Throughout history, witches have gone from being threatening beings capable of harming others to aesthetically powerful teenagers in many movies and shows. There are movies like The Craft, which have stylish witches who use their powers for good, and classic movies like Rosemary's Baby that interpret them as pure evil.
Witches have been gaining much more recognition in pop culture these days, with plenty of new shows and movies focusing on the topic. As always, some movies portray witches in the way humans have historically feared, while other films feature them as laughing stocks. With such a wide range of interpretations of these supernatural beings, let's have a look at some of the goofiest and creepiest witch films.
Scariest: Suspiria (1977 & 2018)
There are two versions of Suspiria that are both horrifying in their own way, the original Dario Argento movie from 1977 and Luca Guadagnino's remake that released in 2018.
Each film is entirely different, the original is known for its engaging color scheme and being vibrant, while the remake is aesthetically muted in comparison. Regardless of their differences, both versions of Suspiria are equally terrifying as they follow a young ballerina that becomes targeted by a group of witches who run the school in which she's taking lessons at.
Silly: The Witches (1990 & 2020)
The Witches is based on a children's novel, so of course, it's bound to be overly silly and even funny at times. There are also two adaptations of this story.
The original film follows a young boy as he discovers a convention of witches who wish to turn all children into mice, and ends up becoming the first test subject and must figure out how to become a boy again. Its remake is quite different, and also did not receive as many good reviews as the first movie did.
Scariest: Hereditary (2018)
Hereditary is a psychological thriller following a family after the passing of their grandmother. There are so many things to be fearful of in this movie, from ghosts to the mysteries of the family.
This is certainly unlike many witch movies, as it heavily focuses on the occult, dark magic, and sinister activities that Wiccans take part in. Everything remains a mystery until the finale of the film, but there are still many twists and turns until the dark reveal.
Silly: Hocus Pocus (1993)
Despite the surprisingly low Rotten Tomatoes score, Hocus Pocus remains a fan favorite every Halloween. After a teenage boy accidentally releases a coven of witches, he ends up endangering his town as the coven plans on doing a spell to become immortal.
He enlists his younger sister and his school crush to help him stop the witches before they succeed with their evil plans. Hocus Pocus is a family-friendly film that's full of fun moments and displays witches in the most over the top and ridiculous way.
Scariest: The Witch (2015)
With its dark atmosphere and uncomfortable scenes, The Witch isn't afraid to show the darkest side of witchcraft, which might make this even harder to watch for many viewers.
Everything from the lighting and the eery soundtrack makes this one of the most terrifying on the list. It's not a typical horror film, as it doesn't rely on jump scares, but rather on its shock value and graphic scenes, it's tense enough to keep the viewer pulled in, even though the gore may make one want to look away.
Silly: Twitches (2005)
Twitches is about two witches who discover that they're actually twins and must join forces to stop an evil force from destroying their land. This movie definitely dwells on the lighter side of magic and provides plenty of entertainment for the whole family.
Despite being based on adult characters, this movie is intended for younger audiences, and it's not going to shock any viewers. It has an incredibly predictable ending and even though evil is involved in the story, it still never evokes any real scares.
Scariest: Gretel & Hansel (2020)
Based on the classic tale, Gretel & Hansel follows the well-known brother and sister as they venture into the forest in search of shelter. Similarly to the original tale, they discover a home in the woods that is inhibited by a witch with sinister plans.
As scary as the original story is, this movie makes it even more terrifying by adding a dark atmosphere, giving a vicious origin story to the witch, and adding a few twists to the story that makes it even more chilling.
Silly: Halloweentown (1998)
Being a Disney Channel original, Halloweentown sure has plenty of cheesy jokes to make kids laugh. In this movie, viewers get to watch a teenage witch discover her abilities and find herself having to use her powers to save the world.
Even though this movie isn't meant to be taken too seriously, it's such a fun movie that's full of Halloween spirit. It's full of bad effects, silly creatures, and later in the series, a Hogwarts-like school for magical beings, but it never stops being entertaining.
Scariest: The House of the Devil (2009)
While the House of the Devil may seem like the average horror film following a teenage girl interested in a babysitting job, this movie really differentiates itself from plenty of other similar films by having unique filmmaking techniques that almost make it look as if it were actually filmed in the 80s.
As the girl finds that her babysitting gig was just a plot to lure her into a home with dangerous witches, she ends up having to fight for her survival and escape the cult.
Silly: The Covenant (2006)
The Covenant is about a group of male prep students that each come from a family with powerful abilities. Four young men from each family are brought together and must unite their abilities after something horrible has happened to one of the families.
Even though The Covenant has an interesting premise and uniquely focuses on male witches rather than females, this film failed to impress critics, with many claiming that the story made no sense. This movie may be categorized as a horror, but ended up being ridiculed for its lack of scares.