England's sinister Witchfinder General (Matthew Hopkins)

This week, Jen takes us deep into 17th-century England for a disturbing journey through paranoia, power, and persecution. Meet Matthew Hopkins, the self-appointed Witchfinder General, who turned the chaos of the English Civil War into a personal witch-hunting enterprise. Sanctioned by Cromwell’s Puritans, Hopkins traveled the countryside with his henchmen, extracting confessions through torture and raking in a tidy profit for every “witch” he condemned. It’s a grim tale of fear exploited, justice perverted, and history’s dark appetite for scapegoats. Grab your salt circle—this one’s a rough ride.