“Wizard of Oz” (Victor Fleming, 1939)
The most iconic cinematic witch has got to be Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West in Victor Fleming’s immortal “Wizard of Oz.” Her skin a sickly pea soup green, her fingers elongated talons, her raspy voice calling that she’ll get you (and your little dog too), the Wicked Witch of the West is the grand empress behind an army of winged monkeys and goonish guards, who has it in for Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her band of merry misfits. (Melted by water though? Kind of a weak way to go.) “The Wizard of Oz” is a classic for many reasons, but it’s hard to pinpoint a more memorable character than the Wicked Witch of the West – she’s someone little kids are both afraid of and hopelessly drawn to. She is also, along with Judy, something of a gay icon. – DT
“Bell, Book and Candle” (Richard Quine, 1958)
Even though it was a blockbuster in its day, “Bell, Book and Candle” has become something of an unsung classic. This Halloween, let’s give this campy comedy its due. The film centers on the courtship between reticent publisher Shep (Jimmy Stewart) and Greenwich Village witch Gillian (Kim fucking Novak), as the two become embroiled in hijinks when Gillian tries to force their attraction. Based on the Broadway play of the same name by John Van Druten, this cheeky narrative actually provides a fascinating insight into the relationship between witchcraft and female autonomy, as Gillian struggles to decide whether she should give up her powers to be with Shep. Equal parts absurd and amazing, “Bell, Book, and Candle” is an aesthetically bonkers time capsule of 1958, right down to the negotiable female agency and whoopsy-daisy cultural appropriation. Conjure a screening up sometime and open your mind. I promise you’ll have fun. –LW
“Black Sunday” (Mario Bava, 1960)
Released the same year as Alfred Hitchcock’s game-changing chiller “Psycho,” Mario Bava‘s shocking “Black Sunday” stars a truly magnetic Barbara Steele as an ancient witch put to death, who comes back 200 years later to exact her bloody revenge on her original killers’ descendants. Also: she’s kind of a vampire, which is pretty cool. Filmed in velvety black-and-white, “Black Sunday” was a sensation upon its initial release (the theatrical trailer intoned, “Not since Dracula stalked the earth has the world known so terrifying a day… or night…”), daringly upfront about its sexuality, violence, and religion (Satanism is gleefully practiced). Steele, as the ageless witch, is both scary and incredibly sexy, two prerequisites for top-tier witches. (Unsurprisingly, she became an instant cult icon.) She not only gets to kill people but also bring them back to life. Now that’s power! – DT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q5nV12AgVc
“Warlock” (Steve Miner, 1989)
In this surprisingly solid low-budget shocker, Julian Sands, a veritable Marianas Trench of charm, plays a witch who, sort of like Barbara Steele in “Black Sunday,” is prosecuted for his witchy crimes in the past (led by a witch hunter played by none other than Richard Grant). However, before he can get slain, Satan (yes, this is serious business) shows up and zaps Sands into the future (Grant follows him through the wormhole). The stuff in the present is kind of dopey (it involves a Necronomicon-style magical book and a pair of innocent kids caught in the magical crosshairs), but “Warlock” is an interesting intersection of fish-out-of-water comedy and pagan horror movie. Of course, the whole thing would fall apart if not for the lead performance by Sands (who would reprise the role in the 1993 sequel “Warlock: Armageddon“), a beguiling mix of menace and danger that does a lot to camouflage the silly script and subpar special effects. The score, by Jerry Goldsmith, is admittedly pretty terrific too, as is Grant’s scenery-chomping secondary role, which would require a potent spell to contain. – DT
“Häxan” (Benjamin Christensen, 1922)
If you’ve been writing all of these recommendations down but want a true primer on all things cinematic witchery, it’s high time you heard of “Häxan.” This bonkers Swedish silent film about the dangers and (highly sensationalized) history behind witch-hunt hysteria presents some of the most formative images of witchcraft in cinema. Presented like an anthropological thesis (fun fact: the 1968 American version is narrated by William S. Burroughs), the film details medieval responses to witchcraft, resulting witch-hunts, and the social ills at stake if we allow history to repeat itself. Perhaps accidentally, reads like Witchcraft 101: How to Summon Terrifying Daemons and Curse the Innocent in Their Sleep. These fantastic “cautionary tale” sequences necessitate images of Satan, hell-beasts, and witches that are so horrifying, Guillermo del Toro probably thinks of them fondly before he goes to sleep each night. Both a delightfully creepy proto-horror witch film and a hilariously bizarre look at 1920s Sweden, “Häxan” is a must-watch for anyone eager to sign the devil’s book and get back to their witchy roots. –LW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYTv7mIBfdY
