The making of Witchfinder

Notes from the Directors

Kerry King said:

When I asked John what help he would like with this project I was unaware of how much it would take over my life. During our first meeting I became more and more excited about making the film 'Witchfinder'. It is not only a fascinating part of our local history but also I knew that there was a challenging task ahead of us which, if successful, would be something to be very proud of.

The organisation and costume making although extremely time-consuming was very interesting and there was always an undercurrent of excitement which never waned. What we both found very heart-warming was the response from everyone involved. Dr Malcolm Gaskill, the actors, the crew and assistants, those who provided locations and props, the press and most important of all our families who were not only supportive but gave practical help.

The partnership that John and I had worked perfectly as our ideas and thoughts were very similar and we both shared such a lot of enthusiasm whenever a new challenge arose. I still feel excited about the whole venture which has proved to be everything I envisaged and an end product that I hope many people feel proud to have been involved with.    

John Worland said:

I would echo Kerry's comments and add that I wish that we could have expanded the production.   The research uncovered so much fascinating detail - but the decision had to be made to keep the production to around an hour.   What we have done is sprinkle a few clues and teasers throughout the film which link to more in depth information in these web pages.  For example, there is a brief shot of Anne West picking at some mouldy bread.   This isn't just a comment on their poverty.   There is a theory that some of the evidence relating to the sighting of imps or familiars was influenced by the hallucinatory effects of eating 'ergot' mould.  

All the names that you hear on screen are those of real people who were directly involved  (Apart from 'Bald Tom' who is there for a little light relief).  In addition to Malcolm Gaskill's book, at least five other books have been consulted as well as 19 original manuscripts and records.   It is inevitable that after such a long time, there is some discrepancy in the various accounts.  Where such differences occur, it is my choice as to what line has been taken - for example, Margaret Moone is described as dying on her way to the scaffold and also as being hanged.  I chose the more dramatic ending.   The spelling of names was also a lottery as spelling was very much more a matter of personal choice of the writer than it is today.

In the court scene, we know that the suspects were brought up in batches of 4 or 5.  Our women were not brought up together in reality, but we have used a little licence here to keep them in the same scene.

My heartfelt thanks to Kerry without whom, this film could not have been made!