What begins as a school project becomes an emotional journey into historic wounds.

THE LAST WITCH is a documentary following eﬀorts to exonerate Elizabeth Johnson Jr., the last person convicted of witchcraft during the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. As a schoolteacher, her students, and a state senator work to clear Elizabeth’s name, what begins as a unique school project quickly becomes an emotional journey into historical wounds left unattended—and the contemporary implications of those wounds.

THE LAST WITCH shows how a schoolteacher, her students, and their allies not only set Elizabeth’s wrongful conviction right, but that by making amends with the past, they provide all of us with inspiration to create a better future. THE LAST WITCH spotlights the impact one person can have to change history. The film draws attention to our own responsibility to advocate for justice, and the importance of civic education in protecting democracy.

Who was...

THE • LAST

WITCH?

The last person tried for the crime of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials was Elizabeth Johnson, Jr., a 22-year-old woman who was deemed “simplish,” accused, arrested, bullied and convicted. While she was not executed, her sentence as a “detestable witch” continued to subject her to ongoing injustices after the Trials and remained beyond her lifetime until present day.

August 10, 1692 : Arrested for Witchcraft

January 11, 1693 : Sentenced to Hang

July 28, 2022: Exonerated of the Crime,

330 years later

THE PLAYERS

Key characters in our story

CARRIE LAPIERRE

8th Grade School Teacher

Carrie’s passion for history and justice inspired 250 of her students to take on Elizabeth Johnson Jr’s case as the last person in Massachusetts to be exonerated of the conviction of witchcraft

DIANA DIZOGLIO

Massachusetts State Senator

As the daughter of a single mother who
had her at 17, Diana has always had to
fight for the things that have mattered to
her, including the injustice done to
Elizabeth Johnson Jr.

THE 8th GRADE CLASS

North Andover Middle School

Around 120 students, aged 13-14 years,
are challenged to read primary sources
and send letters and postcards to the
legislature to clear the name of a woman
who lived many years before them during
events that will shape their lives today.

THE RE-ENACTMENTS

To bring the story to life for the viewer, three re-enactments will be filmed on location

THE TRIAL

Elizabeth’s examination and confession on August 11, 1692, was recorded verbatim. The transcript will serve as the script for the reenactment, which will be filmed at the existing reconstructed meeting house located at the Rebecca Nurse Homestead.

THE WITCH PARTY

Elizabeth, and many other accused, describe witches flying to a picnic where 120 people gathered on April 22, 1692 to celebrate their pact with the devil. We will film an imagined reenactment of the event.

THE DESCENDANTS

At least 15 million people can claim ancestral ties with the Salem Witch Trials. 120 of them will be invited to illustrate how many people were accused, convicted, executed or exonerated.

Director’s Statement

As a former university teacher, I relate to how Carrie LaPierre, a middle school teacher, uses Elizabeth Johnson Jr.’s story to teach her students that by taking action to clear Elizabeth of her conviction, we can all make a diﬀerence.

330 years after the Salem Witch Trials came to an end, Carrie, her students, and the last convicted witch together teach us all much-needed lessons about humanity, community, and spirituality. These lessons will take us beyond the Salem Witch Trials to contemporary “witch hunts,” as THE LAST WITCH embarks on a social impact campaign in support of civic education and participation—to encourage all of us to understand and engage in democracy.

I look forward to it.

Annika Hylmö, Ph.D.