Elizabeth Bathory is one of pop culture’s favorite monsters. Accused of torturing and killing hundreds of young women, she’s inspired everything from Snow White’s evil stepmother to Lady Gaga. But the actual historical record shows almost none of it happened.
Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack sit down with Shelley Puhak, author of The Blood Countess: Murder, Betrayal, and the Making of a Monster, to trace the documented history behind one of history’s most sensationalized witch trial-adjacent cases. From the fractured Kingdom of Hungary to a Lutheran minister’s invisible demonic cat army, this episode connects the Bathory case to the broader European witch trials and the religious and political warfare driving them.
What You’ll Learn
What the preserved record actually shows
The witchcraft and magic accusations woven into the case
The political war that made Bathory a target
What the Palatine of Hungary stood to gain from her downfall
The one minister behind the witchcraft accusations
Why no bodies were ever found
What her own letters reveal about who she really was
The role of ointments, alchemy, and antimony
Why widowed noblewomen were especially vulnerable to accusation
The tension between a pop culture monster and a real historical victim
What justice could look like
About Shelley Puhak
Shelley Puhak is a poet, essayist, and historian from Maryland. Her previous nonfiction book, The Dark Queens (Bloomsbury, 2022), was a national bestseller and Goodreads Choice Awards finalist. Her essays have appeared in The Atlantic, the Wall Street Journal, and Virginia Quarterly Review.
Just saw Wicked: For Good (Wicked Part 2) and wondering what it all means? The sequel to 2024’s blockbuster Wicked movie starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande delivers the pure magic and joy of Wicked’s fairytale storytelling while also serving as a mirror reflecting our world’s darkest patterns of persecution. Join hosts Sarah Jack and Josh Hutchinson for a spoiler-filled celebration of this magical film as they explore both the enchantment of the story and the surprisingly relevant themes hiding behind flying monkeys, sparkly shoes, and that iconic green skin.
From Gregory Maguire’s beloved novel to the Broadway phenomenon with music by Stephen Schwartz, Wicked has captured hearts worldwide. This sequel delivers stunning musical numbers, an enchanting fairytale ending, and America’s greatest modern fairy story—while also offering profound insights about our world. Discover why Elphaba, Glinda, Fiyero, Dorothy, and the Wizard of Oz create a story that’s both entertainment magic and meaningful social commentary.
From the breathtaking songs like “For Good” to the animals in cages vault scene that’s impossible to look away from, this episode explores how the Wicked movie with Jonathan Bailey and Jeff Goldblum delights audiences while helping us understand who gets labeled “wicked”—and who decides.
What You’ll Explore:
The pure magic and joy of Wicked’s fairytale storytelling
Standout musical moments and how the Broadway songs translate to film
The chilling parallels between Oz’s animal persecution and real-world witch hunts
Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship, sisterhood, and the choices that change everything
Why the treatment of talking animals in Oz mirrors modern oppression
How Dorothy’s witch hunt against Elphaba reflects real accusation patterns
Why Nessarose, Boq, and Fiyero’s transformations matter for understanding persecution
How the word “witch” is weaponized as a political tool today
Whether movies like Wicked help or harm the fight against modern persecution
Deep dive into Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande’s Glinda
This is the next installment in our ongoing look at Wicked and Oz! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our previous episodes “Witchcraft and Stagecraft: Unmasking Wicked’s Magic with Paul Laird and Jane Barnette” and “Wicked Movie: The Making of a Witch” to explore how this beloved story connects to real witch trial history and contemporary persecution.
Content Warning: This episode includes movie spoilers and discusses themes of persecution, banishment, and contemporary witch hunts affecting millions globally.
Ready to see beyond the emerald curtain? This isn’t your childhood Oz anymore—and that’s exactly the point. But it’s also a wicked good time.
With his highly anticipated debut graphic novel “More Weight: A Salem Story” releasing, Massachusetts-born author Ben Wickey joins us for an exclusive pre-launch interview about this Alan Moore-praised “appalling masterpiece.” The Edward Gorey Award-winning artist’s first solo work tells the harrowing tale of Giles Corey, the only person pressed to death under stones during the infamous 1692 Salem Witch Trials.
What makes this upcoming graphic novel release extraordinary? Beyond Wickey’s stunning and unmatched visual storytelling that brings historical horror to visceral life, he is a descendant of Salem Witch Trial victim Mary Easty, bringing deeply personal perspective to this decade-long project that Publishers Weekly compared to “From Hell.”
We explore the pre-release excitement, Wickey’s meticulous research using historical documents, and his innovative dual-timeline narrative featuring Nathaniel Hawthorne interludes. Using the graphic novel format, Wickey cuts through pop culture mythology to restore the genuine horror and humanity of Salem’s history.
Discover how Corey transformed from testifying against his wife Martha to defiantly uttering his final words “more weight,” and why this Salem witch hunt story will captivate readers everywhere.
Professor and author Jane Barnette from the University of Kansas joins us for a discussion on how witch trial narratives continue to influence our cultural understanding.
She shares about her groundbreaking production of Kimberly Bellflower’s “John Procter is the Villain” – a contemporary play that boldly reexamines “The Crucible” through the lens of #MeToo, premiering at the University of Kansas just days before its Broadway debut.
“John Procter is the Villain” considers Arthur Miller’s messaging in “The Crucible,” examining how Miller’s fictional recreations of historical figures like John Proctor and Abigail Williams have shaped public perception of the Salem trials, often at the expense of historical accuracy. Consider with us, how theatrical reinterpretation can help reclaim silenced voices and how the term “witch hunt” has evolved in contemporary discourse.
Theater serves as a powerful medium for confronting and transforming our understanding of the past and modern society. Witch Hunt podcast examines historical witch trials and their continuing impact on society through conversations with experts, descendants, and advocates for justice.
We step behind Broadway’s emerald curtain to explore Wicked with two leading scholars. The University of Kansas’ Paul Laird, professor emeritus of musicology, received unprecedented access as Stephen Schwartz composed his blockbuster musical and wrote the definitive book on its making, Wicked: a Musical Biography. His colleague Jane Barnette is a professor of theater & dance and the author of Witch Fulfillment: Adaptation Dramaturgy and Casting the Witch for Stage and Screen. She reveals how the evolving story of Oz has redefined witchcraft in modern theater. In this engaging discussion, we prepare for the film while learning more about the book and musical that changed how we see good, evil, and female power and friendship.
Wicked Movie: The Making of a Witch explores the nuanced and powerful portrayal of witches in the highly anticipated Wicked movie. Witch Hunt podcast hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack delve into their immediate reactions and the deeper social themes conveyed through the film
Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack present historian Maya Rook. She is a cultural historian, educator, and host of Illusory Time and Salem Oracle, and a yoga and meditation instructor. We discuss Salem Witch Trials folklore, divination, and magic facts in depth, along with the pop culture portrayal of the witch. Find out what can be known by the records about accused witch and slave Tituba. What is Sympathetic Magic? Was Counter Magic being used? We also look for answers to our advocacy questions: Why do we witch hunt? How do we witch hunt? How do we stop hunting witches?
