The Witch Hunt (1981): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1981, The Witch Hunt is a drama film directed by Anja Breien, running about 93 minutes.

What it’s about. Having gone through many personal struggles, Eli (Lil Terselius) returns to her native village and begins to work on the farm of Ingeborg Eriksdotter (Anita Bjork), eventually tending a plot that once belonged to her family. But Eli has been gone a long time, and the opaque villagers see her as an outsider—she is suspicious from the start. The year is 1625, and stories of witches conjuring up evil are a part of the daily culture. Eli unwittingly makes matters worse for herself when she is able to cure the sick with herbs, and when she begins an affair with Aslak (Bjoern Skagestad) a farmhand—clearly she must have cast a spell on him. This all adds up to a witch hunt with a ready-made "witch." Eli, in the end, is officially accused of witchcraft by a devious bailiff, while Ingeborg makes every attempt to save her, and Aslak himself does not survive the stress—hardly a good omen for the outcome of the trial.

Who’s in it. The Witch Hunt stars Lil Terselius, Bjørn Skagestad, Anita Björk and Erik Mørk, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.5/10, The Witch Hunt has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Witch Hunt page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Witch Hunt tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.