In the early years of the past decade, audiences witnessed a saturation of vampires, werewolves, and zombies in film and television. However, as these supernatural beings began to lose their novelty, witches started to emerge with unexpected force in popular culture.
How Witches Conquered Modern Film and Television
This trend, which seemed inevitable after the maturity of Harry Potter and the exhaustion of more conventional monsters, was surprising due to the sheer number of productions released almost simultaneously.
Additionally, the attention major networks, studios, and publishers paid to female characters with magical abilities was remarkable. This marked the beginning of an era of experimentation and creative risk that ultimately placed witches at the forefront of the audiovisual landscape.
The Boost from Oz and the Big Screen
Before this cycle began, Hollywood had already explored witches, but they lacked the global push needed to reach the top of the box office.
This boost came with the film “Oz the Great and Powerful” (2013), directed by Sam Raimi and produced by Disney. This feature, showcasing the talents of actresses such as Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, and Rachel Weisz, introduced three witch sisters within the universe of the famous Wizard of Oz.
Its international success, including in markets like Argentina, caught the attention of industry executives who, with renewed confidence, unearthed scripts that had been sidelined following the farewell of Harry Potter.
As the year progressed, rumors about a potential sequel to this film and negotiations to expand the story in other directions began circulating. The international reception, the strength of the Disney brand, and box office consolidation underscored the opportune moment for witches, something that reverberated powerfully within Hollywood’s machinery.
Television and the Coven of Horror Anthology
While cinema experimented with grand productions featuring striking visual effects, television was not left behind. The announcement that the third season of “American Horror Story” (FX), titled “Coven,” would have witches as its main protagonists generated significant anticipation.
The creators of the series, known for their ability to reinterpret myths and genres, understood that witch stories offered a wide range of narrative possibilities. In fact, Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates were confirmed to lead a plot filled with legendary rivalries, magical disputes, and supernatural tensions designed to subvert audience expectations.
Meanwhile, other television dramas also joined the wave. Series like “Once Upon a Time” (ABC) and “Grimm” (NBC), each with their own take on fairy tales and traditional myths, increased the presence of female characters with mystical powers.
For example, in “Once Upon a Time,” the villain of the moment, Cora (played by Barbara Hershey), demonstrated the dark allure of witchcraft, while in “Grimm,” the consequences of a spell cast by the witch Adalind disrupted the protagonists’ lives, driving ratings and reinforcing the idea that these stories could captivate contemporary audiences.
The Downfall of Some Attempts and New Literary Horizons
However, not all projects achieved the desired impact. “The Secret Circle,” a youth-oriented series inspired by modern witchcraft in Salem, failed to garner the necessary audience levels.
Similarly, “Beautiful Creatures” (2013), a film adaptation of a literary saga centered on a family of Southern spellcasters, fell short at the box office. These initial disappointments led some critics to question witches’ ability to captivate a young audience already accustomed to romantic vampires and tragic werewolves.
Despite these setbacks, the industry remained steadfast in its search for the next big saga. British author Deborah Harkness’ trilogy, whose first installment was “A Discovery of Witches” (2011), emerged as a strong candidate.
Blending witchcraft, vampires, philosophical inquiry, and a forbidden romance, the story had attracted Warner Bros.’ attention long before its television adaptation materialized years later (HBO Max). Set in prestigious academic environments with a historical backdrop, the narrative promised a distinct approach to the myth, offering greater cultural and emotional depth.
Renewed Perspectives and New Stories on Screen
Responding to criticism and an increasingly discerning audience, studios bet on more complex narratives. Protagonists were no longer solely young women learning about their powers; traditional secondary characters were also being redefined.
Maleficent, the feared and renowned witch from Disney’s classic animated film “Sleeping Beauty,” was poised to return to the big screen in her own film, “Maleficent” (2014), starring Angelina Jolie. This adaptation, heralded as a reinterpretation of the tale from the villain’s perspective, promised psychological and human nuances previously unexplored. Audiences would come to understand the reasons behind the curse placed on Princess Aurora, as the boundaries between good and evil blurred.
Meanwhile, these changes fueled discussions among cultural journalists, academics, and literary critics in prestigious media outlets and specialized publications like The Hollywood Reporter and The New York Times. Some argued that witches, with their chameleon-like adaptability, embodied a new vision of female roles: a powerful woman complex and often struggling against the limitations of her environment.
Others, however, viewed their media resurgence as a commercial maneuver, a desperate attempt by the industry to replicate the success of “Twilight” or “Harry Potter” with another type of fantastical creature.
Cultural Power and the Promise of the Future
Ultimately, this period witnessed a significant phenomenon: witches abandoned their marginal and stereotypical roles to solidify themselves as central figures, capable of drawing diverse audiences and sparking debates about the role of women, magic, and power in audiovisual storytelling.
While some productions failed to achieve the anticipated success, others triumphed at the box office or in audience ratings, driving the continuous emergence of new projects.
When “Maleficent” finally hit theaters, it became evident that witchcraft had transcended its status as a fleeting trend to establish itself in the collective imagination.
These stories, filled with spells, time travel, ancestral conspiracies, and familial rivalries, showcased a variety of nuances that allowed them to endure even after the initial fervor subsided. It was clear, therefore, that this period was part of a broader creative cycle, one in which witches evolved from being a secondary resource to becoming a narrative engine, a critical lens, and a renewed promise for future storytelling.
