Representation

In my film opening project, I have so many ideas of what group or event I want to represent. The idea of witches, more specifically about the Salem witch trials really interest me. Although they have the stereotype of being crazy or evil, I would love to represent them in a way that is almost normal and yet somewhat creepy. I think this group of people are either underrepresented or simply misrepresented. Despite the doubts of witches being real, I would love to represent them in a parallel universe where it is widely accepted that witches are real.

In the Netflix television show the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, witches and warlocks are represnted as normal people who are either hiding their secret from mortals or entirely live in their own world or society surrounded by themselves. This show does a good and rare job of bringing witches into a bright and humorous life but also making it scary; I appreciate that the level of horror is not missing or fading. The film The Blair Witch Project portrays witches as an evil presence and something to fear, but for valid reasons. We grow up learning about evil spirits through film and religion and this film carries on the narrative of fear. I think it's important to have the element of fear because of the horror but also recognize these figures as normal people.

I understand the current representation of this group and very much enjoy it at times, but only now are we getting horrific figures like witches but also ghosts and monsters, and portraying them like there is almost nothing to fear. The way this group in represented in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a good step in developing the genre of film. On the other hand, The Blair Witch Project is an enjoyable film and causes a lot of fear which I love, but I wish scary figures were more normalized.

In film, I would retain the scary side in witches and keep the audience in fear, but in a good way. I think these figures in horror are very important and almost the backbone of the genre in all, beginning with the infamous Salem witch trials. I would love to challenge the idea of witches being very secondary to the world. I want to try to show their existence in the mortal world with mortals aware of their presence. I think the humans and witches dynamic would be very interesting. There are definitely still elements of horror in witches that will always be scary.