Witch movies have been all the rage since the dawn of cinema, and audiences have flocked to the theater to receive a chill or thrill from Hollywood's greatest conjurers. Transcending their horror roots and branching into nearly every genre, the witch movie typically combines the alluring mysticism of magic with subtle commentary about the history of the mistreatment of women. Often imbued with feminist messaging whether subtle or overt, witch movies have usually been a safe haven for strong female characters who can express their power through the spiritual. Versatility is the subgenre's greatest strength, and the witch movie will likely never go out of style.

Running the gamut from overt horror to goofball comedy, witch movies have long held sway over audiences because of their escapism, and the subtle way in which they touch on darker topics. Even sillier witch movies have a sinister edge, and that dual nature is in essence what the entire subgenre is about. The best movie witches of all time represent some of the most beloved film characters, and there has been no shortage of powerful magic users as both heroes and villains of the big screen.

RELATED: 15 Scary Movies That Actually Get Witches Right

15 Snow White And The Huntsman (2012)/The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016)

Charlize Theron in Snow White and the Huntsman
  • Snow White & The Huntsman and The Huntsman: Winter's War are available to stream on Netflix

Making for a loose franchise, Snow White and the Huntsman and The Huntsman: Winter's War updated the classic fairy tale with action and adventure. The original film follows the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) who befriends Snow White (Kristen Stewart) after he was ordered to kill her by the evil Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron). Though reviews were mixed, both films were elevated by the performance of Theron as the evil witch and made for some of the first action-centric witch movies ever. Building upon the legendary character, Theron added a bit of action flare to the classic crone and made her a truly compelling villain.

14 Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Ichabod Crane with blood on his face in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow
  • Sleepy Hollow is available to stream on Max

Holding a favored spot among Tim Burton's horror movies, Sleepy Hollow modernized Washington Irving's classic tale and made it even creepier. When Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate decapitations, he gets more than he bargained for with the Headless Horseman. The story concerns a secret coven of witches, and the terrifying Headless Horseman is ultimately a mere pawn in their game of revenge. As Ichabod Crane, Depp is able to disappear into his character, creating a figure who is believable comedic relief among the film's abundant gore and horror. The film's witches are particularly terrifying, and the spooky New England environs ratchet up the tension.

13 The Woods (2006)

A teen looks on in The Woods
  • The Woods is available to stream on Pluto TV

The '90s were a boom period for witch movies, but things had begun to cool off in the early 2000s until the arrival of The Woods. In the 1960s, troubled teen Heather Fasulo (Agnes Brucker) is sent to a mysterious boarding school where she begins to suspect her fellow students are falling victim to a coven of witches. Traditional in its approach to witchcraft, The Woods built tension in a legitimately creepy way and made witches the villains again after a slew of more positive stories. The period setting was brilliantly executed, and the movie speaks to larger themes of generational rebellion and deconstructing societal expectations put on girls.

12 Bedknobs And Broomsticks (1971)

Eglantine Prince holding her glasses in a library in Bedknobs and Broomsticks
  • Bedknobs and Broomsticks is available to stream on Disney+

Though Disney's live-action movies often pale in comparison to their animated fare, Bedknobs and Broomsticks is often remembered as one of Disney's most under-appreciated live-action musicals. During World War II, an apprentice witch named Miss Price (Angela Lansbury) and two children must find the missing piece of a spell in order to help Britain in the war efforts. Elegantly blending live-action and animation in a way that only Disney could, Bedknobs and Broomsticks is an unusual specimen among witch movies because of its playful tone and WWII backdrop. Though somewhat overshadowed by Mary Poppins, Lansbury's performance leads a particularly bright highlight in Disney's '70s catalog.

11 Suspiria (2018)

Dancing women on the poster of the Suspiria remake
  • Suspiria is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video

While Dario Argento's original Giallo classic was a bit overstated in its approach, the 2018 remake of Suspiria delved into the occult in a much more convincing way. Suzy Bannion (Dakota Johnson) is an American dancer who attends a prestigious dance academy but begins to suspect the instructors of being witches. Completely diverging from the original film, Suspiria tackles themes of obsession, guilt, and motherhood to reframe witchcraft within the world of the arts. Noted for its stunning visuals, vivid dance scenes, and beefed-up story, Suspiria is one of the few witch movies that shines beyond its esoteric elements.

RELATED: 5 Ways The Original Suspiria Is The Best (& 5 Ways The Remake Is Better)

10 The Witches Of Eastwick (1987)

Jane, Alex, and Sukie stab a wax doll with needles in The Witches of Eastwick
  • The Witches of Eastwick is available to buy or rent on Apple TV, Prime Video, YouTube, and Vudu

Feminism has always been one of the core themes of witch movies, but the 1980s classic The Witches of Eastwick made that theme explicit for the first time in mainstream cinema. Alexandra, Jane, and Sukie are three single women (Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer) who have their wishes granted when a mysterious man named Daryl van Horne (Jack Nicholson) comes into their lives and is able to seduce them. Constantly shifting gears from a supernatural thriller to a revenge movie, The Witches of Eastwick tells a much broader story that deconstructs society and challenges the viewer's perceptions through Nicholson's wickedly deceptive performance.

9 The Love Witch (2016)

Elaine Parks dressed all in pink at a restaurant in The Love Witch
  • The Love Witch is available to stream on Peacock, Fubo TV, AMC+, Vudu, and Shudder

Anna Biller's The Love Witch created one of the best anti-hero witches in cinematic history and signaled a shift in the subgenre's classic themes. Elaine (Samantha Robinson) is a modern-day witch who has left a string of men in her wake that she seduced using magic, but when she meets the man of her dreams, she finds her powers useless. Set in a pastiche of '60s mod culture and made to look like a classic film from that era, The Love Witch analyzed stereotypes about women through sharp satire. Even beyond its rich themes, The Love Witch's visuals made it one of the most beautifully crafted witch movies ever made.

8 I Married A Witch (1942)

Jennifer Wooley looking shocked while beside a cauldron in I Married a Witch
  • I Married A Witch is available to stream on Max and The Criterion Channel

Made at the height of Veronica Lake's immense stardom, I Married a Witch was a surprisingly progressive film for the 1940s. After being persecuted in the 17th century a witch named Jennifer (Veronica Lake) puts a curse on her persecutor's family, and arrives in the modern day to torture another of his male descendants (Fredric March). Bitingly humorous and snarky, I Married a Witch allowed Lake to reign supreme, and her performance was a quintessential movie witch as she is alluring and dangerous. Even if the magic is light and the feminist messaging is subdued, the film pushed boundaries for its time.

7 The Wizard Of Oz (1939)

Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Cowardly Lion on the yellow brick road in The Wizard of Oz
  • The Wizard of Oz is available to stream on Max, TNT, Tru TV, and TBS

Often considered one of Hollywood's greatest classics, The Wizard of Oz is so much more than a witch movie. When young Dorothy (Judy Garland) finds herself in the magical land of Oz, she must join a band of misfits to defeat the Wicked Witch of the West. With its vibrant 1930s color photography and imaginative fantasy landscapes, The Wizard of Oz has managed to capture the imagination of viewers since its release. Though the film's infamous witch is only a small part of the overall story, the Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton) is the archetype of frightening cinematic conjurers.

RELATED: The Wizard Of Oz Cast & Character Guide

6 Practical Magic (1998)

Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock with a can of whipped cream in Practical Magic
  • Practical Magic is available to buy or rent on Apple TV, Prime Video, YouTube, and Vudu

Bringing together two of the biggest stars of the era, Practical Magic brought the esoteric to the big time thanks to Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Two witchy sisters, Sally and Gillian Owens (Bullock and Kidman), come together when their family curse draws the attention of a homicide detective. Outside the leads, the cast of Practical Magic brought the spooky story to life, and it put a decidedly '90s spin on the female empowerment message of most witch movies. Though critics weren't very friendly to Practical Magic, it has become a beloved 1990s cult classic because of its charming atmosphere and unforgettable characters.

5 Eve's Bayou (1997)

Two young girls smile in Eve's Bayou
  • Eve's Bayou is available to stream on Starz

Adding a heaping helping of Southern Gothic intrigue to the witch movie formula, Eve's Bayou was nothing like any supernatural thriller that had come before. After learning the dark truth about her family, a young girl named Eve Baptiste (Jurnee Smollett) takes solace in her strange aunt Mozelle (Debbi Morgan), who practices the dark arts. Breaking away from the almost exclusively white perspective of most witch movies, Eve's Bayou showed its own side of mysticism entwined with Black culture. Rife with tumultuous emotion and high suspense, the film was made with a certain lyricism that plays out like a well-worn folk tale.

4 Hocus Pocus (1993)

The Sanderson sisters look on in Hocus Pocus
  • Hocus Pocus is available to stream on Disney+

Though Hocus Pocus was largely rejected by critics, it has gone on to become a beloved yearly spooky season tradition. Around Halloween, three kids accidentally resurrect a trio of ancient witches who must use the life force of the young to stay immortal. Made with the right amount of humor and cheese, the hilarious trio of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy stole the show as the silly and sometimes frightening Sanderson sisters. Though many of the familiar tropes of witch movies were eschewed in favor of comedy, Disney's Hocus Pocus delivered a horror movie perfect for the entire family.

Related: 10 Halloween Movies With The Best Re-Watch Value

3 The Witches (1990)

A close up of the Grand High Witch in The Witches
  • The Witches is available to buy or rent on Apple TV, Prime Video, YouTube, and Vudu

Author Roald Dahl's books have been a source of great cinema, and the 1990 adaptation of his creepy classic The Witches lived up to its decisive title. After stumbling across a convention of witches, a young boy named Luke Eveshim (Jasen Fisher) must stop the coven from eliminating every child in England. Despite being aimed at children, The Witches pulled no punches in the scares department and delivered some of cinema's spookiest and most evil conjurers. Led by Anjelica Huston's dazzling performance as The Grand High Witch, the film told an exceptionally eerie tale of witchcraft through the eyes of a child that had more than enough chills for everyone.

2 The Witch (2015)

Anya Taylor Joy stands near a fire in The Witch
  • The Witch is available to stream on Max and Kanopy

Director Robert Eggers turned back the clock with The Witch, and returned the witch movie to its spooky roots in the distant past of American history. In the year 1630, a New England family is besieged by mysterious forces that eventually see them turn on one another. Most remembered for launching Anya Taylor-Joy's career, The Witch took its slow-burn horror to the extreme, and captured the abundant mysticism of early white settlers in the "New World". Despite its focus on historical horror, The Witch captured many of the same themes as other witch movies and centered on a young girl breaking away from what society expects of her.

1 The Craft (1996)

The cast of The Craft walk together in a promo image for the film
  • The Craft is available to stream on Fubo TV, MGM+, and The Roku Channel

In a decade crammed with witchy movies, The Craft delivered the best '90s witches. A group of teenage girls discovers the power of witchcraft to improve their lives and punish their enemies, but things eventually start to go too far. From Fairuza Balk's stunning transformation as Nancy Downs to the film's undeniable '90s nostalgia, The Craft took the trappings of other witch movies and cranked them up to the extreme. With a mix of teen drama and horror, The Craft not only helped to define what a witch movie could be but also solidified the tone of '90s horror, which was somewhat lost before 1996.