The director of The Witch (2016) hinted in several interviews that ergot may have been the cause not only of the erratic behaviour of the presumed witches, but

The director of The Witch (2016) hinted in several interviews that ergot may have been the cause not only of the erratic behaviour of the presumed witches, but also of the accusations made against them. In other words, people poisoned with ergot may have been hallucinating and believe they saw the alleged witches do gruesome and unbelievable things.