‘York Witches Society’ (2022)

‘York Witches Society’ is a horror film centering around Amber Gray, a new student at university who catches the attention of the group of students who form the York Witches Society (‘YWS’). On her initiation, the group unintentionally awaken an ancient evil that is determined to rid England of witches.

The film opens with a flashback to the burning of a witch where the leader of the group, Matthias, is cursed by the witch being burned. Damning him to forever wander earth as long as a Gray lives, Matthias is cursed.

During present day, Amber arrives at university and is befriended by her room-mate Kirsten. Enthusiastic about witchcraft and keen on forming part of the exclusive YWS, Kirsten encourages Amber to try to get into the group. Uninterested, Amber insists she doesn’t want to be part of the society or fraternize with anyone.

Following an outburst during a lecture, Amber is almost expelled until Alanda convinces the dean to allow her to stay, saying she will take Amber under her wing, inviting her into the YWS. Reluctant, Amber agrees to join only if Kirsten is welcomed as well.

As part of one of the initiation rites, Amber has to ring the school bell, shout her name and proclaim herself a member of the society. During the trial, the grave if Matthias cracks open, unleashing an unseen evil. Later on, at an old pub, the girls hold Amber and Kirsten’s initiation, where they are to learn the witch’s texts and spells. Amber recognises the spells as old nursery rhymes passed down to her by her mother. After some time, one of the YWS members, Charlotte, goes out to her car with Amber. There the two are caught in a fog and Charlotte is dragged off by an unseen force. Immediately after the rest of the group go out looking for her only to be picked off one by one.

On realising the connection between the force hunting down the girls and Amber, the three remaining girls prepare to face the entity head on, evoking its name and Amber summoning the strength to banish the soul of Matthias to hell. The film closes on the three girls leaving the old inn the following morning.

‘York Witches Society’ is a supernatural horror film that seemingly falls within the B movie category. Even though some of the set-pieces are impressive, especially when the group of girls are wandering through the foggy forest and are assaulted by the unseen entity, the rest of the film has a television production value feel to it. Save for the great costume design, the film never quite shakes the budget vibe, creating a chasm between the viewers and the mystical fantasy, especially when it comes to the VFX work.

Disregarding the budgetary restrictions, the film also suffers a few narrative missteps, with the story being driven forward by a number of coincidences, unexplained backstory and unwarranted character motivation. There is little to learn about the YWS on the whole besides the fact that it is a sisterhood that supports each other and keeps alive the tradition of believing in ancient witch tenets.

When things inevitably go awry, it is made painfully clear that none of the girls really believe in witchcraft, understandably enjoying the club for its social purposes. What makes the story frustrating is the main character’s seeming lack of autonomy when it comes to taking affirmative action once things go wrong.

Without wanting to be in the YWS, Amber slowly realises that she is the descendant of a witch and somehow uncovers hidden powers that she uses to defeat the resurrected Matthias. Throughout the film, the importance of sisterhood is promoted, yet when Amber has to summon her might, it seems her sole effort takes down the evil spirit. Also without much explanation, Amber engages her hidden powers and is surprisingly adept at what she must do with little explanation.

With a fairly simple story, the YWS somehow blunders when it comes to developing and exploring its main character, whose main character trait throughout the film seems to be eye-rolling and a disdain towards any kind of socialising. With underdeveloped characters and a slew of narrative inconsistencies the film hardly makes for a magical experience.

Score: 1/4