Magic As Metaphor, Not Escape

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MOVIE REVIEW
Sanctuary: A Witch's Tale
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Genre: Crime, Drama, Supernatural
Year Released: 2024, 2026
Runtime: 7 x ~45–50m episodes
Director(s): Justin Molotnikov, Lisa Mulcahy
Writer(s): Debbie Horsfield
Cast: Elaine Cassidy, Hazel Doupe, Daniel Adegboyega, Stephanie Levi-John
Where to Watch: available now on digital and on DVD January 19, 2026

RAVING REVIEW: What does acceptance really mean when fear enters the room? SANCTUARY: A WITCH’S TALE builds its entire premise around that question, using supernatural identity not as a main focus, but as a stress test for a supposedly progressive community. Set in a small English town where witches live openly alongside non-magical residents, the series begins with a sudden death that fractures the illusion of harmony almost instantly.

Rather than positioning itself as a traditional fantasy series, SANCTUARY operates first and foremost as a crime drama. The supernatural elements exist, but they are intentionally restrained. Magic is woven into daily life rather than treated as a centerpiece, which allows the show to focus on human behavior under pressure. The central mystery acts as a catalyst, exposing how quickly grief curdles into suspicion and how easily tolerance collapses when blame is convenient. I can’t help but feel that this story isn’t really about magic, but rather a parallel to another subject we often find in our own world.

Elaine Cassidy delivers the show’s most grounded performance as Sarah Fenn, a woman whose life is upended not by her abilities but by how others perceive them. Cassidy plays Sarah with restraint, resisting the temptation to turn her into a symbolic figure. Instead, she feels like a real person navigating exhaustion, fear, and responsibility while the town closes ranks around her. Hazel Doupe is equally strong as Harper, capturing the confusion and vulnerability of a teenager forced to inherit both power and prejudice simultaneously.

The show’s greatest strength lies in its thematic intent. SANCTUARY isn’t subtle about what its witches represent. They are stand-ins for marginalized groups whose acceptance exists only until something goes wrong. The series is most effective when it allows that allegory to breathe, showing how institutions meant to protect can instead amplify bias. Police procedure, media narratives, and rumors all become tools of escalation rather than resolution.

Where SANCTUARY begins to struggle is in its pacing and tonal balance. The early episodes take time to settle, layering relationships and tensions carefully, but later episodes rush toward revelations that feel more functional than earned. The series often wants to be both a slow-burn character study and a twist-driven mystery, and it doesn’t always reconcile those alternating currents smoothly.

The supernatural rules are intentionally loose, which works thematically but creates occasional narrative friction. Because magic is treated as commonplace, its limitations and consequences are sometimes unclear. This ambiguity reinforces the show’s metaphorical aims, but it also weakens moments that rely on internal logic rather than emotional impact. When magic drives plot turns instead of character decisions, the series briefly loses its footing. I see what the creative team wanted to do, but to make it work, they needed to delve deeper into the mythology behind the magic, even if it isn’t the most important aspect.

Stephanie Levi-John brings welcome authority as DCI Maggie Knight, grounding the investigation with a performance that emphasizes procedural realism over dramatics. Her presence helps anchor the show when its moral arguments risk becoming overt. The supporting cast largely rises to the challenge, though a few antagonistic figures veer into broad cliched caricatures, undercutting the series’ otherwise measured tone.

SANCTUARY is at its best when it trusts silence and implication. Scenes where accusations circulate without evidence, where fear spreads through glances rather than speeches, carry real weight. Unfortunately, the series occasionally undercuts this restraint with moments that feel forced, particularly as stakes escalate. The desire to heighten tension sometimes overrides the careful social observation established early on.

As a whole, SANCTUARY: A WITCH’S TALE is a thoughtful but uneven series. Its ambitions are clear and often admirable, especially in how it reframes witchcraft as identity rather than fantasy. Yet its execution doesn’t always match that clarity. The series wants to interrogate prejudice, grief, and power, but it sometimes leans too heavily on plot mechanics to do the work that character development had already begun.

Either way, there’s enough here to justify the series, and I can’t wait to watch the second season. With strong performances, a compelling central metaphor, and a willingness to let discomfort linger, they give the show texture even when its narrative stretches to connect the dots. SANCTUARY may not always cast the spell it intends to, but it leaves behind questions that matter, and that counts for something.

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[photo courtesy of ACORN MEDIA INTERNATIONAL]

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