Episode notes
The Witch Movie Project: Practical Magic & The Witches of Eastwick
Two films, two visions of female power. This episode pairs the 1998 cult classic Practical Magic with George Miller's 1987 supernatural comedy The Witches of Eastwick, exploring how cinema has reimagined witchcraft across decades.
Practical Magic centers the Owens sisters' generational curse and the realization that sisterhood, not romantic love, breaks the spell. Blane unpacks the film's production history: Nicole Kidman's 80-take perfectionism (fresh off 18 months with Stanley Kubrick on Eyes Wide Shut) clashing with Sandra Bullock's two-take efficiency, the witch consultant who allegedly cursed the set, and the iconic midnight margarita scene that spawned real-world viewing parties. Courtney decodes the actual mythology woven through the script: the invocation of Hekate, the goddess of witchcraft and portal-keeper; the spell-craft as intention-infusion rather than ingredient-obsession; and how the film's central message, you don't have to behave, you don't have to follow someone else's rules, resonates as genuine liberation theology.
The Witches of Eastwick flips the script entirely. Three liberated women conjure Darryl Van Horn (Jack Nicholson in peak form), only to discover he's the devil incarnate. The film becomes a study in seduction and reclamation: Van Horn initially liberates them from societal constraints, but they must ultimately liberate themselves from his authority. Courtney connects this to the historical witch trials, replacing "the devil" with "independence", and explores how women accused of witchcraft were simply those who refused to live by others' rules.
Subscribe wherever you listen. Watch the full episode at https://youtube.com/@ridethewavemediapodcast