The Crucible

In 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, a group of young women gather in the woods at night under the guidance of Tituba, a woman from Barbados. When the Reverend catches them at their dancing and charms, word spreads that the Devil has come to the village. Accusations multiply as neighbours use the panic to settle old scores, and a judge is sent from Boston to try the cases.

At the centre of it lies Abigail Williams, who once worked in the household of farmer John Proctor and had an affair with him before he returned to his wife, Elizabeth. Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft. The film is an adaptation of Arthur Miller's play, written in response to the anti-communist hearings of the McCarthy era, and Miller wrote the screenplay himself.

Nicholas Hytner directed, following his 1994 film The Madness of King George; he and Miller had worked together on a London stage production of the play. Daniel Day-Lewis plays Proctor, with Winona Ryder as Abigail, Joan Allen as Elizabeth and Paul Scofield as Judge Thomas Danforth. The production, made by 20th Century Fox for about 25 million dollars, returned roughly 7 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.8 from around 43,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.6 from just under 600.