HERE BE WITCHES 14 • Practical Magic (1998) with Rhianna Dhillon

It’s Valentine’s Day, and we couldn’t resist talking about one of my own childhood favourites, Practical Magic. It’s a mix of romcom, horror, fantasy, drama and it’s weird as hell and very much peak nineties. The story centers on Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Nicole Kidman), the latest in a long line of witches who bear a particular curse: any man who dares to fall in love with an Owens woman will meet an untimely death. All grown up, Gillian gets involved with an abusive ‘Transylvanian cowboy’ who they accidentally kill. And then, not so accidentally, bring back to life. What follows is both a romance drama, horror film and procedural.

Our special guest this episode is film critic and nineties romcom pundit Rhianna Dhillon, and we discuss the cheesiness of Practical Magic, thirst over the actors, and discuss how it tackles real-life horrors like domestic abuse and stalking whilst remaining a blend of supernatural horror and romantic.

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To coincide with our season of films and events, Here Be Witches, we will be focusing this first series on exploring all things witchcraft on film. Each episode, we will dive deep into films and TV shows that we can’t necessarily screen. Each episode, we’ll be joined with special guests to dissect and discuss a film or show, its legacy and the way witches are represented.

Find out more about our projects here: thefinalgirls.co.uk

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Our special guest this episode is Rhianna Dhillon, find her on @rhiannadhillon