The Witch: Part 1 - the Subversion

A little girl flees a research facility in fear of her life in this action thriller from South Korea, which, like its imperilled heroine, is full of surprises. Taken in by a kindly couple who adopt her, the girl forgets her traumatic formative years, until an appearance on a national talent show alerts her pursuers to her presence. There are shades of David Cronenberg's A History of Violence to Park Hoon-Jung's film, which, as the title suggests, is only the beginning of the story of the mysterious and gifted Ja-yoon. The slow-burn suspense of the film's first half is turned on its head in the second hour, which explodes into supernatural violence and out-there revelations. All of this would feel contrived if it wasn't so compelling, helped in no part by Kim Da-mi's transformative performance in the lead. With a carrot-dangling coda that anticipates further twists in the tale, this promises to be the start of an exciting, bloody and outlandish series.