Let’s be real for a second. If you mention the cast of Season of the Witch, most people immediately think of Nicolas Cage looking weary in a burlap tunic. It’s a 2011 supernatural action flick that, on paper, sounds like a standard "swords and sorcery" weekend rental. But look closer at the call sheet. You’ve got a future Golden Globe winner, a legendary hell-raiser, a prestige drama heavyweight, and a literal knight of the British Empire.
It's a weirdly stacked lineup.
Back in 2011, the movie didn't exactly set the world on fire with critics. It was a chaotic time for mid-budget cinema. But as the years have passed, this specific group of actors has turned the film into a fascinating time capsule. You aren't just watching a movie about the Black Plague and a suspected witch; you're watching a "before they were mega-famous" highlight reel mixed with veteran actors who could deliver Shakespearean gravitas while standing in a muddy ditch in Hungary.
Nicolas Cage and the Weight of Behmen von Bleibruck
At the center of it all is Nicolas Cage. By the time he joined the cast of Season of the Witch, he was already deep into his "working actor" phase, taking roles that allowed him to explore different genres at a breakneck pace. He plays Behmen von Bleibruck. He’s a Teutonic Knight who’s basically seen too much blood and decided he’s done with the Crusades.
Cage doesn't go "Full Cage" here. You know what I mean—no screaming about bees or stealing the Declaration of Independence. Instead, he plays it remarkably somber. It’s a quiet, internal performance. He’s a man wrestling with a crisis of faith, which is actually a recurring theme in his career if you look at films like Leaving Las Vegas or even Joe. He brings a specific kind of tired nobility to Behmen.
Honestly, his chemistry with the rest of the group is what keeps the movie grounded when the CGI demons eventually show up. He isn't playing a superhero. He’s playing a deserter looking for one last chance to do something that isn't murder. It’s a subtle distinction, but it matters.
Ron Perlman: The Perfect Foil
You can't talk about this movie without talking about Ron Perlman as Felson. Perlman is the ultimate "tough guy with a heart of gold" actor. He’s the guy you call when you need someone who looks like they could headbutt a horse and then tell a joke about it.
In the cast of Season of the Witch, Perlman serves as the necessary levity. While Cage is brooding about the state of his soul, Perlman is cracking wise about wanting a drink and a bath. Their camaraderie feels lived-in. It doesn't feel like two actors who met in a trailer five minutes before the cameras rolled. They feel like two guys who have spent twenty years sleeping in the dirt together.
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Perlman has this incredible ability to make even the most "clunky" dialogue sound natural. He’s a physical actor, using his stature to dominate the frame, but there’s always a twinkle in his eye. It’s a masterclass in how to play a sidekick without actually being a sidekick. He’s an equal partner in the madness.
Claire Foy Before the Crown
This is the part that surprises most people today. Before she was winning every award on the planet for The Crown or navigating the gritty world of The Girl in the Spider's Web, Claire Foy was "The Girl" in the cast of Season of the Witch.
She plays Anna, the young woman accused of bringing the plague to the land.
It is a difficult role. For about eighty percent of the movie, she has to be an enigma. Is she an innocent victim of religious hysteria? Or is she actually a vessel for something ancient and evil? Foy plays it with a terrifying ambiguity. One moment she looks like a terrified child, and the next, there’s a coldness in her eyes that makes you lean back from the screen.
Seeing her here, early in her career, you can see the seeds of her future greatness. She has this stillness. She doesn’t need to overact to be the most interesting person in the room. It’s a performance that holds the entire tension of the film together. If you don't believe she might be a witch, the journey to the abbey has no stakes. She makes you believe it.
The Supporting Heavyweights
The rest of the cast of Season of the Witch is rounded out by actors who have "prestige" written all over their resumes.
- Stephen Campbell Moore: He plays Debelzaq, the priest. You might recognize him from The History Boys. He brings a frantic, desperate energy to the group. He represents the institutional church, but a version of it that is terrified and clutching at straws.
- Robert Sheehan: Long before he was Klaus in The Umbrella Academy or Nathan in Misfits, he was Kay von Wollenbarth. He’s the "kid" of the group, the aspiring knight. Sheehan has always had a manic, electric energy, and even in this muddy medieval setting, he manages to be incredibly charismatic.
- Stephen Graham: This is the one that usually blows people’s minds. Stephen Graham, arguably one of the greatest British actors of his generation (Boardwalk Empire, Boiling Point), plays Hagamar. He’s a con artist and a guide. Graham can do more with a twitch of his lip than most actors can do with a five-minute monologue. He adds a layer of "street-level" grit to the fantasy.
And then, there’s Christopher Lee.
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Yes, that Christopher Lee. Sir Christopher Lee appears as Cardinal D’Ambroise. He’s under heavy prosthetic makeup because his character is dying of the plague, but that voice is unmistakable. Having a legend like Lee in the film gives it an immediate sense of authority. He was the king of gothic horror, and his presence here feels like a passing of the torch—or at least a nod to the Hammer Horror films of old that clearly inspired this movie's DNA.
Why This Specific Ensemble Matters
Usually, in a movie like this, the supporting characters are just fodder. They are there to get picked off one by one until only the lead remains. But the cast of Season of the Witch feels like a genuine ensemble. Every character has a specific motivation.
Hagamar wants his freedom.
Kay wants glory.
Debelzaq wants to save his soul.
Behmen and Felson just want to find some peace.
Because the actors are so high-caliber, these motivations actually land. You care when they’re in danger. When the group is crossing that rickety bridge—which, let’s be honest, is a classic trope—the tension isn't just from the height. It’s from the fact that we’ve grown to like this weird, dysfunctional family.
The film was directed by Dominic Sena, who previously worked with Cage on Gone in 60 Seconds. Sena has a very "music video" aesthetic—lots of fast cuts and sweeping shots. Sometimes that clashes with the period setting, but the actors manage to keep the ship upright. They treat the material with more respect than it probably deserves, and that’s the hallmark of a great cast.
Acknowledging the Production Reality
It wasn't an easy shoot. The movie was filmed across Austria, Hungary, and Croatia. The weather was often brutal. There were delays. The film was actually finished quite a while before it was finally released in 2011.
Sometimes, that kind of "production hell" can bleed into the performances. In the case of the cast of Season of the Witch, it actually works in their favor. They look exhausted because they probably were. They look cold because they were filming in the Alps in late autumn. That physical reality adds a layer of authenticity to a story that involves winged demons and magical scrolls.
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The Legacy of the Performances
If you watch this movie today, you aren't just watching a 90-minute thriller. You’re watching a crossroads of careers.
- You see the end of an era for Christopher Lee.
- You see the mid-career experimentalism of Nicolas Cage.
- You see the absolute beginning of Claire Foy’s ascent to superstardom.
- You see the reliable brilliance of character actors like Stephen Graham and Ron Perlman.
Most "B-movies" don't have this level of talent. Usually, you get one big name and a bunch of unknowns. Here, almost every face on the screen is someone you've seen headlining a major series or winning an Oscar later on.
Actionable Takeaways for Film Fans
If you're planning a rewatch or seeing it for the first time because of the cast of Season of the Witch, keep a few things in mind to get the most out of it.
Watch the eyes, not the effects. The CGI hasn't aged perfectly—it was 2011, after all. However, the facial acting, especially from Foy and Cage, is top-tier. Pay attention to how Foy shifts her body language when she's trying to manipulate the different members of the group. It's really subtle work.
Look for the chemistry. Focus on the dialogue between Perlman and Cage. A lot of it feels improvised or at least heavily lived-in. Their "old married couple" vibe is the emotional heart of the film.
Spot the future stars. It’s a fun game to play. Identifying Stephen Graham under the grime or realizing that the "kid" is the same guy who would eventually become a cult icon in Umbrella Academy adds a layer of meta-enjoyment to the experience.
Appreciate the practical locations. While there is a lot of green screen in the third act, the earlier scenes in the mountains and forests are stunning. The cast is actually out there in the elements, and it shows in their physicality.
Ultimately, the movie is a bit of a "mutt." It’s part road movie, part war movie, part horror, and part fantasy. It doesn't always know what it wants to be. But the cast of Season of the Witch knew exactly what they were doing. They showed up, put in the work, and created a character-driven story hidden inside a popcorn flick. That's why, despite the mixed reviews, people are still talking about it fifteen years later.
If you want to dive deeper into the filmography of these actors, your next logical step is to check out Pig for a modern "subtle" Cage performance or The Crown to see just how far Claire Foy has come since her days in the cage. Looking at these career trajectories makes the 2011 film feel less like a random credit and more like a pivotal moment for everyone involved.