User reviews

In this three-hour TV special, the plot is pretty self-explanatory. It's about the Salem Witch Trials. If you're interested in that period of history, this movie is pretty good. If you haven't seen or studied America's famous witch hunts, it might be better to start with The Crucible and ease your way in. This one is pretty intense, and very long, so you might get overwhelmed.

For the historians out there, this is a good representation of the hysteria of the time. With veteran actors like Alan Bates, Peter Ustinov, and Shirley MacLaine to round out the cast, it's a well-acted assault on the senses. There's lots of screaming, lots of accusations, and lots of fear. But after all, there's nothing more American than fear of "different" is there?

If you have read The Crucible you know this story but I will say the acting and the way it is written does add to this story. Where the book leans towards the idea that the girls were faking being cursed this mini series lets you decide whether they were faking, having hallucinations, or really cursed. The acting is impressive. The writing of conversations the women have in jail are very realistic for the time period. It is worth the watch for those researching witches and their history.

I was pleased to finally see Hollywood come out with a more realistic portrayal of the events surrounding one of the darkest periods in American history. The acting is excellent and the events are about as close to reality as you will ever get out of our American movie industry, which is usually incapable of portraying such historical facts without garbaging things up with special effects and their two cents worth of fiction thrown in for the purpose of maintaining the interest of those with IQ's that parallel the range of springtime temperatures. I highly recommend this movie to anyone interested in this period of our history.

"A masterful work..."? Who wrote that? Kirstie Alley in a masterful work about the Salem witch trials. Got to be worth a watch. I bailed after an hour and 25 minutes of my life that I bitterly regret wasting on this. If I hadn't had a pizza delivered and had my hands full, I might have had the will to turn it off.

I've tried to bear in mind that it's 32 years old but that's really no excuse.

The acting is truly awful. Accents that put Dick Van Dyke as the chimney sweep in Mary Poppins in a good light. Terrible cinematography, sets like a 1950s B movie. Plot devices and direction on the same level as a local am dram production.

Sorry, but I can't find a single redeeming thing to say about this. The one star I've given was for Kirstie Alley's acting which was pretty good.

Kirstie Alley and Shirley Maclaine really shine in this Canadian/American telefilm. it has all the qualities of a first-rate Hollywood film, and there isn't one bad acting job in the bunch. Particularly good are the young girls who were doing the accusing. They absolutely were so convincing in their "possession" scenes that they had me believing they were really possessed. I admit I knew little real information about the Salem Trials and I have never seen "The Crucible". The acting and direction here are really top-notch and I found the film to be riveting and ultimately heart-breaking to watch. If you get a chance to see this, please do so. It apparently is available on DVD and I assume that would be the same copy that is circulating on Netflix streaming.

Too long, too loud, could have cut out the first 90 minutes. The ones acting witchy were all those mean teens. I do wish this had been a more in-depth, true to history movie, rather than the nonsensical, mish-mash this was. When you have actors such as Alley, MacLaine, and DeMornay, you kinda expect more. I looked forward to this, especially given the positive reviews, but was disappointed and really glad it cost me only .99 cents to watch it...whilst multitasking because it was kinda boring. It's an interesting time in history, but would have been better served with a more streamlined, less screechy, portrayal,

Although this version has a few serious historical flaws, "Salem Witch Trials" is a relatively entertaining story. I agree that Part I was slow but I chalked that up to historical/cultural background that made Part II more believable. Two things that bothered me: (a) the trials appeared to be judged by two men from beginning to end when, in reality, a panel of several men was sent to try the accused, and (b) the scene of Rebecca Nurse in prison asserting New Age philosophy seemed out of character for this pious Puritan woman. Still, the overall story was accurate and believable.

I found this version to be more historically accurate (if less entertaining) than "The Crucible," simply because "The Crucible" relied on the premise of an affair between two major characters that most likely did not happen. (In reality, she was only eleven while he was in his sixties.)

Another thing that bothered me in both versions was the absence of Tituba's husband, John Indian. He played a relatively major role in the original trials.

This movie came with perfect timing. My senior high school play was "The Crucible" and this movie gave me some great in-depth as to my character (Mrs. Ann Putnam). To think that all this actually did happen is both sad and crazy. In response to the previous comment, children may have been expected to be "seen not heard", however the truth remains that that movie is a fairly accurate representation of history.

Kirstie Alley was awesome, I loved how she portrayed her character, it made me both hate her and pity her. Kudos to the actors and directors, that is a heavy intense script and to have kept your performances strong throughout is amazing.

I was recommended this as being excellent and I managed to struggle through an hour and a half before giving up. I'm not 'into' film so this review is purely based on my thoughts and feelings, NOT a quasi professional film critique like many reviews on here.

First, it was boring. Really boring. Second, the acting was just OK. Third, the accents were terrible and off-putting, ranging from Australian outback to South African. Some Dick Van Dyke level cockney thrown in too. As an English person it really bothered me and at first I was confused...why were there so many Australians in Salem? It took me a while to realise they were supposed to be English accents I was hearing and it really stopped me from being immersed in the drama.

I don't know anything about Salem and the history so I've got no comment on the film's truthfulness.

It looked like a made for TV movie, it was acted like a made for TV movie.

At the beginning when they are all screaming in the courtroom you saw some of the women being shown as 'witches' and it looked like something an amateur dramatic group would come up with. I should have stopped watching then but I was fooled by the gushing reviews this film has and I really tried to get into it but for me personally it was absolutely dreadful.

We can't all like the same things in life and as I said, I'm not knowledgeable in film but as a viewer who expects to be entertained and 'transported' this film failed miserably.

You ever want to hate kids this is the movie for you. Even tho it drags on in parts it makes up for it in the story itself. You really get to see the mental state of the people who are dealing with toxic religions beliefs. Fyi lots of screaming brats and you are really gonna wanna punch one of them.

I admit that I've never really given much thought to the career of Kirstie Alley ... as I've never really seen her do anything worth making note of ... until today. In the Salem Witch trial, she radiates a truthfulness that I have never seen in any of her past performances. She borders, at times, of overacting ... however, one wonders if this is due to the script, or did someone forget to tell us that she was playing the part of a woman bordering upon insanity? I prefer to think it was a problem with the script.

Shirley MacLaine ... OMG ... I have to say that I never ever thought I would see Shirley MacLaine in the all together, the all together as naked as the day that she was born ... and I'm not so sure I shall ever get over the experience! I can't believe that the script would call for her not to cry during this humiliating experience. But it is one heck of a soul baring scene. I do have to say that the prison scene "and I shall find GOD there" was sheer genius, and the acting made all the more memorable.

I, obviously, found the scripting to offer so much less than what this most talented cast brought forth out of the depths of their bowels ... EWWW ... sorry, got carried away. Its just that most of the acting in this movie was worthy to be shown in theaters, and not as a TV movie. And i can't believe that I have only just discovered this movie 12 years after it was made.

The Salem Witch Trials are true American horror stories that will never be forgotten, especially as it is a true testament to man's inhumanity to man ... for nothing more than the greed of man ... and, even more so, the church! More children of GOD have been tormented, tortured, and murdered, in the name of a false god that I pray I never come face to face with. Oh, that's right ... that god doesn't exist ... THANK GOD!

Update ... I have just discovered that the DVD of this movie has a problem to which I have only been watching the last half of the movie! For the first time I am watching the full movie and now it makes sense.

In SALEM WITCH TRIALS, pompous, hyper-religiosity / self-righteousness are combined with ignorance and paranoia, resulting in mass hysteria. This takes place within a culture filled with superstition, rumor, and gossip.

This film shows how any theocratic society operates. The Puritans used their "religious authority" to intimidate, and ultimately eliminate those among them who were deemed to be "unclean". This was said to have been in accordance with "the will of God".

This film is as much a cautionary tale for today as it is an excellent presentation of the real historic events of the 1690's...

Loved the performance's and directing. A beautifuly shot movie with accurate portrayals of what happened. Definitely worth the watch.

This is a made for TV movie... apparently in two parts when aired judging by the length of it. This could have been easily cut down to a one part film - or one that aired in one night instead of in two parts. There are unnecessary and drawn out scenes to create more drama I guess.

I have my own beliefs of the real Salem Witch Trials WITCH I will not discuss here (pun intended) but I can say this is a good film, even though it is overly and unnecessarily long. I did enjoy this movie because I love stories (real and fake) about witches.

If you want a solid film on what happened at Salem then I do recommend giving this one a watch.

8/10

First.... I can't believe this is a made for TV movie... seems too well acted, too many great actors, and set design/period too well done, for a "made for TV stamp" to be on this movie.

I never thought much about Shirley MacLaine.... just as a has-been sex symbol, and fluff actress (like early Natalie Wood). But when I saw this movie....WOW... she sheds all vanity and modesty, and delivers a powerful performance worthy of an (other??) Oscar. Piousness, Humbleness, sympathetic...all the qualities I thought this actress was not (didn't she do a Las Vegas show recently??)... she played all this, so movingly.

Peter Ustinov was at his best, too, playing a villain, yet showing his character as more complex, who feels sorrow at what he does, but still metes out his brand of misplaced judgment.

As high a drama as this was, I noted much of the movie as historically accurate enough, making this a great movie. On par with "Judgment at Nuremburg" (another star-clogged movie, that ended up being a great success).

I thought this was a great movie!! The acting done by everyone was perfect and very hard to do. I really enjoyed the costumes and accents. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time (no boring parts). If you like good acting, this is a must see!!!

I thought this was a very interesting mini series, definitely not holding back on the gruesome side of the 'old life'. They had tons of good actors and actresses stuck in and it's half the fun pointing to the people and saying, "Hey I saw them somewhere!" Even when, dissapointingly, they only have a few seconds screen space or have no name at all. (A good example is May's father)

It's horrible how the people reacted to whatever excuse they could think of first to explain the terrible deeds happening, and so much they said was Satan's or God's punishment! And how the children would target certain people, yes, you will see what I mean. Feeling important now that they are recognized.

And here's a scene to look out for. I near cried, it being so powerful, of strength and unity still within a dank prison. When Goody Nurse is in prison and praying and all the prisoners shout out what they would find God in. I wanted to join them (well, not really), and feel the first ray of light that touched their hearts in many a day.

i think that maybe you just can't handle the history side of the movie. Maybe thats why you found it so boring because you are so used to watching movies jam packed with crap. This was a very factual and exciting movie. Having been in a history class and doing my project on it I found the movie very helpful. The movie was practically all fact. A few minor mistakes but overall well done. Maybe you just can't appreciate the history behind things and you should be watching things like Not another Teen Movie. Sry!

Though there seems to be a million things happening in this movie, and a few too many family stories to follow, the acting is good..and strong. I was especially impressed by the performances given by the children in the movie.

The accents weren't to hot and could have been worked on a bit, but the acting more than made up for it. I give the movie an over all 8/10.

inspired gallery of portraits . touching picture of trials who becomes reflection of a time 's perception about order, justice, respect for the other, social order. exposure of a period essence. high performances. careful manner to remind the events. tension of trials. and honest/wise image of errors, blind judgments, fears and bleak interpretation of truth. a film with status of docu-drama who reminds moral values, mentality of a period about woman rights, ethical cages and admirable science to discover the nuances of characters by actors. a game and its tragical result. a war and few women in search of justice. religion as tool for control a community. a honest film. a clear image about a historical episode.