Summary

• The Witch and The Lighthouse may not be in the same universe, but they are companion pieces according to Robert Eggers himself.
• Both films share themes of religious oppression, supernatural forces, and American mythology, creating a natural flow between them.
• Despite fan theories of a shared timeline, Eggers confirmed that he is not creating a trilogy or an interconnected cinematic universe.

On the surface, it seems like Robert Eggers' folk horror films release Nosferatu later this year, has built a solid reputation for creating fantastic slow-burn horror. When his films start to develop patterns of tonal similarities, viewers can't help but wonder if the stories are intertwined and take place in the same timeline. Eggers has been asked about the connectivity between The Witch and The Lighthouse since the latter's release in 2019.

Both movies are described as New England folk tales taking place in the same region, but the events of The Witch happen in the 1630s, while The Lighthouse's real-life-inspired story occurs more than 200 years later, in the 1890s. Just because they are regionally similar doesn't mean they have to co-exist in the same universe, but there are transitional clues from one movie to the next that could potentially suggest a singular timeline. Additionally, both films' themes, historically accurate dialects, and focus on American mythology suggest a natural flow between them.

The Theory That The Witch & The Lighthouse Are Connected Explained

It Was Theorized That The Northman Would Be The Third Film

Realizing the films seem to flow into one another seamlessly when watching them back-to-back, some in the horror community have theorized that The Lighthouse takes place after the events of The Witch. The theory not only comes from films' parallels but also from how they reflect on one another. Many see the movies as opposites that fill in each other's negative space, even visually, as The Witch shows the story's horror in full color, while The Lighthouse opts for black-and-white. Both films also look at many of the same themes from opposite angles.

The theory made the rounds before Eggers released The Northman and announced his work on his new version of Nosferatu. Even sites like Medium were suggesting that The Northman was probably going to be part of a connected New England folklore-inspired trilogy. The theories died down once The Northman was seen to be an epic Nordic fantasy film, but there are still rumors that Eggers will connect The Witch and The Lighthouse more overtly with a third movie at some point.

There Are Many Similarities Between Robert Eggers' 2 Horror Movies

Religious Themes, Mythological and Supernatural Forces, and Transitional Dialect

Aside from their obvious locale connection, there are a number of similarities between The Witch and The Lighthouse that tie them together. Some larger connections are their tonal and thematic similarities regarding religious and sexual oppression, Puritan lifestyles, and whether God and the devil exist and how they affect the mythological or supernatural forces at work. Both films have main characters who invoke the names of particular gods in relation to the events.

The films' natural transition of dialect for their time periods suggests a possible shared timeline as well. The Witch's dialect comes from a variation of the traditional Yorkshire accent that early New England settlers used and then continues to follow the historical accuracy in The Lighthouse with the northeastern coastal dialect that evolved from it. According to New England Folklore, both films follow themes of loneliness in their main characters, brought on by their religious obligations and fear of judgment, even to the point (in The Witch's case), of being cast out.

Robert Eggers Confirmed The Witch & The Lighthouse Are Not In The Same Universe

Eggers Sees Them As "Companion Pieces," Not Connected

Unfortunately for those who have theorized the connection between The Witch and The Lighthouse, Robert Eggers has gone on record saying that the films are not connected and not part of any "Eggers-verse" that would conclude in a trilogy. In an interview with Bloody Disgusting, Eggers reiterated that while they weren't in the same universe, both films fit in well together and would make a great double feature. About the prospect of being intertwined in the same timeline, Eggers said in the interview:

"It’s not like I’m trying to make a ‘Robert Eggers Cinematic Universe’, where there’ll [be] a third New England horror-adjacent folk tale where the ghosts of Thomasin the Witch teams up with the One-Eyed Seagull to harass a nice couple who starts a B&B somewhere in New England in contemporary days.

But yeah, both films are me trying to commune with folk culture of my past and are me and my brother’s take on New England folk tales. So they’re certainly companion pieces."

It's always fun to pick up on the thematic similarities and links between two movies, especially from the same director, and try to connect them in the same cinematic universe. However, it's also important to appreciate films on their own. The Witch and The Lighthouse are both brilliant masterpieces individually and should be seen as such, regardless of how well they complement one another or how easily they could transition into each other. If the filmmaker of the movies says they aren't connected in any way, as Robert Eggers has, that should be taken at face value.

Source: Medium, New England Folklore, Bloody Disgusting