Witches Part 3 - Modern Depictions

Ok, so we've got the historical witches, the cliché of witches, and now we'll see the way people in film and books today see witches.
 
Today, like with most monsters, witches are depicted as both good and evil. It really depends on the genre. If it is Horror, the witch will most likely be evil. If the genre is Fantasy, the witch has a greater chance for being good but not always. But if the witches are on TV they are more likely to be good. Let's start with the classics first...
 
Bewitched, Sabrina the Teen-aged Witch, Wendy the Good Little Witch, Charmed...etc.
And in film Bell, Book, and Candle,  Beautiful Creatures, Harry Potter, Halloweentown, Kiki's Delivery Service, Practical Magic, etc.

These  kinds of shows tend to show the witches trying to blend into regular society as regular folk. They are usually the protagonist, often blonde, though more recently good witches have been shown with brown hair. They live by certain personal codes of conduct, and don't usually declare they are witches to other people. It is a private thing mostly because they know everyone else will misunderstand. Mostly, though, the witchcraft is depicted as something they are born with rather than learned or as a religious practice.

Now, for the evil witches:
The Witches of Eastwick, Hocus Pocus, The Witches, Stardust, The Craft, and there are plenty more.

These kinds of witches show a combination of learned magic and magical gifts. And though some of these witches tend to still hide what they are, in most cases they don't. They are too powerful or they just don't care, taking pleasure in watching others fear and tremble.

Films about witch hunts:
The Blair Witch Project,  Season of the Witch, and Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters, the Crucible, the Covenant,  and there are plenty more.

These take on both the fantasy elements of witch hunting and the historical elements. Most such films are horror, meant to scare.

Here is a site that lists more TV witches.
Here is a site that lists more movie witches.

Most of the films and shows above will almost always mention the Salem Witch trials. But for the record, wicth hunts have taken place all over the world. The next blog will cover those.