Showing posts with label Witches. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Witches. Show all posts

Friday, September 14, 2018

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has a trailer now just in time for Halloween

The new trailer for the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is now out, and as expected, this Netflix series is based upon Sabrina Spellman, a teenager turned 16 who now must decide whether to sign the Devil's book and become a Bride of Satan. It comes out in late October (the timing is perfect for Halloween). It's also in the same universe as Riverdale, which airs (in America) on the CW, but I guess everywhere else is branded as a "Netflix Original." As a note, I think this is odd, but whatever.... And yeah, I'm in the boat that hopes Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina do crossovers. These characters need to interact.

I'm also going to take the time to make a point about witchcraft, not that I'm an expert or anything. But exposure to people that call themselves "witches" because I have friends that practice polyamory (more than one love) over here in Utah (I am not one), I've been exposed to my fair share of tarot-reading, astrology-spewing, and crystal purifying women. I have been educated on "witch" versus "wiccan" and that many people get it wrong. So to your delight, I'm going to pass on what is said to me...to you.

Witches are fictional characters imbued with magic powers that are often associated with demonic or otherwise forbidden powers. They are found in the myths, legends, and fiction of countless cultures across the globe.

Wiccans are real life practitioners of religion created in the middle of the 20th century. Inspired by European paganism, this religion is definitely Western, and its found especially in Britain and in North America. They perform rituals and even sometimes claim to be able to cast spells, but their powers are no more a proven fact than that of any Christian faith healer (which is to mean zero or zip).

Witches and Wiccans are NOT the same thing, and a show depicting witches is not an attack against or a representation of Wiccans. Yes, Wiccans like to call themselves "witches," but that claim does not retroactively make every story ever written about witches to be about Wiccans. Witches as a concept are independent from Wicca.

And honestly, I have no idea why they do call themselves witches other than to elicit a kind of "edgy" (read as unique) factor similar to putting on black and eyeliner and going to a goth club. It's even better if you can get people to sympathize with your persecution while you clamor for universal acceptance for all.

So there you have it...consider yourself educated :)

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Zombies with flesh falling from their ancient bones assaulting an old New Orleans mansion filled with witches is just plain awesome.

In glorious Halloween fashion, American Horror Story: Coven unveiled its best episode yet last night, and it truly makes me want to write a story about wicked witches. This season has been great. For those of you who don't know, American Horror Story starts and finishes a story arc within each season. They reuse the actors and actresses from the prior season, but the stories are completely unrelated. The first season was a haunted house set in the present. The second season was an asylum set in the 1960's. And the third is in New Orleans at an academy for young witches.

In Coven, New Orleans has been divided in half between two witch clans much like gangs would work out territorial boundaries among themselves in modern day Los Angeles. The "colored" witches as they are referred to in the show follow Marie Lavaeu who we now know is capable of granting immortality, eternal youth, and has the power to raise an army of zombies. She's essentially two-hundred (or more) years old and signed a truce with the former "Supreme" of the other witch clan so that they'd stop warring with each other.
Jessica Lange plays Fiona "the Supreme" in American Horror Story: Coven
The other clan of witches has a council, is mostly made up of white folks, and is led by a witch (the Supreme) who manifests an incredible amount of powers. Jessica Lange fulfills this role quite nicely and honestly she still gets the best lines. The one that caught my ear last night happened while she dressed in front of a mirror for Halloween and finished by donning a pointy black hat and said, ""Tonight I'm going to let the whole world in and get a good look at me. Who's the baddest witch in town?"
The council of witches. They've come to New Orleans to bring Fiona to justice. It's gonna get interesting.
I really like where this season is going. It looks like there's a war brewing between witch clans as the truce worked out between Marie Laveau and the former "Supreme" has been shattered by Fiona. I expect the fireworks to be impressive because Fiona seems to wield the more "in your face" powers like powerful telekinesis and the ability to manipulate fire while the Voodoo clan of witches has the power to create monsters. And lets face it, no horror story is good without some monsters. And zombies with flesh falling from their ancient bones assaulting an old New Orleans mansion filled with witches is just plain awesome.

I can't wait for next week and it actually makes me excited to know that the show creator, Ryan Murphy, is pushing to make this season spinoff into its own series. It's easily, the best one yet. So yeah, witches rule. But you women out there probably already knew that.

Advertisement 1