Monday Night at the Movies

If you’re looking for a movie to get you in the mood for Samhein but, like me, you’re not a fan of most horror and monster movies, you can’t do much better than Bell, Book, and Candle.

Wikipedia tells us that a bell, a book, and a candle were used to excommunicate someone from the Catholic church. Of course, made in 1958, the movie ends with our modern Witch giving up her powers to fall in love — it was either/or. Hence, the excommunication here is of the Witch from the Craft.

But that need for the woman to abandon her powers was not unusual for that time. Many movie plots were based around career women giving up their careers when they fell in love, independent ranch-running women who fell in love and moved inside to cook and have children, women whose careers ruined their families. The tv show Bewitched was centered around Darren’s demands that Samantha give up the powers of her Craft and her, always unsuccessful, attempts to comply.

And, of course, there’s the lovely song of the same title.

Let’s make a list. What do you watch to get you in the mood for this time of year?