A Witchy Halloween

 "Double, double toil and trouble;
    Fire burn, and caldron bubble."-Macbeth, Shakespeare

 

 It is no easy task being covered in cobwebs, warts on the nose, and the occasional cackle and broom. Witches have been apart of our daily lives since the dawn of Halloween. From witch hunts and accusations of heresy, to the Hollywood screen chasing a girl in ruby slippers. But thanks to some account, witches are second in most recognizable Halloween costumes and characters in movies today. Even Monty Python had a memorable time with these twitchy witchy women.

 

 But what makes these Halloween characters a cultural impact? Well as part of the monster movie blogs for the month of October, I have decided to look at some of the reasons why witches have impacted us in our own culture and why these are the most common evil characters in most movies and shows today.

 

1. Beautiful women have witchy intentions. Like those witches on Charmed, the three sisters of the Halliwell family are those memorable quirky women who try and act as normal as possible by also protecting the species of human and mythical creatures alike. The most notable Halliwell sister would be Phoebe Halliwell. She may not be seen as a witch because of her beauty, but she is pure magic.

2. Witchiness always works with brilliance. While no one may catch the hidden meaning, the biggest influence of witches would be none other than that adorable intelligent little girl, Hermione Granger. Although she was played by Emma Watson, we saw this twelve year-old girl grow up into a woman of pure beauty and brains. She may not be a witch in real life, despite earning the title of Goodwill Ambassador after she graduated from Brown College with a degree in English, she has always influenced young girls to put their best foot forward and do not be afraid of what true intelligence might take you.

3. A Flying Witch is a Drugged Witch. Although witches are seen flying through the air on a broomstick with a cat on the end like in Kiki's Delivery Service, this didn't really happen because the truth behind that magic is the use of deadly nightshade (Bella Donna) on the ends of those...uh, well you get the point. So while the poison from the powered nightshade is deadly to the body, you might want to look at the overall influence of this deadly trip on powered nightshade had on the way we look at these witches.



4. Witches provide the adequate female with inner power. The imagery of a witch as a beautiful women and the ability to use magic to allow people to succumb to their will is perhaps one of the big reasons why so many women who choose to look for female empowerment from the inside out, see the power of a witch and her magic as a symbol of their hope towards achieving their own self-confidence within themselves. Witches may not have the scary impact like most Halloween creatures, but they pack one hell of a powerful punch to boosting the self-confidence in most women.

 

Witches may not be truly scary when you get to know them, but like most creatures, they are influential because the tale doesn't end and never dies with time. Witches rule!