TV
Did the “Salem” Witches Spread the Plague?
A new video featurette introduces the idea that the witches of “Salem” may have been the reason for the black plague and smallpox that wiped out millions of people.
“Salem”, a bold re-imagination of the infamous 17th-century witch trials, returns for season two at the dawn of a Witch War. As the disease and devastation unleashed by a deadly supernatural ritual spread through the war-torn village, Salem’s most powerful witch, Mary Sibley, must face off against adversaries old and new who are vying for her throne.
“Salem” is a gripping one-hour drama that boldly re-imagines the infamous 17th century witch trials in colonial Massachusetts. The series stars Janet Montgomery, Shane West (“Nikita,” “ER”), Seth Gabel (“Arrow,” “Fringe”), Ashley Madekwe, Tamzin Merchant (“Jane Eyre”), Elise Eberle (“The Astronaut Farmer”) and Iddo Goldberg (“Mob City”).
Lucy Lawless (“Xena: Warrior Princess”, “Spartacus”) and Stuart Townsend (“Betrayal,” “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”) joined the series for season two. Lawless joins the cast as “Countess Marburg,” one of the last remaining survivors of the legendary line of ancient German witches and Townsend portrays English aristocrat “Samuel Wainwright” – a doctor looking to uncover the secrets of “Salem” and keep his own from those who would seek to discover them.
“Salem” returns Sunday, April 5 at 10pm ET/9pm CT.
Best known to horror fans for playing Rupert Giles in 121 episodes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” actor Anthony Head (aka Anthony Stewart Head) has passed away at 72 years old.
Daughters Emily and Daisy Head said in a statement to the BBC that their father “passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family.”
Their statement continues, “It has been, and forever will be, an honour and a privilege to be his daughters, and to have witnessed firsthand the impact both he and his work have had on so many. We know how dearly he will be missed by friends, colleagues, and fans of the shows he was in — he loved his job very much, and he always considered himself incredibly lucky, to have been able to work alongside such exceptionally talented people, in such wonderful productions, across a career that spanned several decades.”
Anthony Head more recently played Rupert Mannion in 18 episodes of “Ted Lasso,” with the English actor’s film and television credits dating back to 1978. On the horror front, Anthony Head starred in Darren Bousman’s Repo! The Genetic Opera, as well as 2011’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Let the Wrong One In, “Warehouse 13,” and “The Canterville Ghost.”
Also of note here in the world of horror, Anthony Head once played Dr. Frank-N-Furter in a London stage production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show back in the 1990s.
Outside the horror world, Anthony Head’s film and television credits well exceed 100 different productions and include “Highlander,” “NYPD Blue,” “Silent Witness,” “Doctor Who,” And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself, “Little Britain,” The Magic Door, “Sensitive Skin,” Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, “Free Agents,” The Iron Lady, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, “You, Me & Them,” “Dominion,” A Street Cat Named Bob, and Batman: Gotham by Gaslight.
“Buffy” actor James Marsters writes on Instagram, “There’s a hole in the World. Anthony Head has passed on from us. He was an unflaggingly kind and steady presence on the set of Buffy, and the best actor in the cast. He was the best of us. I was lucky to have known, and learned from him. He left the world a better place for his presence. Thank you Tony for all you gave.”
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