MODERN CULTURE IS ENCHANTED by paganism. Go into the spirituality section of any major bookshop and you’ll find new releases with titles like Big Witch Energy or Rebel Folklore spelling a rivival of magical beliefs and practices.
On TikTok, Gen-Zs have created virtual subcultures around Wicca and other “heathen” ways, with #WitchTok popularising spells, potions and observing pagan festivals. These movements, appealing to those seeking a romantic, environmentally-focused “return to nature” have been on the ascent in Britain since the 1960s.
Filmmakers took note, never more memorably than 50 years ago this month when Robin Hardy’s cult horror film, , was released. Though better remembered for its vernal imagery and soundtrack by Magnet, the film exposes a fascinating paradox: despite harking back to an ancient past, modern paganism is bound to the same ideologies it claims to reject. The critique is artfully woven into the film, which follows Christian
