Some of the most beloved films in cinema history tell the spooky tales of witchcraft and magic, entrancing audiences across the world. The depiction of witches has changed drastically over the years, initially being shown as deformed, malevolent hags flying around on broomsticks and targeting innocent children. This representation has shifted greatly, with the magical beings now often serving as protagonists with kind hearts and beautiful faces who want to help protect society, not hurt it. Witches in Hollywood went from the dramatic portrayal of a green-skinned, pointy-hat wearing evil menace à la the Wicked Witch of the West in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, to the beautiful and caring Owens sisters in 1998’s Practical Magic.
That’s not to say that Hollywood hasn’t released countless pictures involving witches getting up to less-than virtuous behavior; the teen supernatural flick The Craft follows a group of teenage girls who dabble in the occult and end up wreaking havoc on those who have wronged them. The Sanderson sisters turned the town of Salem upside down in search of children’s souls to steal in the cult classic Hocus Pocus. Whether illustrated in fun family flicks, dark fantasies or animated adventures, witches have been and remain a constant big screen attraction. With the successful second season of The Witcher and the anticipated release of Hellbender putting witches in the spotlight again, let’s take a look at the best 20th century movies about witches.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
9 The Witches
Warner Bros.
Nicolas Roeg’s 1990 dark fantasy comedy The Witches famously stars Anjelica Huston as The Grand High Witch, who deviously plots to turn all children into mice through a magical potion but faces a surprising adversary in the form of an 8-year-old boy. Based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name, the story focuses on evil witches who masquerade as ordinary women while harboring extreme hate for all children. The Grand High Priestess is the most powerful and evil witch of all, and she hides her ancient and hideous appearance behind an attractive disguise in order to blend in with society. The character’s frightening and monstrous true look was crafted by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop: “The prosthetics for Miss Ernst’s transformation to The Grand High Witch were extensive. The various features–contacts lenses, full facial mask, hump, withered collarbone, and hands–took over six hours to apply and almost as much time to remove at the end of the day.” The Witches was well-received by critics and audiences (much more so than its remake), and has since developed a cult following.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 The Little Mermaid
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Disney’s 1989 beloved animated fantasy musical The Little Mermaid tells the tale of a mermaid named Ariel who longs to become a human and falls in love with a human prince named Eric, whom she rescued from drowning. She decides to make a magical bargain with the villainous sea witch Ursula in order to become a human and be with him. Ursula only agrees to help the young mermaid because she wants to overthrow her father, King Triton. Pat Carrol provides the voice of the scheming witch, and based her performance on a combination of Shakespearean actresses and car salespeople. The character was quickly embraced as one of Disney’s best villains, garnering praise for being both scary and humorous; Carrol earned so much acclaim that the role ultimately eclipsed her previous body of work and became synonymous with her. The Los Angeles Times proclaimed, “Actress Pat Carrol and the Ursula animators pump astonishing gobs of rotten-flirty menace and perversity into Witch Ursula, who looks a bit like the late actor Divine pasted over with an evil Jack Nicholson leer and squeezed into a cleavage-popping black evening gown.” Yet another live-action Disney remake is in the works.
7 Practical Magic
1998’s fantasy romantic comedy Practical Magic features the brilliant Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, who are both witches raised by their aunts, who taught them the uses of helpful magic. Being a member of the Owens family comes with a high price to pay: all the romantic suitors the women fall for are doomed to an untimely death. It’s up to the reserved Sally and feisty Gillian to use their powers to fight against the family curse and menacing supernatural forces. Bullock revealed that while filming the fantasy flick, the cast felt that the supernatural elements of the project were beginning to affect them; both the actors and the crew claimed they heard otherworldly noises while shooting the coven scene at the end of the picture. Despite a lukewarm reception by both critics and audiences, Practical Magic has gone on to become a cult classic and, like pretty much everything else, is being remade.
6 Kiki’s Delivery Service
Toei Company
From the gifted mind of visionary Hayao Miyazaki and the beloved Studio Ghibli comes the 1989 animated fantasy Kiki’s Delivery Service, and tells the story of the titular young witch who moves to a new town and uses her gift of flying to earn a living. Kiki must spend a year in the seaside town in accordance with her village’s tradition for training witches, honing in her craft and mastering it. The determined yet insecure 13-year-old begins to question her skills and begins losing her magical abilities, and must go on a pivotal journey of self-discovery. Miyazaki revealed that he wanted the film to portray the gulf between independence and reliance in teenage Japanese girls, and heavily features the concepts of maturity and vulnerability. Kiki’s Delivery Service was a box-office smash and earned the praise of moviegoers and critics, with The Guardian writing, “The film becomes a benign guided tour of femininity…gently broaching universal coming-of-age issues such as independence, insecurity, and even–more boldly than any Western children’s movie would contemplate–sexuality.” Also, yes, it got a live-action remake.
5 The Witches of Eastwick
George Miller’s classic 1987 dark fantasy-comedy The Witches of Eastwick includes a slew of cinema’s most dazzling stars, including Jack Nicholson, Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer and Susan Sarandon. The movie is based on the John Updike novel and centers on three single women living in the picturesque village of Eastwick, Rhode Island who find their desires fulfilled with the arrival of a flashy and mysterious man. The great Jack Nicholson portrays the brazen Daryl Van Horne, who sets out to seduce the three small-town friends and reveals that each of them are actually powerful witches. For his performance of the devilish Van Horne, Nicholson won the Saturn Award for Best Actor; the role was initially supposed to be played by funnyman Bill Murray, who ended up dropping out before production began. The Witches of Eastwick is a quirky and well-crafted fantasy flick from the director of Mad Max, one that’s full of dynamite performances by its gifted leads, and is truly a Halloween staple (so of course, it too is being remade).
4 Hocus Pocus
Disney
Starring the sensational Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy, 1993’s fantasy comedy Hocus Pocus follows a villainous trio of sister witches who are inadvertently resurrected on Halloween night by a teenage boy in Salem, Massachusetts. The Kenny Ortega film first came to fruition in 1984 but experienced a stalled production until 1992, when Midler expressed intense interest in the picture. The iconic performer is quoted as having said that Hocus Pocus “was the most fun I’d had in my career up to that point.” Though initially a box office blunder the fantasy gained new life with audiences through annual airings on network television, becoming a cult classic through the celebration of Halloween. The city of Salem also acknowledges and appreciates the film for what it’s done for tourism, stating: “There’s always been a Hocus Pocus component to the visitors to Salem, especially in October. But it’s like the film’s following grows every year.” A long-awaited sequel is currently in production and is set for a Disney+ release later this year, because of course it is.
3 The Craft
Columbia Pictures
Andrew Fleming’s 1996 teen supernatural horror flick The Craft follows four outcast teenage girls at a Los Angeles Catholic prep school who use witchcraft for their own gain and must deal with the negative ramifications. The film features Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, Fairuza Balk and Rachel True as the mysterious misfits; 85 actresses screen tested for the lead roles, including Angelina Jolie and Alicia Silverstone. Production enlisted a real-life Wiccan named Pat Devin to serve as an on-set advisor, and she wrote the incantations used and made sure that the Wiccan subject-matter was done accurately and respectfully. The Craft became a sleeper hit and earned mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances of its leads as well as the production and direction values. Balk won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress and the film’s cult following obviously led to a 2020 sequel from Blumhouse, The Craft: Legacy.
2 Halloweentown
Disney Branded Television
The adored 1998 Disney Channel Original Movie Halloweentown focuses on a 13-year-old girl living with her secret witch mother and siblings who learns that she too is a witch, and sets off to help her eccentric grandmother save Halloweentown from evil forces. Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds portrays Aggie Cromwell, a witch from the supernatural town that enlists the help of her magical family to fight a dangerous, mysterious force that is threatening the colorful residents. Halloweentown was famously filmed in St. Helens, Oregon, which welcomes tourists and even hosts a month-long Spirit of Halloween event that allows fans to explore the town and recreates parts of the set. The monumental success of the Disney flick predictably led to three follow-up sequels and established the family movie as a cherished Halloween standard.
1 The Wizard of Oz
Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, 1939’s hallowed musical fantasy The Wizard of Oz is an adaptation of L. Frank Braum’s fantasy children’s novel and follows Dorothy Gale and her loyal dog Toto, who are swept away from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz. The heroine embarks on a quest with a Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion in order to see the mystical Wizard, who can help her return home and fulfill her allies’ wishes. The cinematic masterpiece was innovative by its use of Technicolor and has become influential for its fantasy storytelling and iconic characters. Silver screen star Judy Garland memorably leads the picture as Dorothy, beating out fellow child stars Shirley Temple and Deanna Durbin for the highly coveted role.
The Wizard of Oz was met with universal acclaim, with The New York Timesproclaiming it a, “delightful piece of wonder-working which had the youngsters’ eyes shining and brought a quietly amused gleam to the wiser ones of the oldsters. Not since Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has anything quite so fantastic succeeded half so well.” The film has been adapted into a wide range of iterations, from Michael Jackson’s The Wiz to the upcoming remake from New Line; Hollywood just can’t leave the witches alone. What’s actually interesting, and perhaps inspirational considering the slew of aforementioned remakes, is that the classic The Wizard of Oz was actually the fourth filmed version of the story, and a remake itself. There is hope, after all.
