spedd tess

The colonial Williamsburg witch trials were a series of trials conducted in the late 17th century in the town of Williamsburg, Virginia. Unlike the infamous Salem witch trials that occurred around the same time in Massachusetts, the witch trials in Williamsburg did not result in any executions. The trials were sparked by rumors of witchcraft and claims of possession by the Devil. Like the Salem trials, accusations were primarily made against women, who were believed to have made a pact with the Devil and used their supernatural powers to harm others. The proceedings of the trial followed a similar pattern to the Salem trials. Accusers would testify against the accused, claiming that they had witnessed strange occurrences or had been harmed by the accused's supernatural powers.

Anne Hathaway, the unlikely darling of Gen Z, stuns and stupefies as the Grand High Witch. Given the recent trajectory of Hathaway’s career (including The Hustle and Ocean’s 8), her appearance in a comedy fantasy film like The Witches is unsurprising and proves her versatility. Hathaway’s Grand High Witch is both terrifying and inviting. Armed with a heavy Slavic accent and a stomach-churning set of carnivorous teeth, she preys upon children and adults with biting wit and complete disregard for anyone other than herself.

The story is set partly in Norway and partly in England, and features the experiences of a young English boy and his Norwegian grandmother in a world where child-hating societies of witches secretly exist in every country. The witches are ruled by the vicious and powerful Grand High Witch, who arrives in England to organize her plan to turn all of the children there into mice.

Accusers would testify against the accused, claiming that they had witnessed strange occurrences or had been harmed by the accused's supernatural powers. The accused were then interrogated and asked to provide evidence to prove their innocence. During the trials, some of the accused did confess to practicing witchcraft.

‘The Witches’ Evokes Childhood Halloween Nostalgia

With the days darkening and Halloween just around the corner, college students are beginning to settle into their sofas for a slew of spooky classics. Films like The Addams Family, Halloweentown, and Hocus Pocus rank among the top spots of the genre (with special nods to Twitches and The Nightmare Before Christmas, of course), and each movie seems to have its own cult following.

But for those seeking to revisit the thrill of visceral childhood memories of the haunting holiday, the last few years have been abysmal in terms of new releases. That was, until the new Halloween-themed movie The Witches, based on the book by Roald Dahl, hit HBO on October 22.

Directed by visual effects legend Robert Zemeckis, The Witches is a heart-warming yet delightfully spine-chilling venture into the interior of a child’s mind. Set in Alabama in 1968, the film follows the orphaned Hero Boy (Jahzir Kadeem Bruno) and his grandmother’s (Octavia Spencer) run-in with a vicious, children-hating witches coven, led by the wicked “Grand High Witch” (Anne Hathaway) at a swanky New Orleans hotel owned by the particularly neurotic Mr. Stringer (Stanley Tucci).

After the coven transforms Hero Boy into a mouse during an ill-fated stakeout, he and Grandmother, a well-known spiritual healer, band together with two other children-turned-mice to exact revenge on the witches. What ensues is a magical, mischievous plot full of twists and turns enjoyable for not only children and families, but nostalgic college students as well.

Much like Roald Dahl’s 1983 graphic novel on which the movie is based, The Witches is packed to the brim with the same whimsical descriptions and off-beat dialogue that characterize Dahl’s writing. What makes The Witches so enchanting, however, is Zemeckis’ visionary eye for special effects in addition to Dahl’s original story.

During a particularly cute scene, Grandmother describes the ghastly appearance of witches to an astonished Hero Boy during a thunderstorm. As the heavy rain drips down the windowpanes and Hero Boy grows increasingly frightened by Grandmother’s stern warnings about witches’ claws, lightning strikes and the aforementioned claws suddenly flash out of the shadows of the storm. The scene is equal parts marvelous and spectral, much like Hathaway’s turn as the Grand High Witch.

Anne Hathaway, the unlikely darling of Gen Z, stuns and stupefies as the Grand High Witch. Given the recent trajectory of Hathaway’s career (including The Hustle and Ocean’s 8), her appearance in a comedy fantasy film like The Witches is unsurprising and proves her versatility. Hathaway’s Grand High Witch is both terrifying and inviting. Armed with a heavy Slavic accent and a stomach-churning set of carnivorous teeth, she preys upon children and adults with biting wit and complete disregard for anyone other than herself.

Her performance is not a standalone one, however. Hathaway’s dynamic with The Devil Wears Prada costar Tucci is, as expected, unmatched. The two dance around each other like witch and mouse, supplying just the right amount of tension to propel the film forward.

The Witches is a true delight. From Zemeckis’ pitch-perfect directing and striking visual effects to Hathaway’s exquisite performance, it captures the essence of both Dahl’s graphic novel and what it feels like to be a child in the midst of something spooky. The Witches, fanciful and fraught with child-like wonder, is set to be a modern Halloween classic.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

The book was adapted into an unabridged audio reading by Lynn Redgrave, a stage play and a two-part radio dramatization for the BBC, a 1990 film directed by Nicolas Roeg which starred Anjelica Huston and Rowan Atkinson, a 2008 opera by Marcus Paus and Ole Paus, and a 2020 film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Anne Hathaway.

These confessions were often obtained through harsh questioning techniques and even physical torture. However, unlike Salem, no one was sentenced to death as a result of the trials. The trials eventually came to a halt due to lack of evidence and public backlash against the harsh treatment of the accused. Many began to doubt the credibility of the accusers and questioned the reliability of spectral evidence, which was commonly used as proof of witchcraft. The colonial Williamsburg witch trials remain a dark chapter in American history. They serve as a reminder of the power of fear and superstition and the dangers of allowing these to dictate the course of justice. While the trials did not result in loss of life, they left a lasting impact on the community and continue to be studied and remembered to this day..

Reviews for "spedd tess"

spedd tess