Premiered on Halloween and set out as a live broadcast, Witchcast is presented as a serious look into the subject with various practitioners, although it’s no surprise that things take a more sinister turn.
The night begins with a witch explaining proceedings and placing an infra-red camera in front of the grave of a famous purported witch. Meanwhile, there are others taking part in the streaming. Producer Tony Newton reveals his witch leanings and lays out his collection of crystals, runes, and other paraphernalia while YouTuber Shawn C. Phillips outs himself as a wannabe warlock who learns by watching films and other videos. Meanwhile, Sarah Schultz and Rheanon Nicole dabble in the craft in a much more earnest way.
Since 2020’s Halloween saw the first full moon in 76 years and we’ve been spending more time inside than probably ever before thanks to the global pandemic, it’s fitting that this venture would stream on the big night. Now, the genre savvy will already know the pretence being set up here, but it’s still fun to go along with the ride. We can’t fault the enthusiasm of those involved, and although it’s occasionally hampered by the budget (or lack thereof) and the ‘live’ constraints that they’ve imposed on themselves, when ‘things’ start happening, it’s pretty effective.
You can watch Witchcast here.
