A George A. Romero Retrospective: ‘Season of the Witch’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

‘I’m a witch.’
- Joan Mitchell

The American Dream has always had quite the specific structure. One that involves finishing school and finding a career and settling down, so we can all have 2.5 children and raise them to repeat said dream, so that generations of Americans can live an idyllic and simple life, one full of peace and quiet and outright comfort. Which is quite the lovely thought for certain since it evokes images of a wonderful and relaxing home, surrounded by a white picket fence, where everyone gathers round the table for dinner in the same vein as Normal Rockwell’s iconic painting. But while this is indeed a lovely concept to have in the back of our minds when we set out to make something of ourselves in this world, that goal is simply outdated.
 
Because people want different things out of life in this day and age. For some folks want to travel the world and see every corner of it once they end their schooling career, and their idea of settling down may not involve a move to suburbia when they return home. And there are some who want to spend their days dedicated to a unique career over anything else, meaning that they don’t need a house in the suburbs, they just need a simple place to live to fulfill their needs. Plus, there are some who don’t want to raise a family and just want to live off the land and enjoy a minimalist life, lending more credence to how the times change. But while all of that speaks volumes as to why this antiquated idea has been left behind, there's one particular problem that we often forget in regard to the 'dream' that motivated so many to abandon it. In that, not everyone who took part in it, found joy within its framework. Simply because it wasn’t originally designed with everyone in mind.
 
For the fact of the matter is, ‘The American Dream’ in the classic sense, was designed to focus solely upon the man of the house. Because he was the one working forty hours a week to put that turkey on the table and pay the mortgage to that white picket fence, and it was the duty of his loving wife to maintain the house so he could enjoy the fruits of his labor. And housewife was a job that many women held in the 1950s through the 1970s. But how willing they were to take up that role, and whether or not there was any happiness that came with it, is something that is up for debate. Because even at this point in American history, housewives and women in general were best seen and not heard, and the mere idea of them holding jobs and finding career paths of their own, without a man at their side or children in their household, was simply unheard of.
 
Which means that there were housewives out there, who were outright miserable in their roles. Because they existed solely to please their husband and maintain his dream and that’s why there was a revolution for women’s rights. So that women could indeed be seen and heard and choose their own path. But while there are stories out there about women that will do whatever it takes to be free of that line of thinking, there are few out there that truly encapsulate the horror of being stuck in a household where a woman’s only purpose is to serve and please. But thankfully, George A. Romero saw an opportunity to tell a unique tale that took us inside that stifling world with his next motion picture, and that makes Season of the Witch quite the fascinating ride, one that offered up a unique take on rebellion. 

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Because Joan Mitchell, our main character in this tale, is a woman in crisis. For she is obviously depressed and listless when we catch up with her, here, and understandably so​. Because she is the embodiment of everything we’ve discussed thus far and is without any purpose and direction in her life. Since her daily duties consist of shopping trips and vapid dinner parties and quiet nights at home where she’s prepared a lovely dinner for an unappreciative husband. And what’s truly amazing about this segment of the story, is how Romero draws us into her world. For a lot of these sequences are as boring as they come, so that we feel Joan’s plight and understand her malaise and it is mission accomplished for certain when it comes to this aspect of the storytelling. Because soon the viewer is antsy and hoping for the story to give Joan more to work with in life.

Which the film delivers upon as well. Because in essence, Joan is so desperate to find something to pass the time that she begins to dabble in notions of witchcraft. Which is quite the unexpected twist to find in a story that feels like a melodrama akin to There’s Always Vanilla, but it happens none the less. Because she really is that lost and that bored, so why not sacrifice a chicken and conjure spells? Especially when other 'everyday' hobbies clearly won't cut it, and wouldn’t you know it? It’s just what the doctor ordered. Because just like that Joan’s eyes come alive once she learns a few spells, and the fact that she has a secret hobby, one that few will understand, gives her purpose in life. Because now she is downright special and the wonder of this twist doesn’t end there. 
 
Because witchcraft truly sets Joan free, and allows for her to explore the forbidden parts of life that she wouldn’t have gone near if she wasn’t dabbling in the supernatural. For example, she uses her spells to finally indulge in an affair with a local man that she finds incredibly attractive and it empowers her to the point where she ends her relationship with her husband in a stunning manner, and how exactly that goes down, we won’t reveal here, in the event you haven’t seen the film. But really, what all of these actions boil down to, is that this movie is about empowerment and bucking the oppressive system that Joan found herself trapped within. Making this something of a feminist film, and a powerful one at that since you genuinely feel for Joan because she is genuinely trapped in an isolated and horrible world from which it seems there is no escape.
 
But what truly makes this story so incredible and so fascinating, is the sheer fact that it features plenty of Romero’s trademark ambiguity. Because we never fully know if Joan’s spells are actually working or if she is using them as a cover to finally live a life that offers fulfillment and that’s a downright brilliant element to inject into this story. For it offers both horror fans and fans of film exactly what they want and believe, making this a satisfying story indeed, one that really gives us an idea of how much Romero was starting to come into his own at this stage of his career. Because this movie features a lot of his smooth visuals and dynamic cuts and of course he wrote the script on his own for this one as well, giving him complete control of the story and the end result of that, is a slick motion picture. One that serves as a solid preview of things to come from this brilliant and iconic filmmaker.  

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