Season of the Witch

• Directed by Dominic Sena
• January 4, 2011 (NYC) / January 7, 2011 (US)

When a pair of Teutonic Knights abandon the Crusades and return to their homeland devastated by the Black Death they are commanded to transport a suspected witch to a distant monastery so the monks can lift her curse.

I admit to having a soft spot for Season of the Witch. I like the foundational idea of the plot. The concept behind it is that the Black Death was spread by the Devil himself walking the Earth-a belief common amongst the religious of the time. The issue in part is it’s an idea you have to at the minimum be willing to entertain in order to enjoy this movie. That can be a tough sell to some. You also have to be willing to deal with Nicolas Cage sporting a very questionable accent as knight Behman of Bleibruck. I have no idea of the character’s nationality since his voice sounds generically British but the story clearly does not occur in the British Isles of the time.

Some actors cannot fake an accent. They just don’t have the ability. Others are far too well-known to fake an accent. Their place in the public has made their ability to support an accent impossible. Take for example Gary Oldman. The man is British through and through yet often plays an American. Nicolas Cage on the other hand is Nicolas Cage. His place in the public consciousness is such that no matter what he does he is always Nicolas Cage. And he can’t successfully sport even a hint of an accent-at least at this point in his career. 

Perlman as Behman’s friend and fellow knight Felson on the other hand doesn’t even try. He just speaks well as is always the case but doesn’t try to put on an accent. I really couldn’t see him doing anything other than a Russian accent (which I THINK I have seen him do) though. But as the weary yet ultimately cynical close friend of Behman he succeeds.

Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman’s banter and camaraderie certainly makes this movie. These are two world weary friends. They provide a sense of reason with one leaning more towards the fantastic or with the other more grounded before they both come to the truth. Both are seeking redemption for the evils of what they have done.

Accents are a minor issue but one I can overlook. One thing I do have trouble overlooking is the use of green screen mostly in the opening. There’s not a desert somewhere they could’ve filmed in for purposes of authenticity? Maybe a snow-covered mountain they could’ve filmed on to keep it real? Having seen it in theaters, I saw the difference and on home media it is more so. I read this was done to save time and money but sometimes dropping coin for purposes of quality is a must.

I do not pretend to be an expert on Medieval times nor the Black Death, but I did go through points in my life where I read heavily about  various periods of history just because I learned a little factoid that struck my fancy. What I can say about this movie is somebody did a little bit of homework rather than rely on minimal knowledge. They are flagellants-people who beat themselves with leather straps-and those dying of the plague sowing themselves up in what amount to a body bag. These were things that people encountered during the time.

The primary focus of the story is the journey to an isolated monastery to use a book known as the Key of Solomon to expel the evil from a young female prisoner (Claire Foy). During the trip she pits one against another and manipulates. The characters discuss the situation rather than blindly accept it. They do not simply believe what they are told with the tone implying they are all doing as told by the authorities and not because they truly believe it. Is the young girl disturbed or the personification of evil?

By keeping the cast small and isolated it ups the tension. The lack of people or much of anything is a plus rather than a hindrance. You feel they are truly alone on their trip and that death is upon the land. The reveal at the end made sense when explained. The villain does not spill the beans but the characters figure it out though it felt suspicious to this Sunday School veteran.

Season of the Witch is not action packed but more tense. There are moments of action, but it saves the big show for the finale. If there are any gripes to be had from the finale it’s the CGI demon. Don’t get me wrong. It’s cool to look at but it looks a bit fake. And it probably goes to aging of the other effects technology. But they don’t spend too much time on it. 

I found plenty to enjoy in Season of the Witch. It’s a film I genuinely like and have revisited a few times since it originally came out. It’s a dark fantasy with tinges of horror and a good Nicolas Cage outing.