How Much Does ‘The Witch’ Get Right About Real Witchcraft?

 

In January, scholars finally discerned the precise spot in Salem, Massachusetts where 14 women, five men, and several dogs were executed for witchcraft in 1692: it is now a Walgreens. A mile and a half away and 324 years later, CinemaSalem hosted a preview screening of Robert Eggers’ “The Witch,” which resurrects the paranoia of that infamous era.

As several real-life witchcraft and Salem experts — including Emerson “Tad” Baker, Brunonia Barry, and Richard Trask — have attested, the film features a strikingly authentic depiction of 17th century puritanism, from the bow-sawed lumber used to build the sets (no fancy circular saws here) to the hand-stitched wool clothes, ripped-from-the-1630s-headlines dialogue, and depiction of familial disintegration. If the devil is in the details, then “The Witch” exists in a special circle of Hell.

Source:  Indiewire