The Witch’s Generic, Literary and Filmic Background

Abstract

After a brief overview of theories of genre, the chapter argues that The Witch can best be understood as participating in the folk horror genre. While folk horror is most often associated with British films such as The Wicker Man (1973) and Witchfinder General (1968), the chapter argues for particular traditions of New England folk horror, as evident in films such as The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) and The Blair Witch Project (1999).