20 most iconic witchy movies through the years to binge watch on your cosy movie night

Whether you're curled up with a warm drink on a rainy evening or hosting the ultimate Halloween watch party, witchy movies have a rare power to enchant across every era of cinema. From creepy folk-horror to charming animated adventures and full-blown Broadway spectacles, the genre spans just about every mood imaginable. This list gathers 20 of the most iconic films about witches and magic — spanning 1937 to 2024 — ranked from #20 down to #1, so you can build the ultimate cosy night-in queue.

Key takeaways

• Hocus Pocus (1993) is arguably the most beloved cult-classic witch film, despite flopping at the box office on its original theatrical run.
• The Witch (2015) is widely acclaimed as a modern folk-horror masterpiece, holding a strong 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
• The biggest box-office success on this list is Wicked (2024), which grossed $764 million worldwide and became the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation of all time.
• Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) is Studio Ghibli's first major commercial breakout success on its initial Japanese release.
• For those asking "what are some good witchy movies on Netflix?", titles like Practical Magic and modern witchy movies such as The Witch have all appeared on the platform.

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How this list was compiled

These rankings are based on a combination of critical consensus (via Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic), cultural longevity, and audience popularity as measured by voting aggregators such as Ranker. Films were selected to represent a wide range of styles — horror, fantasy, animation, and musical — and span multiple decades of cinema. Each entry had to feature witchcraft, magic, or a witch as a central theme or character.

Summary table: 20 most iconic witchy movies

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The 20 most iconic witchy movies, ranked

Here are the best movies about witches and magic, counted down from #20 to the most iconic.

20. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

• Genre: Animated fantasy
• Director: David Hand et al.
• Studio: Walt Disney Productions
• Witch character: The Evil Queen (Grimhilde)
• Where to watch: Disney+

From the very beginning of Disney's era of animated features, witches have proven to be irresistible antagonists. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs introduced the Evil Queen — whose actual name is apparently "Grimhilde" — and laid the foundation for so many witchy villain tropes to come.

The scheming royal witch was later named one of the 100 most unforgettable film villains by the American Film Institute, driven purely by vanity and a murderous jealousy of the princess.

19. I Married a Witch (1942)

• Genre: Romantic comedy
• Director: René Clair
• Stars: Veronica Lake, Fredric March
• Where to watch: Various streaming / digital rental

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One of the earliest witch romantic comedies, I Married a Witch is a frothy, screwball romp starring the luminous Veronica Lake as Jennifer, a witch burned at the stake in colonial Salem who is resurrected centuries later to wreak havoc on the descendants of the man who condemned her.

The film's blend of supernatural mischief and romantic farce proved enormously influential, planting the seeds for everything from Bewitched to Practical Magic. It remains a delightful, brisk watch at just 77 minutes.

18. Rosemary's Baby (1968)

• Genre: Psychological horror
• Director: Roman Polanski
• Stars: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon
• Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
• Where to watch: Various streaming platforms

Written and directed by Roman Polanski, Rosemary's Baby is based on Ira Levin's 1967 novel. Rosemary is a young married woman who moves with her husband into a large Gothic apartment building — and when a friend warns them of the building's links to black magic, they dismiss him.

As Rosemary pieces the clues together, she comes to fear that a Satanic coven has sinister plans for her unborn child. The film can rightly be called Hollywood's first major movie about the Devil, and it inspired a wave of Satanic horror blockbusters through the 1970s.

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17. Suspiria (1977)

• Genre: Horror
• Director: Dario Argento
• Stars: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini
• Where to watch: Various streaming platforms / digital rental

The original Suspiria is a gorgeous, largely indecipherable horror film about Suzy Bannion, an American ballet student who enrols at a German dance academy secretly run by a coven of witches.

No filmmaker had captured the dark menace and mystery of witchcraft in a single frame quite like Dario Argento, whose hugely celebrated Suspiria reigned supreme as one of the definitive witch movies for nearly 40 years.

16. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

• Genre: Animated fantasy
• Director: Hayao Miyazaki
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Box office: $18 million (approx. ¥2.17 billion in distribution receipts)
• Where to watch: Netflix, Max

Kiki's Delivery Service is a 1989 Japanese animated fantasy film written, produced, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, adapted from Eiko Kadono's 1985 novel. It tells the story of Kiki, a young witch who moves to a new town and uses her flying ability to earn a living.

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It was a massive commercial breakout for Studio Ghibli on its initial release, grossing about ¥2.17 billion ($18 million) in Japan and earning critical acclaim and multiple awards.

15. The Witches (1990)

• Genre: Dark fantasy/horror
• Director: Nicolas Roeg
• Stars: Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher
• Based on: Roald Dahl's novel The Witches
• Where to watch: Various streaming / digital rental

Adapted from Roald Dahl's beloved and surprisingly dark novel, The Witches stars a scene-stealing Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch, who schemes to turn every child in England into a mouse. Nicolas Roeg's direction leans into the grotesque without ever losing the fairy-tale heart of the story.

The film consistently appears on fan-voted lists of the best witch movies of all time, and Huston's performance remains one of cinema's most memorably terrifying portrayals of a witch—all grand theatrics and barely concealed menace.

14. Hocus Pocus (1993)

• Genre: Comedy fantasy
• Director: Kenny Ortega
• Stars: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy
• Budget: $28 million
• Where to watch: Disney+

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Upon its original release, Hocus Pocus received mixed reviews and was initially a box-office disappointment. However, through annual airings on Disney Channel and Freeform every October, audiences have rediscovered the film, resulting in a yearly spike in home media sales each Halloween season.

It became one of the most-watched Halloween movies of all time through those annual cable TV airings — not through anything that happened in theatres.

13. The Craft (1996)

• Genre: Horror drama
• Director: Andrew Fleming
• Stars: Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, Rachel True
• Domestic box office: $24 million
• Where to watch: Various streaming platforms

Fairuza Balk's performance as spell-binding teen witch Nancy Downs is the menacing main attraction of Andrew Fleming's The Craft — a film that put Sabrina Spellman firmly to shame.

The 1996 release earned $24 million at the domestic box office but inspired a 2020 sequel, The Craft: Legacy, cementing its place as a defining teen-witch classic.

12. Practical Magic (1998)

• Genre: Romantic comedy drama
• Director: Griffin Dunne
• Stars: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing
• Budget: $60 million
• Worldwide box office: $68.3 million
• Where to watch: Various streaming platforms

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When Practical Magic was released, its wavering tone confused people— going back and forth between heavy themes and light frivolity, mixing horror and romantic comedy—but audiences have since come to appreciate the film's unique qualities.

Based on the 1995 Alice Hoffman novel, the film stars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman alongside Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing, and Warner Bros. distributed it in October 1998.

11. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

• Genre: Found-footage horror
• Directors: Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez
• Budget: Approx. $60,000
• Where to watch: Various streaming / digital rental

The Blair Witch Project is one of the most important horror films ever made, and the fear, panic, and dread it packs come from an off-screen witch who deserves to rank among the great horror icons — despite never once being seen.

Pioneering the fake "found-footage" technique, this story of three film students who mysteriously vanish establishes the legend of a local Maryland witch — and delivered returns of over $240 million on a tiny budget, changing low-budget horror forever.

10. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)

• Genre: Fantasy adventure
• Director: Chris Columbus
• Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
• Where to watch: Max, various platforms

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The film that brought J.K. Rowling's wizarding world to life introduced audiences to Hogwarts, a school where witches and wizards learn their craft — an idea so potent it became a decade-long franchise) spanning eight films and billions in worldwide box-office earnings.

For viewers wanting modern witchy movies rooted in wonder and adventure, the original Harry Potter remains the most accessible gateway into the genre, balancing warmth and darkness in equal measure.

9. Spirited Away (2001)

• Genre: Animated fantasy
• Director: Hayao Miyazaki
• Studio: Studio Ghibli
• Awards: Academy Award for Best Animated Feature (2003)
• Where to watch: Netflix, Max

Hayao Miyazaki's second film on this list is arguably his greatest masterpiece. Spirited Away follows young Chihiro, who stumbles into a spirit world presided over by the powerful witch Yubaba — and must work in her bathhouse to rescue her parents.

The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003 and remains Japan's highest-grossing anime film. It is the definitive example of witchy movies that are both deeply magical and emotionally profound.

8. Maleficent (2014)

• Genre: Dark fantasy
• Director: Robert Stromberg
• Stars: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning
• Worldwide box office: $758 million
• Where to watch: Disney+

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Arguably the most visually striking Disney witch of all time, Maleficent — who spins Princess Aurora into the deepest slumber — gets her full origin story in this 2014 live-action reimagining of Sleeping Beauty.

Director Robert Stromberg clearly put enormous effort into the film's visual design, with collaborators including makeup artist Rick Baker, who designed Angelina Jolie's witchy horns and severe cheekbones, and costume designer Anna B. Sheppard.

7. Into the Woods (2014)

• Genre: Musical fantasy
• Director: Rob Marshall
• Stars: Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, Emily Blunt, James Corden
• Where to watch: Disney+

A star-studded adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's beloved Broadway musical, Into the Woods weaves a web of classic fairy tale characters—including a memorably intimidating Witch played by Meryl Streep, who earned a Golden Globe nomination for the role.

The film is one of the best movies about witches and magic for viewers who love their darkness served with a show-stopping song. It offers a genuinely complex portrait of a witch who is neither wholly villainous nor wholly sympathetic — a welcome rarity in the genre.

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6. The Witch (2015)

• Genre: Folk horror
• Director: Robert Eggers
• Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie
• Budget: $4 million
• Box office: $40.9 million
• Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
• Where to watch: Various streaming platforms

Written and directed by Robert Eggers in his feature directorial debut, The Witch stars Anya Taylor-Joy in her own debut alongside Ralph Ineson and Kate Dickie. Set in 1630s New England, the narrative follows a Puritan family preyed upon by an evil force lurking in the woods beyond their farm.

It was a critical and financial triumph, grossing $40 million against a $4 million budget, and is considered by many to be one of the best horror films) of the 21st century.

5. The Love Witch (2016)

• Genre: Horror comedy
• Director: Anna Biller
• Stars: Samantha Robinson
• Where to watch: Various digital platforms / Shudder

2016's The Love Witch, the brainchild of writer, director, and producer Anna Biller, is a comedy about a witch named Elaine who uses her powers to make men fall in love with her.

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Shot entirely on 35mm film and styled to look like a 1960s Technicolour melodrama, The Love Witch is a visually ravishing, feminist cult gem. It rewards patient viewers with a wickedly sharp commentary on desire, manipulation, and the male gaze — dressed in bubblegum pinks and occult ritual.

4. Hereditary (2018)

• Genre: Horror
• Director: Ari Aster
• Stars: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne
• Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
• Where to watch: Various streaming platforms

Ari Aster's debut feature is one of modern horror's most harrowing achievements. While Hereditary presents itself initially as a grief drama, its slow-burn revelation of an occult conspiracy — involving a powerful demon and a generational coven — puts it squarely among the finest witchy movies of the 21st century.

Toni Collette's performance earned widespread awards attention, and the film's terrifying final act remains genuinely difficult to shake. It is essential viewing for fans of modern witchy movies that operate in the dark.

3. Suspiria (2018)

• Genre: Supernatural horror
• Director: Luca Guadagnino
• Stars: Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Mia Goth
• Budget: $20 million
• Where to watch: Prime Video

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and inspired by Dario Argento's 1977 classic, the 2018 Suspiria stars Dakota Johnson as an American woman who enrols at a prestigious Berlin dance academy run by a coven of witches. Tilda Swinton co-stars in three roles: lead choreographer, male psychotherapist, and the coven's sinister leader.

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Critical response was polarised: some praised the film for its striking visual elements and performances, while others found it demanding. Either way, it is one of the most ambitious and formally daring movies about witches and magic ever made.

2. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

• Genre: Musical fantasy
• Director: Victor Fleming et al.
• Stars: Judy Garland, Margaret Hamilton, Billie Burke
• Where to watch: Max, various platforms

It is the most legendary movie ever to feature a witch. In 1939, The Wizard of Oz became one of the most iconic films in history, regardless of genre. More often than not, the first witch that comes to mind is Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West.

Hamilton's cackling Wicked Witch of the West set the cinematic standard for villainy, while Glinda's bubblegum-pink benevolence proved good witches can be just as iconic. Technicolour, memorable songs, and unforgettable imagery turned this fairy tale into a cultural touchstone.

1. Wicked (2024)

• Genre: Musical fantasy
• Director: Jon M. Chu
• Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum
• Budget: $150 million
• Worldwide box office: $764 million
• Where to watch: Peacock, various platforms

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The most iconic witchy movie of this era — and the most successful in box-office history — is undeniably Wicked. It grossed $764 million worldwide on a $150 million budget, becoming the highest-grossing Oz film, the highest-grossing musical film adaptation, and the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2024.

Set in the Land of Oz before the events of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the film explores the early relationship between Elphaba — the future Wicked Witch of the West — and her schoolmate Galinda, who becomes Glinda the Good. Broadway Easter eggs abound, including cameos from Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, the original stage stars, making it a love letter to fans of the long-running musical.

FAQs

What is the most popular witch movie of all time?

Based on box office figures, Wicked (2024) is the most commercially successful witch movie ever made, grossing over $764 million worldwide. However, in terms of cultural ubiquity and fan devotion, Hocus Pocus (1993) is perhaps the most beloved, having built its enormous following almost entirely through annual TV airings rather than theatrical success.

What are some good witchy movies on Netflix?

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Netflix's library rotates regularly, but titles that have appeared there include Kiki's Delivery Service, The Witch (2015), and various Studio Ghibli films. Netflix's own Tudum page also lists current witchy movies and series streaming on the platform, so it's worth checking directly for the latest availability.

What is the scariest witch movie?

The Witch (2015) stands alone as a chilling, atmospheric masterpiece that dives into the terrifying realities of 17th-century folklore. Hereditary (2018) and the original Suspiria (1977) are close competitors. All three lean on dread and slow-building unease rather than cheap jump scares.

Is Wicked (2024) related to The Wizard of Oz (1939)?

Yes — Wicked is set in the Land of Oz and functions as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, telling the origin story of Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and her friendship with Glinda. The two films make a perfect double-feature.

Are there any modern witchy movies worth watching?

Absolutely. Beyond Wicked (2024), modern witchy movies worth your time include Hereditary (2018), The Witch (2015), The Love Witch (2016), and the Luca Guadagnino remake of Suspiria (2018). Each brings a distinct, modern perspective on witchcraft on screen—from folk horror to feminist art-house cinema.

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Source: Legit.ng