Red Fairy n the Holy Ghost

In the opening scene of \i Red Fairy n the Holy Ghost\i0 , the man is matter-of-fact. "I believe she is a witch, so I cut off her head." He has a machete in one hand, and in the other a tuft of hair from the severed head that's hanging from his back. This shocking image reveals how dangerous an accusation of witchcraft is for women in rural India. The first woman who publicly fought back against this humiliation and the accompanying human rights violations is Chhutni Mahtain, the subject of this documentary. In the district where she lives, more than 300 women were said to be witches and murdered between 1991 and 1995. This superstitious practice often affects women who are widows or whose husbands are away. Potential victims might be accused of having taken land or property, or perhaps they refused a sexual advance. Local leaders and police deny the allegations and allow perpetrators to go unpunished. The filmmakers are there to capture a woman as she confronts a village chief and a witch doctor about their immoral behavior. All the men in the village stand up and shout, "Let's kill her! Now!" The intimidation and tension is made palpable by the close-up handheld camera work, without any musical accompaniment.