# Movies where hunting/burning witches is actually a good thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 24, 2015, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611 "2015-10-24T12:23:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/1 "2015-10-24T12:23:34Z")
It occurred to me the other day, after seeing a trailer for the latest Vin Diesel movie, that I can only think of two movies where the organized hunting (and killing) of witches was depicted as a good thing—usually, the witchhunt subjects are either completely innocent (at most, they followed a different religious practice); or they _have_ real magical powers, but are harmless or actively benevolent. The only exceptions I can think of being the _Solomon Kane_ movie of a couple of years back, and (I presume) Diesel’s _The Last Witch Hunter_. Anything else that comes to mind—well, doesn’t seem to come down on witches for _being_ witches, per se, just for being _antagonists_. Dororthy Gale had no personal quarrel with the Wicked Witch, and even less with Glinda. But if I figure there have to be at least a few examples of “grr, all witchcraft bad!” cinema out there that I’m not thinking of. Possibly even really sketchy, uncomfortable implications. Y’know, the BEST kind. So…any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/2 "2015-10-24T12:39:08Z")
Monty Python and the Holy Grail? “It’s a fair cop.” ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/3 "2015-10-24T12:57:01Z")
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/4 "2015-10-24T13:01:51Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > The only exceptions I can think of being the _Solomon Kane_ movie of a couple of years back, and (I presume) Diesel’s _The Last Witch Hunter_. I presume you presume wrong; from the trailer, it seems the Witch Hunter reluctantly teams up with a witch who’s looking to combat a threat to the greater good, because, y’know, _that’s_ an easier movie pitch than GRRR KILL ALL WITCHES GRRR. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/5 "2015-10-24T13:26:03Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters Nope. There are white witches, who are do-gooders; one of them was their mom, and another one heals the all-grown-up Hansel and blesses his weapons. ---
**Author:** ![charmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/53a042/32.png) [@charmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/charmstr)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/6 "2015-10-24T14:16:39Z")
Nic Cage’s _Season of the Witch_? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/7 "2015-10-24T14:39:26Z")
The Witches, based on Roald Dahl’s book. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/8 "2015-10-24T14:50:10Z")
How about Hocus Pocus? ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/9 "2015-10-24T15:01:28Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Nope. > > There are white witches, who are do-gooders; one of them was their mom, and another one heals the all-grown-up Hansel and blesses his weapons. But there are bad witches in the movie and it’s considered a good thing to hunt them. Which I think suits the original question. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/10 "2015-10-24T15:03:38Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > But there are bad witches in the movie and it’s considered a good thing to hunt them. Which I think suits the original question. There’s a bad witch in THE WIZARD OF OZ, and it’s a good thing to hunt her, but the original question explicitly ruled that one out while mentioning Glinda. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/11 "2015-10-24T15:15:49Z")
[Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013257/?ref_=tt_rec_tt) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/12 "2015-10-24T15:39:02Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > There are white witches, who are do-gooders; one of them was their mom, and another one heals the all-grown-up Hansel and blesses his weapons. And that’s ALL his weapons - bow-chicka-wow-wow… ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/13 "2015-10-24T15:46:11Z")
Not specifically a movie, but Warhammer 40,000 would otherwise qualify. Tolerance of unsanctioned psykers (witches) destroyed a galaxy-spanning human civilisation, mainly because psykers draw their power from what is basically hell, which makes them vulnerable to daemonic possession and being turned into gateways through which daemons can enter the material world. As a result, the Imperium of Man tracks down all the psykers they can find and either keeps them on a short leash or kills them outright. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/14 "2015-10-24T16:07:49Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > It occurred to me the other day, after seeing a trailer for the latest Vin Diesel movie, that I can only think of two movies where the organized hunting (and killing) of witches was depicted as a good thing—usually, the witchhunt subjects are either completely innocent (at most, they followed a different religious practice); or they _have_ real magical powers, but are harmless or actively benevolent. > > […] > > Anything else that comes to mind—well, doesn’t seem to come down on witches for _being_ witches, per se, just for being _antagonists_. Dororthy Gale had no personal quarrel with the Wicked Witch, and even less with Glinda. So you’re not looking for movies where witch-hunting is depicted as misguided paranoia that results in the deaths of innocent people (which is what witch-hunting actually is in the real world), and you’re not looking for fairy tale style killing of witches who are the villains in the story. Instead you want what, movies where it’s presented as a good thing to kill witches because of _who they are_ regardless of whether they’re actually dangerous or have done anything wrong? I don’t think you’re going to find many examples of that, and for good reason. Even setting aside the pro-genocide implications of such a movie (!), in purely narrative terms it’s not going to be very interesting or satisfying to have the protagonists go around killing people who aren’t their antagonists. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/15 "2015-10-24T16:18:09Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > So you’re not looking for movies where witch-hunting is depicted as misguided paranoia that results in the deaths of innocent people (which is what witch-hunting actually is in the real world), and you’re not looking for fairy tale style killing of witches who are the villains in the story. Instead you want what, movies where it’s presented as a good thing to kill witches because of _who they are_ regardless of whether they’re actually dangerous or have done anything wrong? I don’t think that’s what he’s saying in the OP. He’s looking for movies in which _all_ witches are bad by nature, not some good and some bad. In nearly all zombie movies, zombies are uniformly evil (or at least a threat) and can be killed on sight, regardless of whether they are actively menacing someone. In many movies, all vampires, demons, or other supernatural beings are bad and must be killed. (Of course, there are also movies in which some vampires are good and some bad.) I think it’s probably correct that, unlike many other supernatural threats, most movies with witches include both good ones and bad ones. But given the very real history of persecution of supposed witches, it would be difficult to make a movie in which witch-hunting per se would be regarded as a good thing. On the other hand, since there has never been much of a history of persecution of supposed zombies, they can be hunted and killed at will. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/16 "2015-10-24T16:26:47Z")
Do warlocks count? Because that was what [this](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098622/?ref_=nv_sr_1) franchise was all about. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/17 "2015-10-24T16:26:53Z")
_Warlock_ is about a medieval witch who travels to the future (aka the late eighties) for diabolical purposes, followed by a witch hunter. In that movie, witches by definition are people who have sold their soul to the devil, and are all utterly evil. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/18 "2015-10-24T16:52:13Z")
The Brothers Grimm Black Death ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/19 "2015-10-24T16:55:02Z")
A lot of Disney would qualify here, I suppose: _Snow White_, _Sleeping Beauty_, _Tangled_. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611/20 "2015-10-24T20:04:02Z")
I remember an old movie called “Horror Hotel,” in which the witches and warlocks were evil and immortal, and engaged in human sacrifice. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-where-hunting-burning-witches-is-actually-a-good-thing/735611.md?page=2)