Witches: Truth Behind the Trials

The supposed demonic possession of a teenage girl in 18th century Ireland is one of the most frightening stories in the history of witch trials, and leads to the brutal punishment of eight women in Islandmagee. Cinematic reconstruction, analysis and expert interviews shed light on a tale that stands unsurpassed in sheer terror but also marks the beginning of the end of the era of witch hunts.

Sweden remains largely unaffected by witch trials until an event known as The Great Noise sees hysteria spread across the country, driven by children telling stories of Blåkulla, a fantastical place they are taken to by witches who cavort with the Devil. Cinematic reconstruction, analysis and expert interviews shed light on this horrific and brutal event in Swedish history.

The turmoil of England’s Civil War creates a political, legal and moral vacuum which allows two self-appointed witch-hunters called Matthew Hopkins and John Stearne to roam East Anglia, investigating and torturing so-called witches in exchange for money. Cinematic reconstruction, analysis and expert interviews shed light on the lives of these brutal witchfinders and their unfortunate victims.

The story of Scotland’s first major witch trials. When storms threaten the sinking of ships carrying King James VI of Scotland and his future wife, blame focusses on so-called witches, sparking a determination in the King to hunt, torture and eliminate them. Cinematic reconstructions, analysis and expert interviews uncover the truth behind our popular conceptions of witches and witchcraft.

Probably the most-famous witch trials in history takes place in Salem in 1692. Using cinematic reconstructions, new analysis and expert interviews this episode reveals how broken politics, complex history and local rivalries result in mass hysteria and the supposed bewitchment of girls from the village, leading to accusations of witchcraft, death and destruction on a petrifying scale.

Why are witches mainly women and what led to them being hunted and tried for an impossible crime? The story of how the thwarted ambitions of a drunken misogynist lead to a manual that guides centuries of witch-hunters. In one of Europe’s first major witch trials, in the German lands, a terrifying and brutal series of events engulfs everyone from lowly peasants to the richest members of society.