Consider Suspiria (1977 or 2018). The dance academy is a matriarchal coven. Men are either pawns, victims, or completely irrelevant. The index suggests that the “season of the witch” is a temporary, terrifying holiday from patriarchy. And like any holiday, the hangover is brutal. The final, most important item in the index is sacrifice .
Every witch film worth its salt knows one rule: magic requires a toll. You want a boyfriend to love you? You lose your voice. You want revenge on your bully? Your mother gets cancer. You want to live forever? You have to eat children. index of season of the witch
This is what separates the “season of the witch” from mere fantasy. It is a index, not a wish-fulfillment one. The tragedy of the witch is that she is right to be angry, but her tools—curses, pacts with dark entities, blood rituals—will always ask for more than she can pay. Conclusion: Why We Keep Returning to the Index Every September, when the pumpkin spice appears and the nights draw in, we start watching Practical Magic , Hocus Pocus , and The Wicker Man again. Why? Consider Suspiria (1977 or 2018)