Four modern-day witches unmask the myths of witchery and magic in director Linda Palmer’s documentary Halloween Obsessed: The Misconception of Witches.
Having taken a look at the company behind this documentary, Runaway Productions, I discovered that Halloween Obsessed is a docuseries exploring all facets of Halloween. It focuses on but is not limited to stories about the Paranormal and across the 6 episodes they include things like, exploring the afterlife with Mediums who claim to communicate with souls, visiting haunted places, and looking into the work of paranormal teams and investigators who consider themselves professional. They dive into the sub-genre of Horror with horror fans and obsessives and look at those who make money through Halloween costumes and Décor, as well as checking out some Halloween Weddings where they meet a variety of people who are all connected to Halloween either through their weddings, holidays or lifestyle.
The Misconception of Witches is one of these episodes containing elements of all six. Directed by Linda Palmer, we are introduced to four larger-than-life, yet totally plausible individuals with each one practicing a different version of what is more commonly known as Magic. Rae Davis is the co-owner of Calibers Coffin Company, they deal with Halloween décor but due to her beliefs, she aligns more with witchcraft, so now considers herself a solitary witch. Dalea Faulkner is a fantasy author who calls herself a cottage witch, while Barbara Dolny-Bomnbar has her own pagan name Effquin and was part of a coven before branching out on her own. Our only male member of the quartet is Roger Lockshier, a shamanic practitioner, ordained minister, and ritualist with over 30 years of experience as a nature-centric spiritualist.
In the usual talking heads style, we take it in turns to visit each person who goes on to give us their stories of how they became involved in witchcraft and what the word “witch” means to them. Each interviewee has a unique style and is always engaging, Dalea for example explains to us a cottage witch is just someone who connects more with their own environment, using homegrown herbal and holistic ingredients from natural sources, mainly food and drink, for their spells. Using voice-over narration along with graphics and title cards, different aspects of a witch’s belief system are explained to the audience, opening our eyes to alternative views of reality.
Most of what we hear from our witches is uplifting and positive, but some educational aspects help us to understand the large part religion and politics have played in the development of witchcraft and magic over the centuries. Traditions such as Wiccan and paganism, and words like Warlock, Shaman Pentacles, and pentagrams are explained in simple terms, and although concoctions and spells have their place in every witch’s background, what everything seems to be more about is the type of energy that we disperse across the universe as individuals. Black magic does rear its head in the documentary but it isn’t the main focus and is treated with caution via a chilling story.
Halloween Obsessed: The Misconception Of Witches is a fascinating, well-paced documentary that remains interesting and gripping throughout its 40 minutes run time. It doesn’t matter if you are a sceptic or even a true believer, there is something to take away for everyone in this magical little film.
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