In 2015, director Robert Eggers released his feature debut with The Witch (also known as The VVitch). A hyper-stylized period horror film about a family of isolated 17th century settlers in New England, the film went on to be a smash hit, snatching up over $40 million in box office revenue despite a relatively meager budget of $4 million. It garnered decent critical success upon its initial release, and since then, the film has only grown in stature, and is now recognized as one of the best horror films (if not of any genre) of the decade. It was as a result of this success that allowed Eggers to actualize a project he had in the works for years before the release of his feature debut The Lighthouse.
