Children of Artemis - Witchcraft & Wicca

The Crucible

The Crucible is a film about a witch hunt in seventeen century Salem and how a young girl Abigail, convinced an entire township that witches lurked among them. Abigail must rid herself of the one person standing between her and the man she loves, John Proctor. To do this she must put a spell on Goody Proctor, John's wife, to make her disappear.

The story unfolds with a group of young girls gathering in the woods to cast love spells on local boys that they fancy. What the girls do not realize is that Abigail is serious about casting spells to get what she wants. The person conducting the ritual is Tittuba, a black servant to the vicar. On this particular night the vicar, upon hearing a commotion in the woods, has come to investigate. He sees the ritual in progress and those present. When he makes his presence known, the girls run screaming in all directions. The next day the vicar's daughter and another girl are found in their beds in a deep sleep. The towns people believe they are under some type of evil spell.

As soon as witchcraft is mentioned everyone becomes alarmed and the vicar summons the Reverend Hale, a witch hunter, to town. Upon his arrival, the young girls mysteriously wake up. But, because of their strange behavior, they are still believed to be possessed. In the meantime, Abigail has gathered the remaining girls together and threatens them if anyone speaks about the ritual. Unfortunately, the vicar has already mentioned seeing the girls. When they are questioned, Abigail blames Tittuba, calling her a witch. After Abigail sees the amount of mayhem she caused with this lie, she starts pointing at others, calling them witches. When she accuses Goody Proctor of witchcraft, her plan backfires. John goes before the judges to plead for his wife. In the process, he himself is accused and found guilty. Upon realizing that her dream is slipping from her hands, Abigail steals some money and goes to the jail, pleading with John to run away with her. But John, being an honorable man, refuses to go with her, choosing to die beside his wife. Abigail escapes, and with her leaving, the witch hunters realize that this was the evil prank of a group of young girls. What started out as a harmless gathering of young inquisitive girls turned into a living nightmare for many innocent people.