I have heard great things about 2017’s Pyewacket, but have only just now seen it. Often described as a similar ambiance to The Witch and House of the Devil, Pyewacket shows us what happens when black magic is used without knowing exactly how powerful it really is.
Teen Leah and her mother are in grief as Leah’s father has recently passed away. While Leah’s mom turns to alcohol and sobbing herself to sleep, Leah has her friends and their shared love for the occult. In an attempt to ease her own suffering, Leah’s mom decides to move them both to a new home far away from everything keeping Leah happy and grounded. Of course they fight. And of course, Leah decides to take her situation into her own hands, using a spell to awaken a demon to kill her mother. “Pyewacket,” as the demon is called, is not exactly one to foolishly summon, for there are dire consequences to doing so.
Because I like gloomy, atmospheric movies — and because this has been in my Shudder queue for a while — I thought there’s no better time than now to watch. Boy, was I in for a treat! It wasn’t hard to love Leah (played by Nicole Muñoz) and I immediately felt her pain; Leah actually kind of reminded me of myself in a way. I understood why she did what she did and I’ll even go as far as to say her mom (played by Laurie Holden) deserved it. You don’t just uproot people’s lives because you’re sad! And you can’t just apologize for those extremely hurtful things you said to your daughter because you definitely meant that shit. While we’re on the topic of Leah’s mom, I want to say that Holden plays a despicable person to a tee in everything I’ve seen her in; kudos to her because I hate all of her characters (not her personally, she’s a great actress).
Sometimes I fight to understand why characters do certain things, but all of Pyewacket was thoughtfully put together and left no weird plot points. It was explained why Leah and her mother had a strained relationship. It was explained why Leah chose to summon Pyewacket. Her relationship with her friends was explained, and Pyewacket‘s actions to manipulate Leah were explained as well.
Pyewacket itself was pretty cool too. I liked the idea of a demon that manipulates people but also torments the summoner as well. It’s a little like It Follows in that sense. Seeing the spook factor start off small and crescendo into a monstrous chase through the woods and house was perfectly timed. Hearing footsteps in the attic and seeing dirt brought in from the outside is one thing, but having a demon disguised as your mom break down a door and chase you in a contorted frenzy is another thing. No wonder Leah’s friend Janice got freaked out! Even the ritual to summon Pyewacket was cool. Milk, blood, red twine, and an incantation can create such a world of story for the audience; it’s almost a monster reveal in itself. Fun fact: according to the Trivia section of Pyewacket‘s IMDB page, “The name ‘Pyewacket’ comes from the 1647 British pamphlet “The Discovery of Witches,” in which author Matthew Hopkins claims to have interrogated witches in Essex County. One witch names many familiars, including the spirit Pyewacket which appeared to her as some sort of animal.”
If I had to pick one thing I didn’t like about Pyewacket, it would be the last minute or so. We have such a burst of action that fizzles out abruptly at the end. I won’t spoil it here, but I could do without the last scene; I think it would have a much bigger impact if it ended just before it.
Pyewacket is a warning. Think about others, and think about yourself. In a world full of beautiful nature, warmth of friends and familiar spaces, and knowledge beyond our wildest dreams, we should be careful what we do with it all. We are all intertwined with each other, and one negative thing can infect everyone if allowed to go unchecked. If you like atmospheric, moody horror that doesn’t stray away from action, Pyewacket is for you. If you can’t stand Laurie Holden playing another atrociously selfish character, perhaps skip this one.
What did you think of Pyewacket? Let us know in the comments!
Pyewacket is available to stream on Shudder and Amazon Prime Video.
