. Thomasin nervously obliges. She is then seen walking naked into the woods, where she comes across a coven of witches holding a Witches' Sabbath. Thomasin joins the coven, and they begin levitating. Thomasin is seen grinning ecstatically as she begins to float above the trees.