The Witching Hour

12/01/2024

First installment of my review of 2023's best witchy and occult media...stay tuned for more this month!

It was a pretty good year...

17/12/2023

OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!

WHAAAATT?!?!?
How? When?
I’ve missed you…!

17/12/2023

the struggle is real

28/11/2023

I will be giving an online talk for The Last Tuesday Society this coming Sunday, December 3rd, at 2 pm EST on THE WICKER MAN.
A small donation is suggested and if you can't attend during the talk you can receive a link to watch it later.
Hope you all can make it!

The Embers of 50 Years: The Iconic Legacy of The Wicker Man This iconic film, dubbed “the Citizen Kane of horror films” by Cinefantastique Magazine, starred the legendary Christopher Lee […]

26/04/2023

I created this fundraiser for a friend of mine in England who has had some really crappy luck in the last several years, including being a bad car accident that left him in chronic pain. He was in a bike accident more recently that landed him in the hospital. He wants to start working on his physical recovery by riding a bike again, but his bike "got nicked" while he was in hospital! He has also been unable to work while he's been recovering from his injuries. He is a sound engineer and musician and would like to be able to get back to work but recovery can be a slow road. So I am hoping to raise some money to get him a bike and help him with expenses. Please share, and donate if you can. Thank you!

My name is Peg and I am raising funds to buy a "push bike" for my friend Greg. In the UK, a pedal (non… Peg Aloi needs your support for Help Greg Get a Bike!

28/03/2023

The Hag talk is ON! Rescheduled to tonight, online at 7 pm EST. You should still be able to get tickets. Hope to see you there!

https://miskatonicinstitute.com/?mn=IYW2BCbCJPkUvRRYrOtijoJwiq0oR2D-NCGP.41ZdNY42l_Xnmrzg

28/03/2023

The Hag talk is ON! Rescheduled to tonight, online at 7 pm EST. You should still be able to get tickets. Hope to see you there!

This piece will explore the hag, the crone and the wise woman as both problematic stereotypes and powerful figures in contemporary horror narratives and mass media, and the implications for their increased presence across popular culture. *Note that this class is not part of the Miskatonic Online br...

14/03/2023

Folks! So sorry but due to heavy wet snow continuing to fall, my internet/Zoom connection is not working well enough for my hag talk to happen tonight so it will be rescheduled! Watch this space! Sorry to postpone but Mother Nature is in charge!

13/03/2023

Updated ticket information for tomorrow night's Zoom talk can be found here:

This piece will explore the hag, the crone and the wise woman as both problematic stereotypes and powerful figures in contemporary horror.

08/03/2023

SO EXCITED to share the first episode of "Wren's Nest Radio" a new podcast created by Wren Walker and Steve McManus. Wren, who co-founded The Witches' Voice with her partner Fritz Jung, is a savvy and compassionate thinker whose thoughtful takes on politics and social issues have been a bright light in the online discourse for years. I for one am thrilled she is returning to a more public mode of engagement on topics that inform our daily lives. She's one to look at the big picture, a needed perspective in these days of whirlwind soundbytes. Check this out.

Interviews with and opinions from Wren Walker. With Steve McManus.

07/03/2023

It is happening again

How a talk about historical witchcraft ignited centuries-old prejudices and bigotry

18/01/2023

yessssss

03/01/2023

Just got my preview screeners for MAYFAIR WITCHES! Watch my blog for my review this week!

16/12/2022

I am pleased to be able to offer this newsletter for free to subscribers. Most of the posts made here will continue to be available for free. But starting today, paid subscriptions are also available. For $5/month, or $50/year, you will also gain access to the full archive, to additional content, to...

16/12/2022

A ‘lil Yule blessing for you, friends:
May the longest night shroud you in an exquisite cloak woven from raven feathers, hope, wolf fur, and mistletoe, carefully stitched by a faithful, heathen crone who invites you to sit for a spell beside her solstice fire. May you find a midnight home there, steeped in clove-and-evergreen belonging, deep in the dark and holy womb where the yet-to-come is nested.

May she bid you bless the Yule log with your breath and a rosemary sprig, and may you bring her an offering of story in return, telling her of those quiet moments from the last year when joy found you and made you suddenly whole, when grief tenderized your rough and forgotten places, and when you woke with a mysterious childlike hope in your heart.
May she brew you a home-cooked remedy for your human aches from pine smoke, elder wisdom, and cinnamon, and may she sing you soft songs in a language some part of your ancient soul remembers. Together, may you dream each other into being one pagan prayer at a time, and may you make a memory so mighty it sets time and space to shake, setting the dream in motion with the primal pulse of new beginnings and infinite possibilities.”
🕯️🎄🕯️

29/11/2022

New Witchvox Project post on THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT: interview with the directors from their 1999 press tour! Link in comments.

24/11/2022

The Witchvox Project continues on my blog with the first of several pieces devoted to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT.

A preview...

29/10/2022

😬

Hi there, friendly reminder to my little coven of followers — just because I’m completely committed to using witchy aesthetics as part of a personal brand doesn’t mean that I actually know f**k-all about this stuff.

28/05/2022

wow

A carpet of ancient bluebells have suddenly flowered on Exmoor after lying dormant for centuries.

25/05/2022

Today at 2 pm EST or 7 pm BST! Panel discussion to celebrate book release of Miranda Corcoran's new monograph on teenage witchcraft. https://baftsshorror.weebly.com/events.html

Weekday Night Bites is our monthly series of scholarly events on screen horror - Part of our role as a Special Interest Group is to facilitate connections and discussions between members, and to...

22/05/2022

Interesting pagan imagery from the Brjtish Isles in this one including the Green Man and the Sheela-na-gig.

I wish I could state unequivocally that this is a film perfect for this moment in time, and perhaps it is. But not in a good way.

21/05/2022

On Wednesday at 2 pm EST I will be part of a panel discussion on teen witchcraft in honor of the publication of Miranda Corcoran's new book from the University of Wales Press, WITCHCRAFT AND ADOLESCENCE IN AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE. Please join us for what is sure to be a lively discussion!

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=ur7mk6rEMUevXdc1sJfq2_zGbdIaXiNAsYre-mjU4udUN0dYVlg1TEFETkdPWTRFV0taNERIRDNZNS4u

16/05/2022

mmmm, Wren is making lilac potions...

lilacs are bewitching

15/05/2022

Witches: it's a full moon and lunar eclipse tonight. For those who practice rites to utilize lunar energy, may I gently suggest focusing on the expansion and increase of much-needed things like awareness, resistance, compassion, equity, and justice. Righteous anger is okay, too.

04/05/2022

Hope you're all having a wondrous and magical Beltane tide!

"Maypole Dance Black Cat Spring"
by Margaryta Yermolayeva

29/04/2022

Nature blogging! with Wren Walker

May spring's burgeoning growth renew us

31/10/2021

A Happy Hallowe'en and blessed Samhain tide to you all! The cross quarter day of Samhain is November 6 this year; I hope you will celebrate the coming days accordingly...by watching witchy movies and TV!

27/10/2021

Watch for this excellent documentary to become available for streaming November 5th, at true Samhain...

Defining an evolving subgenre with Kier-La Janisse, director of Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched

27/10/2021

Witchy recommendations for Hallowe'en week viewing, from yours truly...

'I Married A Witch,' 'The Lords of Salem,' and more witchy movies to watch before Halloween.