The Science of Witchcraft: The Truth Behind Sabrina, Maleficent, Glinda, and More of Your Favorite Fictional Witches

A scientific discovery of witches in fiction--Chilled Adventures of Sabrina, Sleeping Beauty, Wicked and so many more!

Kelly Florence and Meg Hafdahl, authors of The Science of Women in Horror and co-hosts of the Horror Rewind podcast called "the best horror film podcast out there" by Film Daddy, present a guide to the history of witchcraft through the stories and characters we all know and love. Reveal the spellbinding science behind the legends and lore surrounding fiction's most iconic witches, answering such questions as:

• What is the science behind divination and spellcraft?
• When did witchcraft begin to show up in literature and media?
• Has science made it possible to uncover the truth behind the powers of necromancy and employing familiars?
• How has witchcraft been thought of throughout the world?

Through interviews, film and literary analysis, and bone-chilling discoveries, join Kelly and Meg as they learn about the complicated and rich science of witchcraft throughout the centuries and discover why now is the season of the witch!

ISBN-13: 9781510767188

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Skyhorse

Publication Date: 09-06-2022

Pages: 216

Product Dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

Series: The Science of

Meg Hafdahl is a writer and co-host of the Horror Rewind podcast. Her female-driven horror fiction has been produced for audio by The Wicked Library. She is the author of Her Dark Inheritance, Daughters of Darkness, and the short story series Twisted Reveries. Meg lives in Minnesota with her husband, two young sons, and a menagerie of pets. Kelly Florence is a teacher, a mother, and a horror film lover. She is passionate about female representation in all media and particularly in the horror genre. Kelly teaches at Lake Superior College in Duluth, Minnesota, and produces and co-hosts Horror Rewind.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

Section 1 The Origins 1

Chapter 1 The Wizard of Oz 3

Chapter 2 Sleepy Hollow 10

Chapter 3 Season of the Witch 18

Section 2 Witch as Other 23

Chapter 4 We Have Always Lived in the Castle 25

Chapter 5 Black Sunday 34

Chapter 6 The Manor 41

Chapter 7 Eve's Bayou 48

Section 3 Fairy Tales 55

Chapter 8 Gretel and Hansel 57

Chapter 9 Maleficent 63

Chapter 10 The Wretched 68

Section 4 Witch as Monster 75

Chapter 11 The Autopsy of Jane Doe 77

Chapter 12 Don't Knock Twice 85

Chapter 13 The Conjuring 92

Section 5 Covens 99

Chapter 14 The Craft 101

Chapter 15 Suspiria 114

Chapter 16 The Witches of Eastwick 121

Chapter 17 Death Becomes Her 128

Section 6 Witches on Television 139

Chapter 18 A Discovery of Witches 141

Chapter 19 Buffy the Vampire Slayer 147

Chapter 20 Chilling Adventures of Sabrina 155

Section 7 Witches in Love 163

Chapter 21 Teen Witch 165

Chapter 22 The Love Witch 170

Chapter 23 Penny Dreadful 179

Conclusion 185

About the Authors 186

Acknowledgments 188

Endnotes 189

Index 200

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