Watch: Gruesome Trailer for WGN America’s ‘Salem’ Posits Witches are Real (and Violent)

Let me first say this: do not watch the two-minute trailer for “Salem” while trying to enjoy a meal. The full spot for WGN America’s first scripted series “Salem” is violent, dark, and more than a bit scary, painting a vivid picture for Sunday’s premiere episode.

Set in Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1600s, the premise of “Salem” rests on the belief that witches are, in fact, real. The infamous real-life trials so well depicted in most versions of the “The Crucible,” including the 1996 film starring Daniel Day-Lewis, seem more than necessary rather than depressingly false when witches are jumping off ceilings and pulling teeth from their mouths. 

“Salem” stars Janet Montgomery (“Human Target”), Shane West (“Nikita,” “ER”), and Seth Gabel (“Fringe”) and revolves around a romance somehow linked to the revelation that witches are real, just not who you think. The trailer starts out simple enough before heaping on the horror. Take a look for yourself below. “Salem” premieres Sunday at 10pm on WGN America.