Horror Movie Review: 7 Witches (2017)

“We shall live, they shall perish.”

7 Witches is a Horror/Thriller directed and written by Brady Hall released in 2017.

Kate and Cody (Persephone Apostolou and Mike Jones) are on their way to meet Kate’s family for her sister’s wedding. It’s quickly established that there is some animosity between Kate and well…pretty much everyone. After proposing to Kate and being rejected, Cody decides for some reason to still join the family for the weekend and on Rose’s suggestion, they pretend as if their engagement is going ahead. The tension between Kate and her sister, Rose (Danika Golombek) could be cut by a knife and it leaves you wondering why she was even invited to begin with.

After an awkward dinner, the family travel to the wedding venue – a former military town by the sea. While playing chase the drunken grandpa, Kate sees a figure standing on the beach. The figure is fully dressed in a long black gown. Kate sees them walk slowly deeper into the ocean until they’re fully submerged. Panicked, she runs to save them but when she gets to the shoreline she can no longer she any movement in the water. She heads back to the town and Rose and Aggie’s (Megan Hensley) family finally meet and sit down for dinner. Her mention of the person at the beach goes unacknowledged.

Kate rejects all the food as she’s a picky eater. Even when everyone heads outside for dessert around the campfire, she again dismisses it. Rose confronts her for being impolite to her new family and accuses Kate of being too drunk. To diffuse the situation, Aunt Paula offers Kate a joint and they go off into the woods to get high.

While Paula and Kate wander around they come across Rose and Aggie naked together in the woods. Assuming they’re about to be intimate, Paula encourages Kate to leave. But then Aggie begins to burn a symbol into Rose with a hot poker. Jokingly, Paula says that perhaps that’s a kink of theirs. But then the old figure Kate saw on the beach enters to help finish off the brand.

High and freaked out, the pair return to the house for the night. Rose and Aggie manage to corner a very drunk Cody. They coerce him into have a threesome and it’s insinuated that Aggie has been impregnated. The next morning is the day of the wedding. After another uncomfortable meal, Cody decides to leave much to the relief of Kate. Unfortunately for Cody, Aggie’s brother Henry stops him in his tracks permanently. Henry has been on a path of murder, already murdering another couple who lived in the town, seemingly ending a line of people who were against his family and their beliefs.

To make the wedding bearable, Kate and Paula sneak off again to get high. Paula discovers Cody’s corpse and some other burnt remains. The two race to the nearest house to call for help, but a chase ensues as Henry spots them. They manage to take down Henry and rush to the beach to stop the wedding and save their family.

Was Henry working alone? Or does the madness run in the family?

7 Witches is an atmospheric horror film. Beautifully shot and well acted, its predictable twists are covered by its unique story. The only flaws I can pick out are its incredibly unlikable lead character. Although we know as the viewer by the end that Kate’s behaviour is life saving, she doesn’t know that. She has no reason to be so rejecting and rude to Aggie’s family, and considering her intense dislike for her sister she shouldn’t have even attended the wedding. Additionally, I feel there could have been more “witch” elements as the family’s specific belief and power went untapped.