The Witch: Go

I was pleasantly surprised by “The Witch.” Most horror movies released in the winter are stinkers that the studios release early just to get them out of the way. Once good reviews started pouring in, I knew that as a horror junkie I had to go see this one.

“The Witch” is a scary movie set in New England during the 1630s.

Every movie set in old New England is either a drama about white guys on horses and swooning women in corsets or a movie about witches.

Where is the Puritan romantic comedy that I’ve been waiting for?

The story follows a family with five children that’s banished from their village after they refuse to stop practicing their religion. They move out into the creepy woods where their infant son goes missing. The younger siblings blame their oldest sister for the disappearance and claim that she’s a witch.

And you thought your family was dysfunctional.

These accusations seem crazy but to tell you any more would spoil the movie. All I will say is that it’s sad, chilling and genuinely unsettling. Warning: There are violent scenes involving children.

Race: Go

Remember Jesse Owens? He’s that African-American athlete who went to the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin when Hitler and the Nazis didn’t want any non-white athletes showing up in their country. Do you hate Hitler and like historical dramas? Then you’ll like “Race.”

Owens was a resilient and brave man who dealt with a racist society (both at home and abroad) to follow his dream to become the fastest man alive.

Although the script is overly cheesy at times and the supporting actors sometimes slip into being over dramatic, the main star’s performance is what really sells this movie.

Stephan James as Jesse Owens is a big enough selling point to make you overlook the sports drama clichés the movie occasionally throws at you.

Alisabeth Otto is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected]