A number of years ago, I met a pagan musician named Damh Smith (also known as Damh the Bard) at a summer solstice ritual at the Rollright Stones in Oxfordshire, England. That’s when I first heard the song “The Spirit of Albion” from his third CD of the same name. We struck up an occasional email correspondence, and when I learned he would be playing in Glastonbury while I was going to be there, he offered to put me on... Read more

And now the final installment of 2010’s Best Films (of interest to like-minded pagan folks)! This time we’re looking at documentaries released in 2010. Given the nature of documentaries, some of these may have yet to make it to your local arthouse cinema, and some of them are not yet available on DVD. One film that has generated a fair amount of buzz in the pagan community, thanks to some excellent coverage on The Wild Hunt Blog by Jason Pitzl-Waters,... Read more

Happy Lupercalia, everyone! In honor of this ancient Roman festival, today’s review seems particularly appropriate. Stories about the Romans in Britain and Hadrian’s Wall are part of a strange and growing cinematic micro-trend. It’s, odd, isn’t it, in an age where we are so terribly modern, with our portable technology and whirlwind mental stimulation, that we should be seeing so many stories drawn from ancient history. We saw a taste of Roman Britain in Antoine Fuqua’s King Arthur several years... Read more

And no, I don’t mean the wonderful 1973 paranormal thriller directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie that was just named the number one British film of all time in the list of the 100 Best British Films compiled by Time Out London and a panel of industry experts. I mean, don’t look now! Just when you thought maybe there had been enough films dealing with the Church and the occult to hold us for a... Read more

The first part of this article featured some of the more popular films related to the occult and paganism. But often the most interesting films of interest to pagans and witches fall outside the realm of Hollywood and the big box office, in the world of documentaries and smaller independent films. Motion picture piracy is a serious issue and is definitely affecting how long films stay in theatres and whether they play in certain markets. If you want to support... Read more

I was honored to speak last weekend on the phone with Father Gary Thomas, the subject of Matt Baglio’s book The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist (Doubleday Religion), which is the inspiration for Mikael Hafstrom’s film THE RITE, opening in theatres January 28, 2011. Father Thomas also served a consultant for the film. Peg Aloi: How long have you been a practicing exorcist? Father Gary Thomas: I’m pastor of a parish, but also an exorcist who serves this... Read more

This new film just premiered at Sundance. The now-popular “fake documentary” conceit has been raising the stakes recently, with low-budget minimalism giving way to imaginative special effects that still try to capture the “found footage” mystique that is a cornerstone of this genre. Cloverfield may have started it all (though I personally thought the “monsters” were somewhat overdone); then this year brought us the subversive horror hybrid The Last Exorcism (by Daniel Samm whose previous false docu A Necessary Death... Read more

Jane Hash is a feisty three feet tall. She can be seen at pagan festivals at the Brushwood Folklore Center, in her motorized chair, wearing a sarong and some sparkly eye shadow, giving workshops on nutrition, ear candling and other subjects. Despite her physical limitations, Jane is full of life. She is smart, funny, wise, resourceful, kind, and just a bit naughty. Jane is making a documentary film about her life which will surely prove to be an inspiration to... Read more

Here’s an example of how blatantly the media tries to sway us into believing things that common sense might otherwise tell us aren’t necessarily true. The New York Times reports today that Jared Loughner, the shooter in the Tucson massacre, was known to smoke salvia divinorum, as well as marijuana, according to his friends. There are several points of interest here. First, off, New York Times, I have a question for you: Really? You’re considered the finest newspaper in the... Read more

In 2010 there were a number of new films that I think would be of interest to readers of this blog. Some of them played the dodeca-plexes, some came to your neighborhood art house, and some of them may have flown completely under your radar. But let’s hope all of them will at least be available on DVD at some point. I enjoyed CENTURION a great deal. This historical thriller was about the ancient Picts and their unlikely alliance with... Read more