“The Witch” has recently been released into theaters and there has been some talk about the content. For those of you who don’t care for anything horror based, then this article is not for you. However, if you enjoy being disturbed and exploring the concepts of the Devil, then you have read the appropriate introduction. As a fan of horror movies, I thought the witch was expertly produced. I feared it would be as terrible as “The Blair Witch Project,” but thankfully it was worth the eight dollars I spent to view it. The controversy over the film involves the use of a demonic goat. The plot of the film elaborates on the use of the goat, but there are still some issues that viewers are having with this possessed animal. Warning, there will be spoilers in this article.

“The Witch” is about a family who moves from their hometown, due to religious differences, and then a bunch of satanic incidents start occurring to the family. The newborn baby goes missing, and he is killed by a witch and used to create a flying ointment. After the death of the baby, the town and the family starts to turn on each other. The family is blamed for bringing a witch into their town. The siblings turn on their sister, Thomasin, for being a witch herself. The family isn’t able to obtain food because everything is either rotting or dying. The dog is disemboweled by the witch, and then the goat they play with, called Black Phillip becomes Satan. Thomasin ultimately agrees to work with Satan, and the goat leads her into the woods to join the witch cult.

Now that the plot has been revealed, let’s talk about the controversy. I have talked to a few people about their opinion on the film, and most of the responses have either been incredibly positive or extremely negative. Some said it scared them so badly they had to sleep with the light on while others were disgusted by their perception of the movie's intentions. Many viewers and critics are viewing the film as religious ignorance. They believe the film is intentionally promoting satanic worship and mocking the Christian religion. Everyone’s main issue with the film is the satanic possession of Black Phillip.

The reference to the goat comes from the New Testament Gospel of Matthew; the passage talks of separating the goats from the sheep. So the assumption was made during the Middle Ages, that by separating the goat that was a symbol of removing Satan from the herd of sheep. Over the course of generations, the concept of the goat has dramatically changed. The goat has become some form of goat lord. There is a statue of this depicted image, and there are other statues of women sacrificing their dead infants to the goat lord. Goats are also part of sacrifices during satanic rituals, which makes Black Phillip the new topic of controversy.

Black Phillip was the animal that was closest to the family. Understand that Satan has been depicted as a serpent or a dragon in the past. However, those animals are already terrifying without the aspect of Satan being added into the equation. But really think about it. The kids loved Black Phillip; that was their pet goat. They trusted the animal, similar to how we might trust our dog or cat. The goat was an easy target for Satan. He preys on the weak minded, and since everyone in the family had turned against Thomasin the Devil possesses the goat and used the animal to talk to her. That was how he manipulated her into signing the book and becoming a member of the witch cult.

I do not agree with the critics arguing that this is the production of religious ignorance. I also don’t believe the film’s intentions were to promote satanic rituals. Many Christians are offended by the use of the goat in “The Witch.” Personally, I appreciate a good horror movie no matter what the content is based on. I thoroughly enjoyed “Lords of Salem” and I am a firm believer in God. I don’t believe that watching a movie determines your faith or makes you a hypocrite. In my opinion, it’s just a goat. I don’t believe in possession either, so I am not easily influenced by the disturbing imagery. If it was enough to scare Stephen King, the master of horror, then it is worthy of my eyes. If you are comfortable watching this film, then go ahead and watch it but don’t judge others based on their beliefs for watching this movie.