Witch Hunt

1953 marks a turning point as Senator Crockett leads a nationwide campaign to outlaw magic. Fear of magical power grips the country and public sentiment turns against witches and warlocks. The stage is set for a collision between Hollywood's magic users and political power.

Kim Hudson hires private investigator H. Philip Lovecraft to dig up dirt on her husband, producer N. J. Gotlieb. She fears he plans to replace her on his latest film with a younger starlet and may be having an affair. Lovecraft begins the private investigation in Los Angeles.

Hypolita Kropotkin, Lovecraft's landlady, works secretly for Gotlieb's studio as a witch. She uses her powers to transport famous writers from history to the present to improve scripts. Her occult activities remain hidden from most people, even as she operates behind the scenes.

Lovecraft tails Gotlieb, Finn Macha, and Senator Crockett to a mansion in Los Feliz. An enchanted raven causes him to fall asleep before he can learn their plans. When he wakes, the mansion appears empty and everyone seems to have vanished.

Back at the studio, Gotlieb fires Kim, blaming her for the film's troubles. Soon after, Gotlieb is murdered by magic, making Kim the main suspect. Lovecraft becomes convinced there is more to the case than simple jealousy.

Distressed, Kim hires Lovecraft again to prove her innocence and identify the true killer. She wants a second opinion after the initial accusation. Lovecraft accepts the assignment and begins to close the case.

Lovecraft asks Hypolita for help; she agrees and recruits two magic users from her coven to assist in the investigation. The coven members bring additional clues and perspectives to the case. Their presence deepens the mystery rather than solving it right away.

One coven member senses Gotlieb's old memories and leads the team to a beach house owned by Gotlieb. Magic is used to cleanse the place of all evidence, leaving no obvious trace. The discovery complicates the investigation further.

Lovecraft returns to the Los Feliz mansion and finds it is a whorehouse where prostitutes use magic to transform into whatever clients want. The revelation reframes who might be manipulating whom. He begins to connect the dots between sex, power, and murder.

Lovecraft goes to talk to Kim and unknowingly interrupts a meeting with a sex worker. The worker uses magic to steal Kim's car and flee. Later, the same woman is found dead in the river and transformed into a mannequin.

Kim contemplates suicide, but Lovecraft intervenes. He confesses that he has used magic exactly once before—to hide a bottle on a suspect's boat and retrieve it to produce a needed conversation, enabling him to close a case. Macha suspects the evidence came from a different woman who had been present and killed her to silence her witness.

Senator Crockett uses the murders to scapegoat Hypolita and pushes through new anti-magic legislation. The laws threaten the entire magical community and Hypolita is sentenced to death by public burning. The crackdown intensifies as the public blames magic for the killings.

Lovecraft confronts Crockett, who boasts about his role in the killings with Macha. In the ensuing chaos, Macha curses Crockett and the situation spirals toward arrests of both criminals. Hypolita is temporarily spared as authorities scramble to regain control.

Lovecraft frees Hypolita and she and Lovecraft escape; Macha is nowhere to be found after the chaos. The investigation dissolves into political theater as power struggles take center stage.

Kim Hudson resolves to renounce magic and leave Hollywood behind. Before she boards the train home, Lovecraft shares a goodbye kiss with her, acknowledging that stardom may no longer be within reach. The closing image hints at a quieter life beyond the glamour.