In 'The Witch,' the quote 'Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?' is a terrifying invitation. To capture the isolation of 17th-century New England, composer Mark Korven utilized the hurdy-gurdy. The instrument’s mechanical drone and screeching strings provided a sense of historical dread that a modern orchestra could not. Korven intentionally used a 'broken' playing style to make the music feel as if it were decaying. The hurdy-gurdy became the sonic soul of the film's folk-horror legend, proving that an ancient, hand-cranked instrument is more effective at creating fear than digital jump-scares, perfectly matching the film's archaic and religiously-charged dialogue.