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A Look At the Afflictions of ‘The Witch’

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“Speak of the Devil and he is bound to appear.” – Proverb

While the 17th century Enlightenment brought about a wave of reason in European politics and religion, those Puritan riffraff over in New England still saw the Devil prowling in every dark corner of the room. Providential messages appeared to them everywhere. Got a toothache? You’re not praying hard enough, pal. Did you dream about your neighbor? Then she’s most certainly a witch. The neighbor’s pig that wandered onto your land isn’t just a pig. In their world consumed with prayer and chores, everything had meaning and that meaning was usually the Devil.

Set against this backdrop of sinful causality is writer-director Robert Eggers’ richly detailed debut film The Witch. Set decades before New England was seized by full-blown witch hysteria, Eggers’ film traces one family’s descent into bewitched paranoia and madness. Adding to the authenticity of the film’s design and language is the laundry list of occult imagery and afflictions ripped straight from historical accounts. Animal familiars, human-animal suckling, the Devil’s book, the man in black, inability to remember prayers – it’s all there in beautiful detail that adds so much terrifying weight to the film. These are all actual things colonialists claim to have seen/experienced. It’s recorded history. That may be the scariest aspect of the entire film.

Since we can’t seem to get enough of this film, I thought it’d be fun to look closer at some of these historical afflictions as they relate to the film.

Massive SPOILERS for The Witch follow.

The Man in Black, His Book, and His Cheap Ass Gifts

Devil's Book

Near the end of the film, Thomasin has a little sit down with Black Phillip, who speaks to her in a disturbingly seductive voice – offering her butter, clothes, and a trip to foreign lands. Enough booty to sell one’s soul for back then, no doubt. All she has to do is sign his book.

This book shows up frequently in accounts of witches and their pact with the Devil. Puritan minister Cotton Mather wrote of afflicted 15-year-old servant girl Mercy Short in 1692, “The devil showed her his book, which was ‘somewhat long and thick’…and filled not only with the names and marks, but also with the explicit…covenants.”

During the trials, many were accused of signing this book and many accusers stated that when tempted with the book, they saw the names of others inside its pages. This was a simple way to accuse somebody else.

In contrast to the gaudy fancy-pants living in England, Puritans dress was as simple as could be. So it wasn’t odd for the Devil to offer them swankier clothes (gold buckles, frilly swag, etc.). Continuing to write about Mercy Short, Mather stated the Devil showed her “very splendid garments…and many more conveniences.” Just a little fashion show between the Devil and a servant girl.

And yes, there are accounts of the Devil offering people butter in exchange for their souls. What a cheap bastard. One account I found dates back to Kalisz, Poland in 1613. Next time you’re picking up that tub of Country Crock in the grocery store, remember, people had to sell their soul for that stuff back in the day.

As the scene continues, Black Phillip transforms into a human dressed up for goth night. Before the 16th century, the Devil was typically depicted as an animal or some kind of hybrid. Y’know the deal: bipedal guy with horns, pointed tail, cloven hooves. A real Dr. Moreau reject. Gradually the Devil became perceived as more human-like and oftentimes dressed in black. During the Salem witch trials of 1692, accusers referred to the Devil as the “black man” – not referring to the color of his skin (although sometimes he appeared as a Native American), but to his dress.

“Thus the people of Salem in New-England pretended to be bewitched, and that a black man tormented them by the instigation of such and such, whom they resolved to bring to the gallows.” – Daniel Defoe’s Political History of the Devil (1726)

“Sucked by Imps”

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The Witch has its share of animal familiars: the hare, the crow, and Black Phillip. In the chilling scene where Katherine is visited by the specters of Caleb and her baby in the night, she nestles the babe to her breast. This cuts to the crow familiar having a go at her teat – leaving her with a bloody breast in the morning.

The European mythology of animal familiars goes back centuries and trickled over to the colonies with the Puritans. Familiars are magical aides, sent by Satan, in the form of animals that assist witches in their nasty deeds. The most popular example is a cat, which lead to the widespread association with black cats and witches. In exchange, the familiars got to suckle blood from the witch, usually from an unnatural teat that would become damning evidence if discovered on one’s body. As legal proof used to convict several witches, the teat became known as one of the “witch’s marks.”

The teat could be your typical nipple, but sometimes was found in odd places, like in between two fingers or even on a leg, which is where Eunice “Goody” Cole, the only woman convicted of witchcraft in New Hampshire, was said to have one:

“A place in her leg which was provable where she had been sucked by imps…the second testifieth that they heard the whining of puppies or such like under her coats as though she had a desire to suck.”

This nourishing of a familiar wasn’t just for the ladies. John Willard, one of the five men executed in Salem, was said to have done so by one of his accusers:

“I saw this Willard suckle the apparition of two black pigs on his breasts.”

The Lord’s Prayer: Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t

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To me, the most disturbing scene in The Witch is Caleb’s death. Not only does little Harvey Scrimshaw deliver an incredibly unnerving performance as he calls out to Jesus and laughs himself into death, but this is also the moment where the family full on turns against one another and spiral into madness.

It’s sparked by twins Mercy and Jonas, who accuse Thomasin of being a witch. In disbelief, William commands his family to pray. The rub is, the twins can’t remember the Lord’s Prayer – something a Puritan knows backwards and forwards. Their excuse for forgetting this staple prayer? Thomasin has bewitched them, of course.

Demanding that the accused recite the Lord’s Prayer word-for-word was a popular tactic during the witch trials. It was believed that witches were not able to speak it, and that if they were unable to or flubbed it in the least bit, it was because they were in league with the Devil. Like the teat and witch’s mark, this was conclusive evidence among authorities. Under such duress – recite perfectly or die – many simply could not handle the pressure.

However, being able to recite the prayer didn’t always work out in one’s favor. During the Salem trials, accused witch and former pastor George Burroughs recited it verbatim while standing up on Gallows Hill. An impossible feat for a witch. He was also said to deliver a plea for his innocence that drew tears from many who attended his execution. After he was killed, it was Cotton Mather who comforted the crowd, stating that, “the devil has often been transformed into an Angel of Light.” Meaning, Burroughs was only able to recite the Lord’s Prayer because of the Devil’s trickery. Hang him high.

If you dig this subject, here’s some suggested reading. And if you read all these books, the Devil will bring you butter, I swear…

A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience by Dr. Emerson W. Baker. (I’m a bit biased here since Dr. Baker was a professor of mine at Salem State University)

A Delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials by Frances Hill

The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff

Patrick writes stuff about stuff for Bloody and Collider. His fiction has appeared in ThugLit, Shotgun Honey, Flash Fiction Magazine, and your mother's will. He'll have a ginger ale, thanks.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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