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Moria

The Science Fiction Horror and Fantasy Film Review

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Theme: Witch Persecutions

Witch Persecutions refer to the historical persecutions of witches that occurred in the 17th Century across Europe and the USA where women were accused of being witches and placed on trial based on highly dubious evidence. It is claimed that anything up to 10 million witches were killed but given that Europe did not have a population that exceeded 60 million during this period, this seems unlikely and historians estimate a more probable figure of 50,000-100,000.

It is important to differentiate between the witches who persecuted historically and screen depictions of Witches who have magical abilities and exist in the realm of fantasy or horror. While many screen portrayals of witches are certainly evil, there is zero evidence that the women executed historically had any actual abilities or powers.

There was a spate of witch persecution films in the early 1970s following the success of Matthew Hopkins – Witchfinder General (1968), which was based on a real-life character. Many that followed were exploitation films that place an emphasis on sadism and the torture of the witches.

There are also a number of other horror films about witches being resurrected or exerting Supernatural Retribution from beyond the grave.


Black Death (2010)

20 February 20111 January 2022

Rating: ★★★★

Mediaeval Journey to a Village of Witches

Director: Christopher Smith
Actors: Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, John Lynch, Carice Van Houten, …
Category: Horror

The Black Spider (2022)

6 August 2023

Rating: ★★★½

Pact with the Devil/Mediaeval Fantasy

Director: Markus Fischer
Actors: Lilith Stangenberg, Ronald Zehrfeld, Nurit Hirschfeld, Martin Blülle, …
Category: Fantasy

Black Sunday (1960)

9 August 200014 October 2022

Rating: ★★★★

Italian Gothic/Revived Witch’s Revenge

Director: Mario Bava
Actors: Barbara Steele, John Richardson, Arturo Dominici
Category: Horror

Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971)

3 May 200010 February 2020

Rating: ★★

17th Century Devil Worship

Director: Piers Haggard
Actors: Patrick Wymark, Linda Hayden, Barry Andrews, Wendy Padbury, …
Category: Horror

Blood Orgy of the She-Devils (1972)

3 September 200519 June 2021

Rating: ★

Occultism and Witchcraft

Director: Ted V. Mikels
Category: Horror

City of the Dead (1959)

25 August 200221 April 2020

Rating: ★★★

Town of Occultists/Reincarnated Witch

Director: John Llewellyn Moxey
Actors: Christopher Lee, Patricia Jessel, Betta St John, Valentine Dyall
Category: Horror

The Coming (1981)

9 May 20017 May 2020

Rating: ½

Possession by a Salem Witch

Director: Bert I. Gordon
Actors: Susan Swift, Guy Stockwell, Tisha Sterling, Beverly Ross, …
Category: Horror

Crowhaven Farm (1970)

8 March 200824 May 2020

Rating: ★★

Occult Conspiracy

Director: Walter Grauman
Actors: Hope Lange, Paul Burke, Lloyd Bochner, Cindy Eilbacher, …
Category: Horror

Cry of the Banshee (1970)

9 August 200323 March 2023

Rating: ★

Mysterious Stranger/Witch’s Retribution

Director: Gordon Hessler
Actors: Vincent Price, Patrick Mower, Essy Persson, Hugh Griffith, …
Category: Horror

Day of Wrath (1943)

2 July 200527 June 2020

Rating: ★★★★

Witchcraft/Psychological Ambiguity

Director: Carl Dreyer
Category: Fantasy

The Demons (1972)

9 April 201528 February 2021

Rating: ★★

Witch Persecutions/Witch’s Retribution

Director: Jess Franco
Actors: Anne Libert, Britt Nichols, Alberto Dalbes, Howard Vernon, …
Category: Horror

The Devils (1971)

9 May 20017 March 2021

Rating: ★★★★

Historical Witch Persecution

Director: Ken Russell
Actors: Oliver Reed, Vanessa Redgrave, Gemma Jones, Dudley Sutton, …
Category: Horror

Fear Street 1666 (2021)

31 July 202117 September 2021

Rating: ★★

Witch Persecution/R.L. Stine Adaptation

Director: Leigh Janiak
Actors: Kiana Madeira, Ashley Zukerman, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr, …
Category: Horror

Good Omens (2019)

14 June 20194 September 2022

Rating: ★★½

Biblical End Times/Antichrist Comedy

Director: Douglas Mackinnon
Actors: Michael Sheen, David Tennant, Sam Taylor Buck, Jack Whitehall, …
Category: Fantasy

Häxan (1922)

3 November 200628 April 2023

Rating: ★★★½

Satanism and Witchcraft Documentary

Director: Benjamin Christensen
Category: Horror

Hellbender (2021)

10 April 202210 April 2022

Rating: ★★★

Modern Witches

Director: John Adams, Zelda Adams, Toby Poser
Actors: Zelda Adams, Toby Poser, Lulu Adams, John Adams, …
Category: Horror

Hocus Pocus (1993)

25 November 200027 October 2022

Rating: ★

Revived Witches/Disney Film

Director: Kenny Ortega
Actors: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, …
Category: Fantasy

Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)

31 October 202218 January 2023

Rating: ★½

Revived Witches/Disney Film

Director: Anne Fletcher
Actors: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Whitney Peak, …
Category: Fantasy

The Lords of Salem (2012)

27 May 201326 May 2020

Rating: ★★

Occult Happenings/Witch’s Curse

Director: Rob Zombie
Actors: Sheri Moon Zombie, Bruce Davison, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Judy Geeson, …
Category: Horror

Mark of the Devil (1970)

12 January 201217 February 2021

Rating: ★★½

Historical Witch Persecutions and Tortures

Director: Michael Armstrong
Actors: Herbert Lom, Udo Kier, Reggie Nalder, Gaby Fuchs
Category: Horror

Matthew Hopkins – Witchfinder General (1968)

5 December 199915 April 2022

Rating: ★★★½

Historical Witch Persecutions

Director: Michael Reeves
Actors: Vincent Price, Ian Ogilvy, Hilary Dwyer, Rupert Davies, …
Category: Horror

ParaNorman (2012)

16 August 201211 November 2021

Rating: ★★★

Stop-Motion Animated Children’s Film/Kid Sees Dead People

Director: Chris Butler, Sam Fell
Actors: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, …
Category: Horror

The Pit and the Pendulum (1991)

5 September 201217 July 2022

Rating: ★★

Edgar Allan Poe Adaptation/Inquisition Horrors

Director: Stuart Gordon
Actors: Lance Henriksen, Rona De Ricci, Jonathan Fuller, Frances Bay, …
Category: Horror

The Reckoning (2020)

7 March 20215 June 2023

Rating: ★

Witch Persecutions

Director: Neil Marshall
Actors: Charlotte Kirk, Sean Pertwee, Steve Waddington, Joe Anderson, …
Category: Horror

Revenge of the Blood Beast (1965)

26 July 20127 March 2019

Rating: ★

Resurrected Witch

Director: Michael Reeves
Actors: Barbara Steele, Ian Ogilvy, John Karlsen, Mel Welles, …
Category: Horror

Twins of Evil (1971)

12 April 200320 December 2021

Rating: ★★★

Vampire Twins/Hammer Film

Director: John Hough
Actors: Peter Cushing, Madeline Collinson, Mary Collinson, Damien Thomas, …
Category: Horror

The Unholy (2021)

10 September 202117 May 2023

Rating: ★★

Sinisterly Ambiguous Miracleworker

Director: Evan Spiliotopoulos
Actors: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, William Sadler, Katie Aselton, Cary Elwes, …
Category: Horror

You Won’t Be Alone (2022)

26 March 20239 April 2023

Rating: ★★★★

Folk Horror/Body Hopping Witch

Director: Goran Stolevski
Actors: Noomi Rapace, Anamaria Marinca, Alice Englert, Sara Klimoska, …
Category: Fantasy, Horror

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