So … there’s a couple of new movies out about Witches; Remake of Witches with Anne Hathaway and a Sequel to The Craft. I watched the Sequel to The Craft last night? Anyone else? If so, what’s your thoughts on Hollywood’s depictions of us?
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Interesting topic @John4. I can’t speak directly to “The Craft” I’ll have to check that one out and get back to you.- sigh… OK so I am a huge fan of Roald Dahl and “The Witches” was a guilty pleasure of mine when my kids were little along with others like “Hocus Pocus” or ‘The Witches of Eastwick,’ "Charmed,’ or “Practical Magic”, not to mention the whole Harry Potter series. I loved them. I took the witches depicted in them as themes of deeper discussion, humor or simply fun… I took it all as fantasy, but I get your point. Stereotype depiction of witches is going probably going to distort the opinion of the norm, but it is a gimmick of story telling to have the contrast. IS IT ACCURATE? NO. Does it hurt perceptions and feed expectations -Probably. Witches of fantasy use a heavy hand with the ‘supernatural’ aspect of the craft… and it builds expectations that can be both intimidating and unrealistic. I don’t REALLY anticipate that my candles will suddenly float off my altar or my Book of Shadows will open to the perfect spell guided by my long dead grandmother (well maybe that)… and it has been hard enough to gain acceptance against 2000 years of negative press from the Christian church without the add on of Hollywood’s twisted concepts. UNFORTUNATELY reality doesn’t sell movies. Hollywood can’t help itself… even when they try to do documentaries or docudramas they have to add a little spice to the mix or they would have to pump up the volume to cover the snores from the seats.
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I haven’t seen either but I have heard that the remake of The Witches is getting some flack from the disabled community. Something about making her hands scary and therefore making it look like people with disabilities is scary? Something along those lines.
I just wish that Hollywood would do us one good movie. Just one. Where the Witch is the hero. I know Hallmark has a series called the Good Witch but I haven’t watched it. Maybe I should.
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I forgot about the Good Witch… she is probably the most ‘real’ of the fantasy witches… she doesn’t cast or have altars she just is what she is…she mixes potions and uses herbs intuitively knowing what people need.
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Really? Sounds good then. I don’t usually watch Hallmark, I can’t take all the schmaltz. Hee!
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LOL… well, What can I say… its Hallmarks version of a witch and it does have its sugar coating.
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Oh, this was actually the topic of my most recent YouTube video 
Basically, I’m on the fence about media portrayals of witches. I haven’t watched the new Craft, but I probably will eventually. I liked the original, but not entirely. I don’t think Nancy is the antagonist in that movie and she always gets a lot of crap.
I grew up watching Charmed, so that’s a show that I will always watch over and over again, even if it is sensationalized. Practical Magic is one of my favorites, and I really liked The Good Witch.
You should. I think it is one of the most accurate depictions of secular witchcraft!
I’ll link my video if you all want to watch it
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Great video. @MeganB! I may have to look up Practical Magic, I saw it once long ago but haven’t watched it again since.
I have to say my favorite witch is also my least favorite. At the start, Willow from Buffy tVS was going good and then they gave her that magic addiction and she went downhill. I was really disappointed in her character.
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Adding the Good Witch to my must-watch list! 
I also struggle with this topic and end up shying away from movies that have witches in them. It would be so nice to finally see a movie where pagans are the good guys!
Like Berta said, fear sells. On the other hand, at least there is SOME level of portrayal. I feel those movies can also incite curiosity and attract people to paganism.
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Cry of the Banshee with Vincent Price has the Pagans coming out on top; in the end. I think Gerald Gardner was an inspiration for the movie.
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@john4 I will have to look up “Cry of the Banshee” if you grew up in Ohio it was probably one that ‘Ghoulardi’ or ‘Big Chuck and Little John’ had on late night Friday TV. (Baby sitter favorites!!) Good old Vincent Price…always good for a scare.
@Francisco - kind of on the same topic… I’m sure a lot of us indulge in reading books that feature ‘witches’ as their main characters. I am in love with TJ Green and her White Haven Coven. (Maybe because it takes place in Cornwall) but she seems to do a fair job of anchoring her characters in the reality of their world… even if she sometimes drifts into supernatural themes. In the story line she brings up the witch trials as part of the character’s history. I find that interesting. Again… mindless entertainment… but fun.
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I haven’t watched enough of Buffy to really have a good understanding of Willow’s character, but I can imagine that having an addiction to magic like that wouldn’t be good for character development 
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HEHEHEHehe… @John4. I started to watch “Cry of the Banshee” on Amazon Prime this morning while making breakfast… NOPE it would NOT have been on the Ghoulardi or Big Chuck and Little John shows… I am a PG (14) Kind of girl and this is labeled R…mostly for nudity and sexual themes. I will watch it later tonight and get back to you. It was really graphic in their portrayal of the cruelty of the Church toward pagans in general - lots of mistrust and prejudice… sad…I suspect some of that may have been accurate. I will watch with the hope -as you gave a spoiler alert- that the Pagans may win out in the end of the movie.
UPDATE: OH MY GOODNESS JOHN… wow… I guess ol’ Vincent is going to get what’s coming to him… I like the old guy in the grave yard… laughing about the priest in a pagan graveyard. He seemed the most rational character.
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She started out smartly, working small and learning. Then she got to thinking she was all that and did a spell to bring Angel’s soul back. Which to me has always been gross, the soul was happy in heaven or wherever, and didn’t deserve to be ripped out of heaven. Later on she got into some heavy magic addiction stuff, including a spell to take the other’s memories of her heavy magic usage. It was like watching someone take prescription pain killers and watching them get totally into heroine.
Then later on something bad happens, and she tries to end all life on Earth. After Xander stopped her, she went off for like a 60 day program and came back and tried to play like nothing bad every happened. Left a very bad taste in my mouth.
But that’s just my two cents worth. I’m a big Xander fan too, and didn’t like how they treated him like the doughnut boy just because he didn’t have any powers. I know the show was supposed to be all Girls Are Awesome but that doesn’t mean the normal guy should be kicked around.
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So this plays into a dilemma for me. Accurate versus fantasy? Do you always wear black?
Search images for male witch. Most of them have long hair, chiseled jaws and perfect abs. I don’t mind eye candy for the ladies, but there is this weird idea that male witches all have tattoos and wear eye shadow.
Equally formulaic are the images for female witches. Obviously, I don’t object as much to these… but in order to have any integrity I have to acknowledge the strong goth overtones of the witch images, and of course the sexualized images of women. In that regard I think there is some equality - the images of male witches are not ugly men.
I just wish there were more diversity of style and type in the depiction of witches. I don’t have long hair, a tattoo of a pentacle, and I don’t wear black robes (if you have questions about my abs…use your pendulum). Call me a witch, or a magic man, or whatever label you like - but I don’t have to dress for a part in your drama, because my identity is on the inside.
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At the moment i am into witchy tv series and although it is annoying to see how other people think of us lovely witches, it is sometimes fun to use my imagination and just have some fun… At the moment i am watching the remake of Sabrina and i can tell you it is nothing like the last and is worth watching. Another i just finished is Winx and apparently there is another series coming out.
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Well said, @anon87969570! 
Both the Craft and however you chose to express it are completely up to personal choice. You do you! 
I only watched a few episodes of the new Sabrina (before getting distracted with something else lol) and it was indeed interesting!
I’ve found that overall Hollywood and pop culture depicts witches in all kinds of ways that don’t always agree with me- but I also try to take into account that many of the shows are fantasy. I feel like, oftentimes, the “witches” on TV are meant to be in the same category as fantasy dragons, unicorns, werewolves, etc- that is to say, meant to exist and play a role only with the fantasy world and have no ties to the real world.
That’s certainly not to say these depictions are okay and, by pushing hurtful stereotypes, they can indeed be harmful for real-life witches. But at this point, I try not to get bothered by it unless it feels like the author/director is deliberately picking fun of real-life modern day witches 
Choosing your battles, so-to-say!
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Nicely said. On a personal level yes it is like being made fun of, however to me personally I take it as fantasy as your said. Only down side is other people who may not be witches may perceive us real everyday witches as such…
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Well said! 
Please don’t feel like you have to “fit in” to be a witch or wear a uniform! 
Witchcraft in this day and age should be the complete opposite of that.
It’s funny because just this week there were all these news about Facebook being aware of its harmful effect on teenagers. (And adults too, I would add).
The article linked above discusses body image and unrealistic expectations which were typically pushed by Hollywood and TV, but now it’s the age of social media so there are more outlets to make us feel inadequate.
I think the “male witch aesthetic” most of the time comes down to accessories, or maybe a t-shirt with a pentagram, celtic knots, etc. Personally I think it’s too cliché and I just dress like a normal person 
I carry my beliefs in my words not my clothes.
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Talk about well said!
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