My Favorite Things with Stephanie M. Wytovich

They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, the weekly column where we grab someone in speculative circles to gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we sit down with author, poet, Bram Stoker Winner, and Speculative Chic contributor Stephanie Wytovich!

What does Stephanie love when she’s not crafting poetry that cuts like a knife? Spoiler alert: let’s just say she’s narrowing her focus a bit to share her favorite witches! Interested? Read on to learn more!

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Over the past year, I’ve been researching and studying the archetype of the witch in literature and film, and I’m fairly fresh off a trip to Salem, Massachusetts where I got to visit the Witch Trials Memorial, The Witch House, and hang out in Crow Haven Corner, which is one of the oldest witch stores in North America. Lately, I’m finding myself, both as a woman and as a female horror writer, drawn to the feminist roots of the witch and how her independence, free will, and sexuality inspired mass hysteria and fear in all those around her, especially in regard to men and the church. As such, I’ve been drowning in magic and history, which admittedly isn’t too terrible a fate, and I’ve been learning a lot about the portrayal of witches in pop culture. Having said that, matched with my love of horror, slasher films, and all things buried and macabre, there are a few witches who have undoubtedly left their cinematic mark on me, and I wanted to share them with you here today.

Thomasin, The VVitch (2015): To me, The VVitch has easily become one of my favorite movies and Thomasin one of my favorite female characters. Beyond the film’s aesthetic, costumes, and terrifyingly gorgeous soundtrack, viewers get to walk with a young girl — her family recently excommunicated from their village — as she is accused time and time again of witchcraft, so often in fact, that in the end, she chooses it herself.  And yes, in case you’re wondering, I do have the Pop Funko of Black Phillip, and I would have probably signed his book, too.

Nancy Downs, The Craft (1996): I’m a sucker for a punk rock witch, and when it comes down to it, there is no one who does it better than Nancy Downs in The Craft. She’s a sociopathic power junkie, yes, but I love her fieriness, her intensity, and her passion when it comes to witchcraft. I also love that Fairuza Balk — the actress who played Nancy Downs — converted to Wicca during the filming of the movie, and then bought the metaphysical store they showed in the film, too.

Fiona Goode, American Horror Story: Coven (2013): No witch list would be complete without adding the biggest, baddest witch of them all: Fiona Goode. I’ve watched Coven too many times to count, went to New Orleans to scope out Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies, and have done a spell or two myself to get the entire witch wardrobe of that season, but Fiona Goode became the Supreme for a reason, and it wasn’t just because she was willing to kill everyone in her path. I’ll take some of her sass with a whiskey chaser any day.

Sabrina Spellman, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018): Sabrina Spellman in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is definitely not the teenage witch most of us grew up with…and thank god! Sabrina is smart, practiced, and dedicated to her craft, but mostly importantly, she’s strong. I love how the show talks about free will, family, and magic, and Sabrina’s ability to make decisions based on both what she wants and what’s best for the betterment of her coven and her town is not only inspiring but refreshing as well. Satan aside, I wish I could have grown up with her independence instead of all the white magic fluff that permeated my childhood.

The Owens Sisters, Practical Magic (1998): I know, I know. Where’s the darkness? Where’s the scary? But the truth is, I love Practical Magic and I love how it shows sisterhood and herbalism, and love and curses. This was the first movie that showed me how being a witch could be fun and filled with dancing and margaritas, and honestly, I just couldn’t wait to jump in.

I also wanted to hat-tip a fantastic nonfiction book that I just read titled: Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive by Kristen J. Soliee. This book talks about sexual liberation and female empowerment in regard to modern day art, film, literature, etc., and then contrasts it against the historical timeline of the witch. It’s inclusive, diverse, and educational, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Stephanie M. Wytovich is an American poet, novelist, and essayist. Her work has been showcased in numerous venues such as Weird Tales, Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories, Fantastic Tales of Terror, Year’s Best Hardcore Horror: Volume 2, The Best Horror of the Year: Volume 8, as well as many others.

Wytovich is the Poetry Editor for Raw Dog Screaming Press, an adjunct at Western Connecticut State University, Southern New Hampshire University, and Point Park University, and a mentor with Crystal Lake Publishing. She is a member of the Science Fiction Poetry Association, an active member of the Horror Writers Association, and a graduate of Seton Hill University’s MFA program for Writing Popular Fiction. Her Bram Stoker Award-winning poetry collection, Brothel, earned a home with Raw Dog Screaming Press alongside Hysteria: A Collection of Madness, Mourning Jewelry, An Exorcism of Angels, Sheet Music to My Acoustic Nightmare, and most recently, The Apocalyptic Mannequin. Her debut novel, The Eighth, is published with Dark Regions Press.

Follow Wytovich on her blog at http://stephaniewytovich.blogspot.com/ and on twitter @SWytovich.

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