Ms_Hellfire asked this question on 3/10/2000:

I would like to ask what everyone thinks about some of the new TV shows and movies that feature "witches" and such. I like the show "Charmed" because it doesn't glorify the craft, and because it sticks pretty closely to the truth...for the most part. Please give me your feedback. Blessed Be

minerva gave this response on 3/11/2000:

The importance of "Charmed" is that it makes the distinction between "good" and "bad" witches, breaking the stereotype about witches being "evil". That show and "Practical Magic" (to a certain extent) are the closest that the media has come to reality. However, there was an episode of the Sci-Fi series "First Wave" which displays witchcraft almost exactly as it is practiced, and that has been my all-time favorite so far. And of course, who can forget the much younger Fairuza Balk in "The Worst Witch" (with Tim Curry and Charlotte Rae).

"The Craft", unfortunately, started out well but went downhill pretty fast. They had a good idea in having Pat Devin (from Covenant of the Goddess) as technical consultant on witchcraft for the movie. But then then most of the ideas she submitted were not used. For example, there was a healing chant (that would have been used to cure "Bonnie"), which according to the pre-premiere reviews, would appear on the film. It didn't. And the lessons that people needed to learn about the Craft (the reality, as opposed to the stereotypes portrayed in the rest of the characters) was portrayed in Lirio (the shopkeeper), a character who was sadly downplayed and outshined by the main characters. Also, the movie did a disservice to groups and covens in my area because after all the media frenzy they started getting all sorts of crazy people asking to be taught to cast curses.

Still, having said all that, as a horror and suspense movie, I found it very enjoyable and do own a copy of it. However, for educational purposes I'd turn to videos made by the Farrars, or A&E, and other documentaries, then maybe to talk shows on the subject. For entertainment, I'd start with "Charmed" and "Practical Magic" and even "The Worst Witch", although "The Craft" would be somewhere in there.

[Having seen the movie with subtitles, I can tell you that the deity mentioned in "The Craft" is actually Manon, and you will notice it in the pronunciation if you listen closely. There is a slightly French-like inflection in the way they say the name (rounding out the O and not pronouncing the final N), because Manon is a French name. In fact, it's a female name, but I've yet to find any Goddess with that name in any mythological pantheon...]

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