Witches and Womanhood

Lili’s Pick: Witches of Eastwick

Lanie’s Pick: Practical Magic

We’ve finally arrived at October! Halloween is my Christmas and October is the time where witchy bitches like myself are given full permission to drag the spooky schtick out as long as mortally possible. I watch horror movies year round, but watching horror movies during this most sacred and cursed of months is essential. For the entire month of October, we will only be pulling from the vast abyss of scary cinema—exploring as many diverse and terrifying films as we can. Kicking off our month of fright on the first night of October, on the night of the first full moon of this month, were the iconically chic and witchy Witches of Eastwick and Practical Magic. Neither film is particularly scary, but both exhibited the exact flavor of magic that I needed, complete with damn near perfect casts. Witches of Eastwick was less feminist than one would think, considering its leading women: Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Cher, bitch!—but I’m not sure if that was the fault of the writing or the fault of Jack Nicholson’s incredibly smarmy portrayal of the Devil. Or maybe he was just a powerful demon? To be honest I’m not sure who he was supposed to be, but I found it hard to believe these three absolute queens would be weak enough to fall under his spell, let alone have his children. I dunno, that aspect seemed as odd and as farfetched as the premise of Knocked Up. Practical Magic on the other hand, was fun and unexpectedly empowering for a 90s film about two lovelorn witches who just can’t catch a break. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, on the surface, had an unlikely sisterhood, but their instant likability made their love for each other seem incredibly real. It was also the best their hair has ever looked, respectively. As ridiculous as its premise was, the execution of this story of loss and magic had a palpable soul and a believable witch lore, which isn’t always easy to come by. I was impressed by this movie’s ability to warm my chilly little heart, and I desperately wish to see more stories of magic like this one—stories that celebrate the magic within femininity and sisterhood.