This movie was very disappointing as it does nothing but perpetuate false information and promote mob mentality. It is, IMHO, nothing but Christian propaganda, in which women are demonized, while Christian dogma, in the form of a mysterious text written by some alienated monks saves the day. How pathetic. In the movie, a so-called "witch" is possessed by a demon, and she is transported to a remote monastery by "christian soldiers" and "pious priests", where there is a rare text which contains the words that will remove the demon from the so-called "witch." These "christian soldiers" and "pious priests" then save the day by citing scripture in order to save the girl from the demon, with many of them dying in the process. This demon had already recovered all other texts which contained the "all-powerful" verses that could harm him, and this one text was the last one on his "wish list", but I kept wondering, just why this all powerful demon had to use a girl and all the Christian soldiers to get to the monastery in the first place, when all he had to do was spread his wings and fly...too bizarre for words.

 

The movie was not only highly illogical, it made me angry at how they portrayed "witches." I kept thinking that all it did was perpetuate the negative stereotype of "witches", as not many know what being a "witch" really means. Not many people know that witches were in reality medicine women, but in a patriarchal society whose philosophy is based on Christian dogma whether one is Christian or not, it does not surprise me that movie makers focus on the "supernatural" witches, rather than the truth.

 

"Witches", like their sisters the "spinsters" were, in fact, autonomous women, who did not need men to support them, which the church found threatening to their own power structure. Independent women??--not if they had anything to do with it. Due to the influence of the patriarchs, we have become so brainwashed, even the words "witches" and "spinsters" fill our minds with images of ugly women making bent over cauldrons, or lonely women, too hideously ugly to find a mate--but the origin of these negative connotations of women are nothing like we perceive them to be.

 

The "witches" of history are not the evil sorceresses we see in the movies, or read about in fiction novels. The witches were medicine women and healers. Yes, they did have power, but it was the power to heal learned from generations of witches that came before them. They were aware of sterile techniques and herbal medicines, and were able to heal people when nothing else could, which gave them power and respect in their communities. Birthing chairs for example, are nothing new to the witches--they are the ones that used them first.

 

The church, however, was not pleased, so in order to maintain their power structure, they systematically demonized the witches, and turned the tables on them. The witches were then blamed for diseases and deaths during the Black Plague etc., and were no longer given credit for saving lives. They were systematically rounded up, imprisoned, tortured and killed--because they, as women, had the kind power that men felt belonged only to them. Spinsters is another derogatory term that evolved from "spinners of wool" who also did need men to survive, so men demonized them in turn--how pathetic.

 

When men took over the duties of the "witches" they did not know the sterile techniques and herbal remedies that the witches used, which caused many to die needlessly until they finally figured it out. It's high time that witches were recognized for their contributions, rather than being demonized...but if this kind of negative propaganda continues, it won't happens soon enough.