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How did films and television shows such as The Craft, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Charmed influence interest in Wicca?

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Oil painting The Witches' Sabbath by Francisco de Goya shows a group of figures in dark robes gathered around a crouching person, with eerie creatures flying in a moonlit sky. — Witchcraft *El conjuro* or *Las brujas* (“The Conjuring” or “The Witches”), oil on canvas by Francisco Goya, 1797–98; in the Museo Lázaro Galdiano, Madrid.

The popularity of films and television shows such as The Craft (1996), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003), and Charmed (1998–2006) played a significant role in increasing the public visibility of Wicca.1

These productions influenced interest in the religion by utilizing Wiccan terminology to depict fictional witches, often portraying them as young women balancing their practice with the challenges of everyday life in contemporary settings. This media representation helped fuel a teenage Wiccan subculture during the 1990s and 2000s.12

While these portrayals contributed to a surge in interest, they were met with a mixed reception from established practitioners, some of whom felt that such popularizations trivialized the religion. The trend of using media to explore witchcraft themes continued into the 2010s, when social media platforms further encouraged interest in modern religious witchcraft.12