Ever since 1922’s Haxan, depictions of pagan practices and witchcraft have been part of cinema, and particularly, of horror cinema. But do such depictions have more to do with dominant impressions of witchcraft than with witchcraft itself?
In the first of a two-part exploration, Kirsty, who knows a thing or two about her subject, guides Stella and Dan on a journey into the history of the witch as a historical reality, as a cinematic fixture (with a spoiler-filled discussion of Robert Eggers’ The Witch, 2015, in particular) and as an often-misunderstood part of contemporary culture.
It’s a bumper-length episode and we hope you’ll find it satisfyingly in-depth. Next time, we’re expanding the conversation to include more general portrayals of paganism in horror.
Relevant links and availability:
The Witch (2015) can be is available for rental streaming from Amazon or YouTube and is available on DVD
Suspiria (1978 and 2018 versions) are available on Amazon Prime or on DVD and Blu-Ray
Go to the Frightfest website to find details about this year’s digital festival
What We Do In The Shadows is available on YouTube (2005 short film), Amazon Prime (2014 feature film) and BBC iPlayer (TV series)
Good Bad Flicks’ episode about Galaxy of Terror can be found on YouTube (the film itself is on Netflix)
Slenderman is on Netflix and Marble Hornets is on YouTube
Channel Zero is available on Amazon Prime with a Starzplay free trial or subscription
Prevenge is available on Amazon Prime
