AllMovie

This film is part of a three-volume series on the occult. This episode focuses on witchcraft, which has been practiced all over the world, from ancient times to the present. A pagan religion associated with devotion to nature and the healing arts, witchcraft was the subject of much persecution from the Christian church. Thousands of witches were tortured, burned, or hanged during the Spanish Inquisition, reaching its height between 1580 and 1660. In America, the most famous case of the persecution of witches was at the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, which resulted in the death of twenty young women. The practice of Wicca has experienced a resurgence of popularity in the 20th century. The film surveys world practices in its study of witchcraft, using films, photographs, art, re-enactments, diaries, and commentary to tell the story.