The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present Cover
Podcast Mentions

The Witch A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present

Ronald Hutton

Why have societies all across the world feared witchcraft? This book delves deeply into its context, beliefs, and origins in Europe’s history The witch came to prominence—and often a painful death—in early modern Europe, yet her origins are much more geographically diverse and historically deep. In...

Podcasts 1
Quotes 3
Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend

The Witch was mentioned as an example of a film that builds tension through atmosphere and subtle cues rather than explicit gore, which was a technique that Conan O'Brien found particularly effective.

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I've noticed something that I was watching the movie that came out a number of years ago, The Witch and it's, is it Eggers who made that film?

— Episode: Jordan Peele

Episode: Jordan Peele

The Witch was mentioned as an example of a film that builds tension through atmosphere and subtle cues rather than explicit gore, which was a technique that Conan O'Brien found particularly effective.

"

I've noticed something that I was watching the movie that came out a number of years ago, The Witch and it's, is it Eggers who made that film?

Episode: Jordan Peele

It was mentioned as a film that creates an eerie environment and can be scary even without excessive gore or violence; the example used was the rustling tree line.

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I've noticed something that I was watching the movie that came out a number of years ago, The Witch. And it's, is it Eggers who made that film?

And I noticed that there was one thing that to me, I love a movie that creates such an eerie environment. Things that aren't otherwise scary are frightening to me. So there's one shot early in The Witch which just shows a bunch of, it's a tree line. It's just a tree line and the wind's moving through it. It's a New England tree line and the wind's moving through it and the leaves are rustling and it stays on that shot and there's the music. And I remembered feeling like the hair on the back of my neck standing up.

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