The 45 Best Witch Movies That Are Guaranteed to Put a Spell on You

Forget vampires. Werewolves? Please. For pure cinematic power, nothing holds a candle—a black flame candle, perhaps—to a good old-fashioned witch. They can be terrifying, glamorous, misunderstood, or just plain fabulous.

From Technicolor classics to modern folk horror that will ruin your sleep for a week, we’ve summoned them all. So grab your broomstick (or your remote), because this is the definitive list of the best witch movies ever made. We’ve separated the iconic from the instantly forgettable to bring you 45 films that absolutely rule the coven.

 

 

The Golden Age Crones & Charms

Long before teen covens took over the suburbs, Hollywood’s original witches set the template. They were either impossibly chic or nightmare fuel, and honestly, we love both.

 

 

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Let’s start with the icon. Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch of the West is pure, green-skinned perfection. She gave generations of children a healthy fear of flying monkeys and is the gold standard for cinematic villainy. Glinda the Good Witch is fine, I guess, but we all know who stole the show.

 

 

I Married a Witch (1942)

Veronica Lake is an absolute dream as a resurrected witch who falls for the descendant of the man who burned her at the stake. It’s a screwball comedy bubbling with charm, and it laid the groundwork for decades of sitcom witches to come.

 

 

Bell, Book and Candle (1958)

Before she was Holly Golightly, Kim Novak was Gillian Holroyd, a bored, beatnik witch who casts a love spell on her handsome neighbor (James Stewart). The Greenwich Village art scene setting is impeccable, the cat Pyewacket is a star, and the whole thing is just effortlessly cool.

 

 

Black Sunday (1960)

Ready for a serious mood shift? This Italian Gothic horror masterpiece from Mario Bava is one of the most chilling spooky witch films you’ll ever see. A vengeful witch returns from the grave to terrorize her descendants, and the visuals are just stunningly creepy.

 

 

Burn, Witch, Burn (1962)

Also known as Night of the Eagle, this British horror flick is a tightly wound thriller about a college professor who discovers his wife is practicing witchcraft to help his career. But is her magic real, or is it all in his head? The tension is almost unbearable.

 

 

The ’80s & ’90s Witchy Renaissance

This was the era. Big hair, bigger spells, and a whole lot of attitude. The ’90s, in particular, gave us some of the absolute best witch movies that still define the genre for an entire generation.

 

 

The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

Cher, Susan Sarandon, AND Michelle Pfeiffer as bored suburbanites who accidentally summon Jack Nicholson’s devilish Daryl Van Horne? Yes, please. This movie is a perfect storm of star power, dark comedy, and pure, chaotic fun.

 

 

The Witches (1990)

Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch is one of the most terrifying performances ever put to film, full stop. Roald Dahl’s story is brought to life with incredible, and deeply unsettling, Jim Henson creature effects. You’ll never look at a fancy hotel convention the same way again.

 

 

Hocus Pocus (1993)

It wasn’t a huge hit at first, but now it’s a Halloween institution. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy are having the time of their lives as the Sanderson Sisters, a trio of campy, bumbling witches. It’s pure, delightful nostalgia.

 

 

Teen Witch (1989)

Top that! This movie is so wonderfully, ridiculously ’80s it hurts. A nerdy high schooler discovers she’s a witch and uses her powers to become popular. Is it a “good” movie? Debatable. Is it an endlessly rewatchable cult classic with an unforgettable rap scene? Absolutely.

 

 

The Craft (1996)

This is the one. For a certain slice of millennials, The Craft wasn’t just a movie, it was a personality. Four Catholic school outcasts form a coven and start messing with powers they can’t control. It’s got a killer soundtrack, iconic fashion, and Fairuza Balk’s legendary performance as Nancy Downs.

 

 

Practical Magic (1998)

Midnight margaritas, anyone? Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are the Owens sisters, cursed to have any man they love meet an untimely end. It’s more of a cozy romantic drama with a side of witchcraft, and its aesthetic has inspired countless mood boards for nearly 30 years.

 

 

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

This movie changed horror forever. The ultimate found-footage film convinced an entire generation that a witch was haunting the woods of Maryland. The genius is that you never actually see the witch, making it a masterclass in psychological terror.

 

 

The Crucible (1996)

Based on Arthur Miller’s classic play, this one is less about supernatural spells and more about the horror of mass hysteria. Winona Ryder is fantastic as the manipulative Abigail Williams, who uses accusations of witchcraft to tear a Puritan community apart.

 

 

Folk Horror & The Truly Twisted

If you like your witch movies to come with a heavy dose of dread, historical gloom, and a feeling that you need to take a shower afterward, this section is for you. These are spooky witch films at their most primal.

 

 

The Witch (2015)

Wouldst thou like to live deliciously? Robert Eggers’ directorial debut is a slow-burn descent into paranoia and Puritanical terror. It’s atmospheric, gorgeously shot, and features one of cinema’s greatest goats, Black Phillip. A modern masterpiece.

 

 

Hereditary (2018)

Is it a movie about grief or a movie about a demonic cult? Why not both! While the witchy elements are a slow reveal, the payoff is one of the most shocking and disturbing horror finales of the 21st century. Toni Collette deserved an Oscar.

 

 

Suspiria (1977)

Dario Argento’s surreal, technicolor nightmare is a sensory overload in the best way possible. An American ballet student enrolls in a prestigious German dance academy, only to discover it’s a front for a coven. The style, the score, the sheer audacity—it’s untouchable.

 

 

Suspiria (2018)

Luca Guadagnino’s remake is a different beast entirely. It’s colder, more political, and replaces the vibrant colors with a bleak, brutalist palette. It’s a demanding watch, but Tilda Swinton’s triple performance is incredible, and the final act is… a lot.

 

 

The Wicker Man (1973)

A devout police sergeant investigates a missing girl on a remote Scottish island inhabited by pagans. What follows is a deeply unsettling folk-horror classic that builds to a truly horrifying climax. Skip the Nicolas Cage remake. Seriously.

 

 

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Mia Farrow is heartbreakingly fragile as a young wife who becomes convinced her friendly, eccentric neighbors are part of a satanic cult with designs on her unborn child. The horror is in the gaslighting, making it one of the most effective psychological thrillers ever.

 

 

The Wailing (2016)

This South Korean epic blends folk religion, demonic possession, and a police procedural into a sprawling, terrifying mystery. When a mysterious stranger arrives in a small village, a plague of madness and violence follows. It’s long, complex, and will stick with you for days.

 

 

The Lords of Salem (2012)

Rob Zombie’s most atmospheric and art-house film follows a Salem DJ who receives a mysterious record from a band called “The Lords.” Playing it awakens something ancient and evil in the town. It’s a bizarre, Kubrick-esque fever dream.

 

 

A Dark Song (2016)

A grieving woman hires an occultist to help her perform a grueling, months-long ritual to contact her deceased son. This is a stripped-down, intense film about the sheer effort and sacrifice of magic. It’s a challenging but rewarding watch.

 

 

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

A father-and-son coroner team gets the body of an unidentified young woman. As they begin the autopsy, they uncover increasingly bizarre and terrifying clues that she is no ordinary corpse. This is a claustrophobic and seriously scary supernatural tale.

 

 

Modern Magic & Millennial Hexes

Contemporary filmmakers are still finding new ways to explore witchcraft, from hyper-stylized tributes to clever twists on familiar tropes.

 

 

The Love Witch (2016)

Anna Biller’s film is a stunning tribute to 1960s Technicolor melodramas. A beautiful young witch uses spells to find love, but her potions are a little too powerful. The commitment to the aesthetic is breathtaking, and it’s a sharp, funny commentary on gender dynamics.

 

 

Gretel & Hansel (2020)

Forget the quaint fairytale. This version is a slow, moody, and visually stunning horror film. It’s all about atmosphere, with a genuinely creepy vibe and a focus on the dark allure of power that the witch offers to Gretel.

 

 

The Wretched (2019)

A teen boy struggling with his parents’ divorce discovers that his neighbor is a body-snatching, child-eating witch from the woods. It’s a fun, fast-paced creature feature that feels like a throwback to ’80s horror.

 

 

The Conjuring (2013)

The first (and best) film in the massive franchise is rooted in a witch’s curse. Bathsheba Sherman, a Salem-era witch, haunts a remote farmhouse, and her story provides the backbone for some of the most effective jump scares in modern horror history.

 

 

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

After a three-decade break from horror, Sam Raimi came back with this gleefully nasty and over-the-top film. A loan officer is cursed by an old woman she evicts, and what follows is a relentless barrage of supernatural torment. It’s gross, scary, and a total blast.

 

 

The Skeleton Key (2005)

Kate Hudson stars as a hospice nurse at a spooky Louisiana plantation who gets tangled up in the owners’ dark past with Hoodoo folk magic. The atmosphere is thick and swampy, and the twist ending is an all-timer.

 

 

The Craft: Legacy (2020)

This sequel-reboot follows a new group of young witches who, like their predecessors, find empowerment and danger in magic. It’s a much sweeter, more modern take on the story, focusing on sisterhood and acceptance. It might not have the original’s edge, but it has its own charm.

 

 

Fun for the Whole Coven

Not all witch movies are designed to make you hide under the covers. These films offer magic and adventure for all ages.

 

 

Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

Possibly the most wholesome witch movie ever made. Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece follows a young witch who leaves home for a year to start her own delivery service. It’s a beautiful, gentle story about finding your place in the world and overcoming creative burnout.

 

 

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Another Studio Ghibli classic, this one features the vain and powerful wizard Howl and the Witch of the Waste, who curses our hero Sophie. It’s a sprawling, imaginative fantasy about war, love, and finding family in unexpected places.

 

 

ParaNorman (2012)

This gorgeous stop-motion film from Laika is about a boy who can speak to the dead. He has to uncover the truth behind a centuries-old witch’s curse to save his town. It’s funny, spooky, and has a surprisingly moving message about empathy and bullying.

 

 

Stardust (2007)

Based on Neil Gaiman’s novel, this fantasy adventure features a trio of ancient witches led by the deliciously evil Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer, pulling double witch duty on this list). They’re hunting a fallen star to regain their youth, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it.

 

 

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)

Angela Lansbury is an apprentice witch in WWII-era England who takes in three evacuee children. It’s a charming, magical Disney classic with a fantastic animated sequence and some truly catchy songs.

 

 

The Harry Potter series (2001-2011)

You can’t have a list of best witch movies without acknowledging the most successful magical world ever created. From Hermione’s brilliance to Bellatrix’s madness, the series is packed with some of the most memorable witches and wizards of all time.

 

 

Into the Woods (2014)

Meryl Streep devours the role of the Witch in this big-screen adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical. She curses a baker and his wife and sends them on a fairytale scavenger hunt. Streep’s performance of “Last Midnight” is absolutely electrifying.

 

 

Big Budget Brujas & Blockbuster Spells

When Hollywood throws a ton of money at a cauldron, the results can be epic… or a bit of a misfire. Here are the blockbusters that tried to cast a wide net.

 

 

Maleficent (2014)

Angelina Jolie was born to play this role. This revisionist take on Sleeping Beauty gives the iconic villain a sympathetic backstory. The movie itself is a bit uneven, but Jolie’s commanding presence and those cheekbones are worth the price of admission.

 

 

The Last Witch Hunter (2015)

Look, this movie is completely ridiculous. Vin Diesel plays an immortal witch hunter who has to stop a plague from being unleashed on New York City. But if you’re in the mood for some goofy, over-the-top action, you could do a lot worse.

 

 

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Tim Burton’s gothic masterpiece is dripping with atmosphere. While the Headless Horseman is the main attraction, the real villainy comes from a conspiracy of witches pulling the strings in the shadows. It’s a gorgeous, bloody, and endlessly entertaining film.

 

 

Beautiful Creatures (2013)

This attempt to launch a YA franchise is actually a pretty solid Southern Gothic romance. A teen “caster” (their word for witch) in a small town falls for a mortal boy as her 16th birthday approaches, when her powers will be claimed by either the light or the dark. It’s better than you remember.

 

 

The Covenant (2006)

Imagine The Craft but with Abercrombie & Fitch models at a New England boarding school. That’s The Covenant. It’s cheesy, the dialogue is terrible, and it’s an absolute blast to watch with a group of friends. A true 2000s artifact.

 

 

Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)

Nearly 30 years later, the Sanderson Sisters returned, and it was like they never left. The sequel wisely doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, instead delivering more of the campy, chaotic energy that made the first one a classic. It’s pure fan service in the best possible way.

 

 

Season of the Witch (1972)

Not the Nicolas Cage movie! This early film from horror legend George A. Romero is a strange, psychedelic portrait of a bored suburban housewife who dabbles in witchcraft. It’s a fascinating, if messy, look at feminism and the occult through a ’70s lens.

 

 

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

Wes Craven directed this chilling film based on the “true” story of an anthropologist who travels to Haiti to investigate a drug used in voodoo rituals to create zombies. It’s a frightening exploration of political turmoil and black magic that feels grounded and real.

 

 

So, What’s the Ultimate Witch Movie?

The truth is, there isn’t just one. The best witch movie depends entirely on what you’re looking for. Do you want the ’90s cool of The Craft, the historical terror of The Witch, or the comforting magic of Kiki’s Delivery Service?

The witch is cinema’s most versatile monster—a symbol of rebellion, power, and fear. She can be the hero or the villain, the girl next door or an ancient evil. And that’s why, even after all these years, we’re still completely under their spell.