Every year I like to put out a ranked list in honour of Halloween. Last year I tackled the history of Frankenstein movies, the year before that was horror sequels, and now I've decided to take on witch movies. Unlike the previous two lists, there are actually quite a few films on here that don't fall into the horror genre, but even non-horror witch movies tend to have a Halloween-y enough vibe to justify making this list. To put things simply, any film with at least a decent emphasis on witches or witchcraft is eligible here. I'm sure I've missed some, but I have to say this is quite a stacked list, with Halloweentown, The Crucible, and 1990's The Witches being a few films that didn't quite make it on. Without further adieu, let's get started...
This is a pretty topical way to start out the list, as it's long awaited sequel just came out at the beginning of September. Practical Magic is a solid movie I wish was better, as I don't think it leans into the sexy camp vibe quite enough. Regardless, it's a fun watch and the duo of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman is too iconic to pass up.
#24 - Hokum (2026)
This has been a randomly strong year for witch movies, with another one coming up later on in this list. Hokum is the latest from Damian McCarthy, whose previous film Oddity scared the absolute shit out of me. There's a bit too much going on in this one and it doesn't all work, but McCarthy still delivers a delicious atmosphere with the film's seemingly haunted hotel. The combo of ghost story and witch story make this a pretty perfect fall watch.
#23 - Gretel & Hansel (2020)
Most probably wouldn't have this one on the list, but I'm a sucker for Osgood Perkins and I love his take on this iconic tale. The performances are admittedly underwhelming, and the script has its flaws, but I can't get over how great an atmosphere Perkins manages to craft. The production design is stunning, and the cinematography capturing it sends you right into the darkness of a Grimm fairytale. Throw in some brilliantly eerie music, and you've got a great witch movie. Also, the witch in this is terrifying.
#22 - Witchfinder General (1968)
This one focuses less on witches themselves and more on 1640s witch-hunter Matthew Hopkins. Hopkins is played by the iconic Vincent Price in a more subdued performance than we typically see from him, but what impressed me most here was how progressive the film's approach to the story is. Coming out in the late 60s, this easily could have made Hopkins look like a hero protecting the English people from witchcraft, but he is portrayed largely in an antagonistic way that showcases the deep rooted misogyny that led to people being labelled as witches. It isn't a perfect movie, but a fascinating one in the grand lexicon of witch films.
#21 - Hocus Pocus (1993)
There's an argument to be made that this is the most iconic witch movie out there. Loads of people grew up with Hocus Pocus as a Halloween staple, and over 30 years later it is still beloved by many. There is some real Disney charm here, but also a shocking amount of edge for what is ultimately a family movie. The trio of Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker is iconic (with SJP being my personal fav), and we get one of the great roles in Doug Jones' underrated career. I wouldn't go so far as to say this is amazing, but it's an easy one to throw on for the spooky season vibes.
#20 - Black Sunday (1960)
In my limited experience with Mario Bava I've preferred his bloody technicolour style a little more, but there's no denying how strong the gothic vibes he brings here are. The black and white cinematography is stunning from start to finish and helps create a truly rich atmosphere. I've seen the film twice now and haven't fully connected with it from a narrative standpoint, but there aren't enough gothic witch films so this fills an important hole in the subgenre.
#19 - The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
Wasn't sure what to expect from The Witches of Eastwick when I watched it earlier this month, but it's an absolute blast. The Hocus Pocus trio is easily rivalled by Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer, but weirdly it's Jack Nicholson that makes this such a great time in my opinion. Our trio of witches are all great, but Nicholson seems to be having a ridiculous amount of fun and you can feel that when you watch it. I do with it leaned into the witchiness a little more, but what a fun ride.
#18 - Suspiria (2018)
Ever since it was first released, Luca Guadanigno's remake of Suspiria has fascinated me. We'll get to the original later on, but this boldly takes the bright colours and sharp runtime of the original and in their place delivers a nearly two and a half hour saga with a much more muted colour pallate. The end result is a wildly different experience, but one that stands strong on his own. The gore and makeup effects are incredible, and there are scenes where we cut back and forth between dancing and horror scenes that wow me every time. We also get some wildly unrecognizable Tilda Swinton and what may be Dakota Johnson's best performance.
#17 - Forbidden Fruits (2026)
Now we get to the second of the 2026 releases on here, and the one that I think easily has a chance to be a cult classic down the road. Forbidden Fruits features Diablo Cody as one of its producers, and it makes sense because this very much fits her vibe. It heavily evokes Mean Girls but with tinges of Jennifer's Body and a witchy twist that I think will keep people coming back to it for a long time. Our coven of Lili Reinhart, Alexandra Shipp, Victoria Pedretti, and Lola Tung, is constantly delivering iconic moments, and the costume design might be some of the year's best. It maybe doesn't fully stick the landing, but I really had a blast with this one.
#16 - Wicked (2024)
How bout we take as aggressive of a turn from spooky stuff as we can. While it's follow up underwhelmed, there's no denying the cultural moment that Wicked had in 2024. The music, the costumes, the story, everything (aside from the bland cinematography and drowned out colour pallate) is working overtime to finally bring this story to the big screen. It also gives us a new depiction of arguably the most iconic cinematic witch so it gets bonus points there, and extra bonus points for Jonathan Bailey.
#15 - Bell, Book and Candle (1958)
James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Jack Lemmon, do you need any more convincing? Bell, Book and Candle isn't the best movie out there, but as a fun witchy rom-com with a cast this iconic it's hard not to recommend. Novak is terrific as the witch causing all the chaos here, but seeing Lemmon in a small comedic role is also a delight, and you truly can never go wrong with James Stewart. I also just love the late 50s visuals here, bringing the story to life quite beautifully.
#14 - Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
Now we get another film that skews far from the horror genre, but one that must be mentioned in the grand lexicon of witch movies. While it's far from my favourite Miyazaki movie, Kiki's Delivery Service remains an absolute delight thanks in part to it's amazing protagonist. I prefer when stories of witchcraft lean into the spookier side more, but it's impossible to not enjoy the whimsy of this one.
#13 - I Married a Witch (1942)
Similarly to Bell, Book and Candle, this is just a delightful old witchy rom com. With its charm and dabbles into the supernatural, it really feels like a perfect non-horror watch for the Halloween season. The black and white cinematography gives it that old school feeling I can't help but love, but the charm and charisma of Veronica lake as the titular witch is the real draw.
#12 - Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988)
I don't think it's possible to be a horror fan without loving Elvira. Cassandra Peterson has made the role so iconic that I wouldn't be surprised if most people didn't know she had any name other than Elvira. The movie is a delightful romp as the seductive horror hostess is put up against a small town of conservatives who don't approve of just about anything about her. It isn't as aggressively witchcraft focused as some other films on the list, but both the film and the character herself truly stand amongst the best in terms of Halloween iconography.
#11 - The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
If asked to give you a handful of the most underrated horror flicks of the 2010s, The Autopsy of Jane Doe has to be on there. Set in a morgue as a father and son perform an autopsy on an unknown woman, this is a film that always puts me on edge any time I watch it. The idea of having the witch at the heart of everything not even being a living being makes it truly feel as though our leads are up against something far beyond their control. Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox deliver outstanding performances, and this is probably the scariest film on the list.
#10 - Häxan (1922)
This list definitely has the longest range of release dates from any one I've done before, as we have two films from this year and now one from over a century ago. This is a fascinating watch, a silent quasi-documentary using vignettes to tell historical stories of witchcraft. I can only imagine how crazy this would be in a theatre with a live orchestra, but even just watching at home it's hard not to be blown away by some of the visuals on display. Tonally this feels wildly ahead of its time, and the atmosphere it creates is just magnificent.
#9 - The Love Witch (2016)
Looking to prepare for Anna Biller's new movie The Face of Horror, what better way to do so then checking out her 2016 technicolour marvel The Love Witch. Biller brings an infectious style to this, with bright technicolour and an unabashedly feminist story which depicts sexuality and female pleasure in a way we just don't see enough. It takes a kind of story that has often put women on stakes and shifts it into something empowering, all while delivering great performances and that truly beautiful style. Highly highly recommend this one if you haven't seen it already.
#8 - Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost (1999)
The late 90s early 2000s Scooby-Doo movies will always hold a special place in my heart. While Scooby-Doo! and the Cyber Chase is my personal fav and Zombie Island is perhaps the most iconic, this is the movie that introduced arguably the most iconic side characters in the history of the series, the Hex Girls. Thorn may be the earliest cartoon crush I can remember, and even putting that aside this is an absolute classic. Set in a New England town eerily similar to Salem, this film manages to fill itself with the kind of folklore and history that make me love witch movies, all while delivering a spooky fun time for the gang. Oh, and in case I didn't mention, THIS HAS THE HEX GIRLS.
#7 - Inferno (1980)
The biggest thing Inferno has going against it is its predecessor. This is the second of Dario Argento's Three Mothers trilogy, a trilogy kicked off by a film we'll be getting to soon. While it was given a tough act to follow, this still delivers on everything you want from an Argento movie. Admittedly I rarely knew what was going on either time I watched this, but with an array of cool kills and bright colours to compliment the witchy eeriness lingering in the background, not knowing what's happening doesn't really matter. Everything builds up to a climax that is worth the price of admission alone.
#6 - Rosemary's Baby (1968)
While I do not condone the man who made Rosemary's Baby, there's no denying its status as one of the seminal horror films of all time. While not as specifically witchy as most films on this list, witchcraft does lay at the core of the film so I decided to include it. Admittedly I wasn't wowed by the movie the first time I watched it, but upon a rewatch its slow burn really worked on me. Mia Farrow's performance is legendary, and while his character is a jackass it is fun to see John Cassavetes in a film he didn't direct.
#5 - The Craft (1996)
I mean c'mon, you can't talk about the best witch movies without mentioning The Craft. This falls perfectly in that late-90s Scream vibe but with a coven of witches instead of a masked killer. It's essentially Heathers with witches, you can't really get better than that when it comes to cooking up a movie premise. This really laid the groundwork for a lot of films to come after, Forbidden Fruits included, but on its own it still stands as one of the best of the 90s within the horror genre.
#4 - Weapons (2025)
This might be the only movie on here I didn't know was a witch movie going in, but it's simply one of my favourite films of the past several years. Zach Cregger's sophomore feature has an infectious sense of fun to it, catapulting him from a promising up and comer to one of the genre's biggest names. I love the mystery at the heart of it, the non-linear unfolding of said mystery, and of course the truly iconic and Oscar winning performance from Amy Madigan as the witch at the heart of it. Weapons is already an all timer, and I only see it getter more love as the years go on.
#3 - The Witch (2015)
Again, how can you have a witch movie without this one. The Witch is the film that announced Robert Eggers to the world in the most exciting way, delivering a debut that not only launched his already beloved career, but also that of the great Anya Taylor-Joy. I'll always remember my first time watching this when I had to turn subtitles on to understand the ye olde English, but in the years since I have grown to love it. The slow burn works brilliantly, and the eerie tone Eggers gives each moment allows for something truly unsettling from start to finish. I'm also a sucker for a witch story set so far in the past, really allowing the folk tale nature of the subgenre to shine.
#2 - The Wizard of Oz (1939)
When thinking of witch movies my mind goes straight to horror, so I almost forgot about one of the greatest movies ever made period. Sure the focus of The Wizard of Oz is Dorothy and her quest to meet the wizard, but is there even a story without the Wicked Witch of the West. There's a reason we've gotten Wicked and so many other tellings of this story over the near century since the film was first released, it's a film that not only broke new ground but also one that delivers a timeless and beautifully told tale. Said tale is nothing without the Wicked Witch, giving us one of the all time great movie villains while also setting the standard for pop culture depictions of witches for ages.
#1 - Suspiria (1977)
While The Wizard of Oz takes the cake in terms of iconic witch depictions, there's no beating Suspiria for me. This is simply one of my favourite movies of all time, with Argento's horror classic being one I keep coming back to time and time again. Some cite this as an example of style over substance, but the behind the scenes horrors of the film's coven make for a film rich with tension simmering below the surface. As is the case with Inferno, this offers some beautiful bright colours and brilliantly concocted kills, all set to an insane musical score from Goblin. Jessica Harper as Suzy is one of the ultimate horror final girls even if she doesn't get the universal acclaim of others, and the climax here is otherworldly. Without a doubt, Suspiria takes the cake for my #1 witch movie of all time.
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