Interview With Filmmaker Elle Callahan, Writer and Director Of ‘Witch Hunt’

Witchcraft has always been a subject that has fascinated me. When I was in high school, I even did my research project on the topic, which really didn’t go over very well with my Catholic school English teacher. Ah, well. Even now, many years later, it’s still a subject I like to devour and learn about whenever I get a chance. It’s also one of my favorite fictional topics, because the perception and ways it can be interpreted are so vast, and there are some really great works of art out there on it. To celebrate the release of Witch Hunt, a modern tale of an America where magic is real and witches are still being persecuted for it, I spoke with writer and director Elle Callahan about her inspiration behind the film, preparing her cast for shooting, and what’s up next.

PopHorror: What inspired Witch Hunt, and how did the project come about?

Elle Callahan: I have always wanted to write a story about witchcraft and witches. I grew up in New England, so it was entrenched in our culture over there. I started to do a bunch of research on the actual history of witches in Europe and the Americas. It just fascinated me how normal it was to accuse women of being witches and then taking all of their land and burning them alive. I grew up thinking it was this one historical blip at Salem, and it wasn’t. It was very widespread. So I thought if we take all that and just plop it in today’s world, what would that look like? If we gave women this power, how would America react to that? Then the story just kind of fell out of me from there.

PopHorror: How did you convey your vision of the film to your actors and crew?

Elle Callahan: I think, to me, it was a very personal story. I like to create big worlds but small stories within them, and in order to convey it to my cast and crew, I’d write big background lore books to explain the world. I had this big 40 page document about the entire history of this world, how different countries treat witches, what year it is, and what technology they have. It really pulls you into the whole background of the story, so then when you’re reading the script, you can already feel part of the world. I think it’s a fun way to get everyone on board with the vision that I have because so much of it, especially with this movie, is world building. 

PopHorror: That sounds so cool! What was it like finding your cast?

Elle Callahan: It’s a fun process, especially when you finally connect with those people that feel the same way about the story, and then find bits and pieces that they want to make and spin in their own way. It’s so invigorating to collaborate with actors. It’s amazing to finally see your characters actually start to come to life and have their own quirks. With my characters, I think of them as a baseline, and then I leave it up to the actors to take it from there, so it’s really fun to watch them grow up in front of me, because they bring so much to them.

PopHorror: I love Elizabeth Mitchell, and I had not noticed that she was in this, so I was pleasantly surprised when she came on screen. She is just amazing in everything that she does so that was such a good choice for the mom character.

Elle Callahan: She brought this calm, steadfast, controlled presence to Martha. 

PopHorror: What is that draws you to the horror genre?

Elle Callahan: I think it’s because you can do whatever you want. There are no rules. It’s the closest thing to imagination.

PopHorror: Absolutely!

Elle Callahan: If you want your characters to fly, they can fly. If you want them to breathe fire… it’s literally whatever you want to do. It’s the closest thing to playing pretend as a kid that I can get as an adult.

PopHorror: I completely agree. What is up next for you?

Elle Callahan: I have some scripts that I’m working on. I’m kind of gravitating towards the monster movie genre again. I think because in the past year, I didn’t watch that many horror movies because the world was pretty horrific, but I watched a lot of monster movies, because they were in the genre, and they were fun. So, I think that’s where I would want to head next. in a perfect world. But we’ll see.

PopHorror: I agree. You kind of watch monster movies to remove yourself from reality because, fingers crossed, that’s not something that would happen in reality.

Elle Callahan: Yeah, fingers crossed!

PopHorror: One last question for you today. What is your favorite scary movie?

Elle Callahan: Oh my gosh. I have so many favorite scary movies for different reasons.

PopHorror: I think we all do.

Elle Callahan: Oh gosh. The movie that I tell people to watch the most is probably The Thing, because it’s an older movie, so it has this great nostalgia in the way that it’s shot and amazing practical effects. I love working with practical effects, because I feel like I’m just so immune to VFX. It’s scarier when they’re practical.

PopHorror: I thank you for that. 

Elle Callahan: It’s scarier when it’s really there and a little wonky and you’re like, “I know that’s real,” and it’s a little creepier. It’s out in the middle of nowhere and has this wacky monster and this amazing ending. It just really unnerves you. So I tell people to watch that the most.

Thank you so much, Elle, for taking the time to speak with us. Be sure to catch Witch Hunt, On Demand and digital now!