The 20 most twisted witch movies

Based on Stephen Sondheim's play of the same name, Into the Woods  is a mash-up of the various fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm, including Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel. One of the central characters, of course, is Meryl Streep’s the Witch, who ends up being one of the film’s most tragic and haunting characters. Like the play, the film is a meditation on the ethics and ethos of responsibility, of the relationships between parents and their children, and of the enduring power of fairy tales.

Frederic March and Veronica Lake star in the very funny romantic comedy I Married A Witch, in which Lake plays a vengeful witch, and March plays the man with whom she falls in love in the process of trying to enact revenge upon him. There’s no doubt that it’s a strange film, but it’s also undeniably charming. Lake is perfectly cast as the witch Jennifer, and Frederic March, as always, makes for a very strong romantic lead. Even after all these years, the film casts a unique spell.

Based on C.S. Lewis' novel of the same name, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe  is a thrilling and epic adaptation, focusing on the four Pevensie children as they are swept into the magical land of Narnia. There, they encounter the beautiful but tyrannical White Witch, portrayed by Tilda Swinton in arguably one of her very best roles. Even though the Witch is the main antagonist of the film, it’s impossible to look away from her as she rules the country with an icy, iron fist, turning to stone anyone who dares to displease her.

Witchfinder General is widely regarded as a remarkable piece of folk horror filmmaking, and it’s easy to see why. Vincent Price gives a chilling performance as Matthew Hopkins, a witchfinder who delights in using his power to terrorize everyone around him. The film is a haunting reminder of just how easy it is for the social order to break down — it takes place during the chaos of the English Civil War — and, just as importantly, how easy it is for bad actors to take advantage of this for their own sadistic ends.

Tim Burton adds his unique spin to the story of Ichabod Crane with Sleepy Hollow,  which stars Johnny Depp as Crane, who comes to Sleepy Hollow and finds his fate increasingly intertwined with that of the locals. Of particular note in the film is Miranda Richardson, Lady Mary Van Tassel, a wicked stepmother figure who is also a witch and has secretly been controlling the Headless Horseman. It’s one of those roles that Richardson was born to play, and she is perfect as the scheming witch who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

Goran Stolevski made his feature debut with the thought-provoking You Won’t Be Alone. The film focuses on a pair of witches, Maria and Nevena, particularly the former’s attempts to teach the latter how to be one of their kind. The film breathes new life into the well-worn figure of the witch story with an artsy aesthetic that sets it apart from many other examples of the genre. It is, more than anything else, a fascinating exploration of how the witch has appeared across different cultures. 

While the 2020 version of The Witches  might lack some of the horrifying bite of its 1990s predecessor, it’s still a fun and entertaining adaptation of Roald Dahl's original novel. Of particular note is the performance from Anne Hathaway as the Grand High Witch, and she deserves credit for working a bit out of her usual character type. Moreover, this version is actually more faithful to the original book, and its striking aesthetic helps to make a worthy successor to Nicolas Roeg’s version.

Based on the novel by John Updike, The Witches of Eastwick  focuses on a trio of women who are actually witches (even if they do not know it). When a stranger comes into town, they all find themselves vying for his attention, with chaotic results. The film is at times quite ridiculous, but there’s something quite fun about it, too, particularly given that it stars such heavy hitters as Susan Sarandon, Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jack Nicholson. 

Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff has repeatedly shown that she is one of the strongest characters in the MCU, and this is particularly true in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Desperate to find a universe in which she can be reunited with her children, Wanda slowly becomes a monster of her own making, willing to sacrifice anyone and everyone in her efforts. The film has more than a little horror in its DNA, thanks in no small part to Sam Raimi’s direction. Despite the title, it’s really Elizabeth Olsen’s show, and, as always, she makes the most of the role.

Based on the searing play by Arthur Miller, The Crucible  takes place during the Salem witch trials, showing how easy it is for Americans to get caught up in mass hysteria. The film features a number of terrific performances, including from Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder. Even though it loses a bit of something divorced from the context in which Miller wrote it — the Red Scare — it is nevertheless a film that becomes ever more pertinent, particularly since the residents of Salem are not the only ones prone to persecuting those they see as different.

Few witches are as iconic as the Wicked Witch of the West, the primary antagonist of the beloved 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. It would become the role with which actress Margaret Hamilton was forever associated, and there’s no doubt she gave a terrific performance. It’s easy to see why since the Wicked Witch immediately terrifies Dorothy and the audience. Even though the Good Witch, Glinda, does her best to help the little girl from Kansas, everyone knows that it’s really the Wicked Witch who has the real power in Oz, until she meets that fateful bucket of water.

The Disney Channel was quite adept at pumping out fun and cheap movies in the 1990s, a few of which managed to become classics. Take, for example, Halloweentown, which stars none other than Debbie Reynolds as Aggie Cromwell, the grandmother of the main character, Marnie Piper, and a formidable witch. While Marnie might be the protagonist, Debbie Reynolds is the star attraction, and it’s clear she’s having the time of her life in this particular role. 

Though witches have long been a fixture in horror movies of various types, they’ve also been known to appear in other genres. Bell, Book and Candle, for example, stars Kim Novak as a witch and James Stewart as her neighbor who falls under her spell. It’s an undeniably silly film, but there’s still some magic to it, particularly when it comes to the performances of its leads. It’s also a very beautiful film to look at, particularly when it comes to its Technicolor cinematography. 

It would have been very easy to turn in a very cheap and bland sequel to Hocus Pocus, but Hocus Pocus 2 actually manages to capture at least a bit of the magic that made the original so beloved among millennials. Much of its success stems from the fact that Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker all return for their roles as the Sandersons square off against 21st-century teens. The film might trade a fair bit in nostalgia for its predecessor, but it’s always a delight to see the three actresses hamming it up.

The remarkable thing about Disney’s Hocus Pocus was that it wasn’t a huge hit on its initial release; it would only become so thanks to repeated TV airings over the years. Now, however, no Halloween season is complete without a screening of this fun witchy film focusing on the Sanderson sisters — Winifred, Mary, and Sarah — and the modern-day teens who want to stop them from regaining immortality. It’s funny and creepy, and Bette Midler gives what is arguably the very best performance of her career.

Practical Magic  could have only been made in the late 1990s. It stars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as a pair of witch sisters who have to use their powers to dispel a vengeful spirit. There are times when the film can’t quite hold all of its elements and genres together, but there’s no question that both Bullock and Kidman are charming and fun to watch. Moreover, the film is an important reminder that there’s a lot of power in stories about sisterhood, particularly that of the witchy variety. 

Even though the found footage film is a key part of the horror landscape now, it wasn’t quite as dominant when The Blair Witch Project came out in 1999. It focuses on a trio of filmmakers who set out to find the sinister Blair Witch. Unfortunately for them, things take a very sinister turn, and the film ultimately leaves their fate unknown. In addition to being extremely successful — particularly given its indie status — the film was scary, all the more so since so much of the truly terrifying stuff happens beyond the view of the camera.

Angela Lansbury gives one of her most notable and beloved film performances in Disney’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks. She plays witch-in-training Eglantine Price, who takes three youths into her home during World War II, after which they go on a series of extraordinary adventures and even manage to vanquish a party of invading Nazis. It’s a very fun and enjoyable film with a heart of gold, and it also includes some marvelous animated sequences and musical numbers courtesy of the Sherman Brothers.  

Nicolas Roeg directed this film, which is also based on the Roald Dahl novel of the same name. The center of the story is the boy Luke, who stumbles on a secret and malicious cabal of witches who masquerade as humans. The most powerful performance in the film, however, comes from Anjelica Huston, who portrays the beautiful (but secretly hideous) Grand High Witch. It’s one of Huston’s best performances, and she perfectly captures the sinister menace that earns the Grand High Witch herself a place among the best witches in popular culture.

Robert Eggers’ feature debut, The Witch, is a stunning piece of horror filmmaking that shows the extent to which the witch has long been a figure haunting the American imagination.  Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Thomasin, a young woman who accompanies her family into exile in the New England wilderness, only to find that a sinister witch lurks there as well. Eggers expertly blends folk horror with period drama, and Taylor-Joy gives one of the most intense performances of her career. There’s even a goat that may, in fact, be the devil.