Horror: ‘Intentionally frightening’

family in New England in 1630. The seven family members live on an isolated farm, and their world slips into madness after their infant son vanishes. I’ll give you one guess who’s responsible, and it ain’t Hermione Granger. Director Robert Eggers won the Best Director prize at Sundance for his debut writing/directing effort.

Both films feature overwhelming antagonists that blanket their victims with hopelessness. Saul (played by Geza Rohrig) works in a concrete maze that’s guarded by countless Nazis. There’s barely a scene in the entire film where he isn’t being put to work or facing an atrocity. It’s not for the faint of heart. Countless bodies line the walls of gas chambers, and Jews get shot into pits.

In “The Witch,” farmer (Ralph Ineson) and his wife (Kate Dickie) try to make a living in unforgiving times. If they can’t grow food, their family dies. Grief and despair tear the family apart, and there’s little that can glue the family back together after a witch enters the picture.

“The Babadook” (2014) and “It Follows” (2015) share more than a few similarities with “Son of Saul” and “The Witch.” “It Follows” and “The Babadook” both focus on a woman who’s forced to confront a monster that can’t be killed, only managed.

The biggest difference between the two sets of films is the stifling amount of historical accuracy. “Son of Saul” and “The Witch” are not only deeply rooted in documented accounts of the past, but everything from the wood on the cabins and the design of the crematorium was fussed over. “The Witch” director Robert Eggers even made sure the button holes on costumes were accurate.

These details aren’t scary themselves, but they’re dedicated to pluck viewers out of their cellphone-induced comfort and place them in an environment where easy doesn’t exist. Convenient is a funny three-syllable word that wasn’t invented yet. There’s no curtain to pull back that makes you realize things will be OK. It’s true horror, and scenes not only stuck in my mind but made me leave the theater thinking about what I saw. That’s horror, and filmmaking, at its best. Both films also hold up as effective dramas. Regardless of genre, they’re well-built and perfectly acted.

When I think back on viewing these films, I’m reminded of something my mom used to say to me when I was growing up. It was along the lines of “there’s enough bad stuff in the world, so why watch something intentionally frightening?” That’s a pretty good point, but my appreciation for great movies doesn’t let something like genre or the inevitability of nightmares stop me.

Nobody rushes to the theater for films about failure. I’m not guessing “Son of Saul” or “The Witch” will be box-office smashes. Instead, I see them as a shining example of smart, impactful storytelling.

I’m not afraid of aliens anymore, but these filmmakers could make anything really scary. Or better yet, real and scary.