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      Witch Hunt

      2008 1h 31m Documentary List
      Reviews 84% Audience Score 100+ Ratings Sean Penn narrates this documentary about a local justice system that abused its own power. Filmmaker Dana Nachman explores the story of California resident John Stoll, who was arrested and subsequently charged with multiple cases of child molestation, including that of his own son. In the 1980s, Stoll's was only one of an epidemic of false convictions in the area. Through interviews with those unjustly arrested, Nachman examines the morally hysteric climate that contributed to the situation. Read More Read Less

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      Critics Reviews

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      Film Threat Rated: 3.5/5 Mar 10, 2009 Full Review Steve Rhodes Internet Reviews It's the sort of documentary that can reduce a grown man to tears. I know because it certainly had that effect on me. Rated: 4/4 Mar 9, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member Great access, at times a little too one-sided, terrible music overused. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Witch Hunts happening today? Yes, in our criminal justice system, the push for "law and order" can get out of control, when the public is filled with fear. This is a valuable piece of history that serves as a warning to us all. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Almost too surreal to believe. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member Witch Hunt is an important documentary and shows that innocent people can still be convicted of crimes. It's a deeply disturbing, horrifying, and sad documentary about some different people in Bakersfield, CA who were wrongly accused of child molestation. Many of the charges were that they sexually assaulted their own kids. Sean Penn narrates Witch Hunt and there's something about his voice that is so effective at evoking a lot of emotion out of these innocent people's stories. The good news is that these people have been freed, but the bad news is that they last years and years of their life, and those responsible for putting them their have just gone on living their same normal lives. They withheld information and coached the kids on what to say in court. Watching it will make you sick, especially when you listen to the piece of shit DA who's been re-elected 6 or 7 times. It's sad that stuff like this can occur. We sit in the modern world and say that the Salem Witch Trials were stupid and ridiculous, but in reality it's all still happening. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member interesting movie about mass hysteria and the ridiculous notion that children never lie. it doesn't have the brutally personal emotional wallop or the compelling footage of a movie like "capturing the friedmans" but the hysteria is on a much wider scale. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member A really sad story. Unfortunately told in a really uninteresting way. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Witch Hunt

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis Sean Penn narrates this documentary about a local justice system that abused its own power. Filmmaker Dana Nachman explores the story of California resident John Stoll, who was arrested and subsequently charged with multiple cases of child molestation, including that of his own son. In the 1980s, Stoll's was only one of an epidemic of false convictions in the area. Through interviews with those unjustly arrested, Nachman examines the morally hysteric climate that contributed to the situation.
      Director
      Dana Nachman, Don Hardy
      Producer
      Dana Nachman, Don Hardy
      Screenwriter
      Dana Nachman
      Genre
      Documentary
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Jan 26, 2017
      Runtime
      1h 31m
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