Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone has been in theatres for barely two weeks, and has already shattered box-office records ($93 million the first weekend alone) faster than a Jelly-Legs Jinx will give you wobbly legs. But no class at Hogwarts prepared the young British wizard for the inevitable, yet extremely varied, backlash on the Web:
WHAT IT IS: No one hates Harry more than the Religious Right, and Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged is all about teaching that, no matter what they’re called, Harry’s “abilities” are demonic, plain and simple.
WHERE TO FIND IT: www.therealpotter.com.
WHAT IT IS: The Organization of People Against Potter is an amalgam of folks who have come together with the specific agenda of hating Harry; their site includes a feature on a French professor who writes about Potter’s sexism and elitist attitudes.
WHERE TO FIND IT: www.geocities.com/toopap/index.htm
WHAT IT IS: This one isn’t for the faint of heart. With a simple series of mouse clicks, you can make Harry Potthead get high and assassinate himself.
WHERE TO FIND IT: www.newgrounds.com/portal/view.php?id=37604
None of this matters much to young Harry; shooting on his second film — Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets — has already started, and he’s already started counting the cash.
This article appears in November 30 • 2001.