Hallowe’en was a sensory holiday for me as a kid, and still is. The colorful costume parades, the chill air, leaves crunching underfoot, juicy apples and home-made doughnuts, the smell of burning leaves: these sensual memories mean autumn to me. I loved carrying that plastic pumpkin for trick or treating, feeling it grow heavy with treats. The sight of a tree without its leaves against a violet sky filled me with spooky dread, but also a sense of awe. When... Read more

Although it won’t be shown on HBO until sometime in early 2012, and has not yet had any theatrical release, the third film in the Paradise Lost series has had two major premieres at film festivals so far. The first was in Toronto, in its original version, and more recently in New York, with the premiere of the recut version, including footage shot after the West Memphis Three were released on August 19th. I was fortunate enough to attend the... Read more

Well, it was about what I was expecting: derivative, not very well-written, and obviously designed to appeal to teenage viewers. But that’s okay: it’s been over a year since the premature cancellation of Eastwick with no new shows about witches in all that time, so we’ll take whatever we can get, right? I felt like I had already seen a fair amount of the episode, having watched the seven minute trailer which featured the beginning and a few major plot... Read more

This new show about young witches premieres tonight at 9 pm EST on the CW network. The Secret Circle is the story of a young woman named Cassie (Brittany Robertson) whose mother dies in a mysterious house fire, prompting Cassie to move back to her mother’s small hometown, Chance Harbor. There she meets some new friends who inform her they are witches, and that Cassie is, too. Yes, it’s all VERY reminiscent of the 1996 film The Craft. Robin Tunney’s... Read more

Filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky didn’t know, when they started filming the documentary Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, that after they’d finished editing and submitted the film to festivals, that the story of Damien, Jason and Jessie would, after eighteen long years, suddenly take a dramatic turn. Purgatory is that place where people are stuck, suspended, between this world and the next, and given the biblical allusions in the titles of the first two films about the West Memphis Three,... Read more

In the wake of sad jubilation, of righteous anger at justice deferred, of wild speculation about true guilt and feature films and celebrity activism and monetary reparations, I imagine that Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. have little else on their minds beyond holding their loved ones close, eating a decent meal and sleeping in a comfortable bed. What will tomorrow, and next week, and next year, bring for the West Memphis Three? And for those who have... Read more

More detailed analysis soon. But for now: This is the breaking story on CNN. This day is the finest day I’ve seen in almost 18 years. The news of course is still using that word “satanic” to describe these crimes. May justice be done and the actual killer be apprehended as soon as possible. Rest in peace, Christopher, Stevie and Michael. Enjoy your new lives, Damien, Jason and Jessie. Read more

The last time I posted on the West Memphis Three here, a new hearing was in the works. But in a shocking turn of events, it was announced today that a hearing will take place tomorrow in Jonesboro circuit court that could possibly result in the RELEASE of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. The Arkansas Times news blog states that the court will hear pleas from the defendants in exchange for release, and that these pleas might... Read more

Just four more days remain for making donations to Starhawk’s film project, The Fifth Sacred Thing, based on her novel. The Kickstarter page has many donations but more are needed! The $60,000 goal has been met but since films of this scope will surely need a much larger budget than this (even small indie films typically cost several hundred thousand dollars), more money will come in handy. Even a dollar or two helps. This could be a very big deal... Read more

If you haven’t heard, Starhawk’s 1993 novel The Fifth Sacred Thing is being made into a film. The script is apparently already written, and there is a new Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to put together a package to pitch to a major filmmaking studio to secure funding. The money will be used for securing music rights and creating sketches of costume and other designs. The group organizing the campaign is also including a “Green Plan” for environmental accountability, in... Read more