DVD Review – Witchcraft: The Magick Rituals of the Coven

Title: Witchcraft: The Magick Rituals of the Coven (DVD)
Genre: Witchcraft, Occult, History
Production Company: Reality Films

From its title, Witchcraft: The Magick Rituals of the Coven, you might expect this DVD to outline esoteric methods of the Craft. Sort of a how-to for aspiring witches. And from the front cover art, you might brace yourself for some ominous characters advocating something that, well, wouldn’t be for everyone.

But this video really has none of that. Instead, Karen Frandsen from Eerie Investigations interviews a well-known pagan witch and author, Jeanette Ellis.

As in other interviews (see here and here), Frandsen’s laid back interviewing style pretty much lets Ellis’ expertise flow freely. Indeed, Ellis proves to be a font of knowledge concerning witchcraft, past and present.

Topics covered in this DVD include the history of witchcraft and its predecessor, magic, which Ellis rightly says spans back to most, if not all, ancient cultures. The ugly dynamic of scapegoating, along with the efficacy and politics of herbal remedies (and some controversial herbal procedures) are discussed. This segment on herbals delves into the age old struggle between priestly control and female power.

Interesting asides are made about seers and magicians like Nostradamus, John Dee, Edward Kelley and Aleister Crowley. In addition, the use of black mirrors, wands, broomsticks, cauldrons and the mandrake plant are explained, as are the 8 Sabbaths, said to coincide with the agricultural year. Also discussed are the pagan festivals that, historically, cross over onto the Christian calendar. And if that’s not enough, the meaning of the Goddess is brought to light.

Ellis describes her own relationship with the Goddess in terms of a child to a parent. She says she works with, rather than worships, the Goddess. This way of relating with the deity has no room for a personal sense of unworthiness, as we find in many other religions. As for the possibility of a healthy sense of humility before the Creator, the word humility doesn’t come up in the interview. So it’s difficult to say how Ellis would feel about that.

Next, modern witchcraft’s ranking in the UK is touched on. Apparently Paganism is the 7th most popular religion in the UK, according to a census taken around the time of the interview.

So far the interview is upbeat, informative and sprinkled with bits of humor. But it also paints an upsetting portrait of Matthew Hopkins (c. 1620 – 1647), known as a “Witch Finder Generall ” during his horrifically opportunistic career.

For this segment, Frandsen and Ellis move to Mistley Thorn Hotel in Essex. The hotel was rebuilt on the original foundations of a building once owned by Hopkins, and it’s thought by some that he interrogated and tortured so-called witches there. Hopkins is also connected with the dark legacy of England’s James I, whom Ellis calls “witchophobic,” and with good reason.

The DVD appropriately winds down at Hopkins’ grave site. But just before that, Witchcraft asks whether the effects of Hopkins’ travesties really end there. On this point, Ellis suggests that the paranormal aftereffects of his disturbing cruelty can be discerned today within the walls of Mistley Thorn. And we hear of several strange happenings in support of this idea.

Altogether, this well-balanced DVD is firmly grounded in history and chock-full of fascinating lore. Pagans and anyone genuinely interested in the phenomenon of witchcraft will find that its modest production values are more than compensated for by mature, intelligent content.

You might not be dazzled by a lot of slick graphics here. But if you just want to learn from someone who really knows her stuff, this DVD is it.

Extras include a music video featuring Hillbilly Prophet and previews for other Reality Films.

—MC

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