Witch Hunt: A Century of Murder

Really enjoyed this but wondering if they would make more. Was hoping to get to learn a little more about my ancestor but they stopped right before starting on Salem 😞 I would love to see more about all of it. I've always been fascinated by the subject even before I found out about Bridget ...

I love learning about history! I like the hostess and that they got actors and actresses to play out the historical events makes this really come to life. I absolutely love TV shows like this but its truly brutal and horrible the things that people had to endure because they were thought to be witches. All because of religion.. Woman definitely got the worst of it. Also extremely strange how some would accuse other people. Like they thought it was a celebrity status and would make them popular or something. This show does helps debunk all the sexist,ridiculous myths that the only witches are/were women and only women are/were evil. Guess what, men were accused and convicted too! Such a ridiculous and offensive stereotype.

As a lover of history and being something of a documentary person I am glad I took a chance to view this title. This two-part series concerns witch hunting in the UK during the 1500-1600's and details cause, effect and consequence stretching from monarchs to America. Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb narrates and does so excellently by being very knowledgeable about the subject matter presented and takes you on a ride through history by being on site where the events happened and by examining original documents and texts. One can tell that Dr. Lipscomb is passionate about history and the she also cares about the subject matter presented. It is not overly graphic, suitable in my view to PG-13/14 rating, would be of great use in a classroom to accompany a study about Salem or is just fine viewing of an event that I never until now realized had ever happened. My vote is 9/10!

I would be curious to know if other reviewers have actually read any of Dr Lipscomb's academic publications? Her integrity as a historian is beyond reproach, her use of documentary evidence and development of sound arguments comply with the practices of legitimate history scholars. It should be remembered that history on television is targeted at a non-academic, and therefore more general audience. It is not possible to gauge an academic's credibility, and therefore the relevance of a body of work without considering the audience for which it is intended. It is common practice for credible historians to simplify complex and convoluted arguments in order to make history more accessible to the non-academic audience, this is what Lipscomb appears to have done in Which Hunt:A Century of Murder. By focusing on the stories of individuals she has tried to bring complex historical events alive to an audience that may not have any previous knowledge of the period, making history more accessible by making it personal.

Documentary focuses on witchcraft in 1600s Scotland and England. Detailing the rise of king James and how he effectively started the idea of witchcraft and witch-hunting in both Scotland and then England. The narrator does a good job of picking out significant moments in history, specifically the cataclysms that begin each wave of accusations. definitely a gap in history between the first and second episodes, they don't flow seamlessly. The documentary picks an interesting topic but doesn't really focus on one event in particular which leaves it somewhat without a clear objective or takeaway.