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5 Best Witch Movies Ranked Ahead of Practical Magic 2
By Anthony Ash
Sept 10, 2026
The world of witches is one that’s explored often throughout movie history. Many films tell the legend of witch covens, continuing a tradition of hocus pocus across genres.
Among those genres, the romantic comedy genre, a new entry will arrive this week, evoking hocus pocus energy. Practical Magic 2, the sequel to the 1998 cult classic Practical Magic, is set to release in theaters. The sequel sees stars Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock returning for the new movie, and will also star newcomers Joey King, Lee Pace, Maisie Williams, and Xolo Maridueña.
In celebration of Practical Magic 2 releasing this week, we’re taking a stroll down the witch genre. We’ll be taking a look at the five best witch movies, a hard list to narrow down. Ranging across a ton of genres, these might not be everyone’s best, but they offer hocus pocus inspiration as a great starting point into the witch subgenre.
Best witch movies ranked
- The Craft
Originally released in 1996, The Craft puts a teenage spin on the concept of witches. The movie follows four outcast girls at a high school in Los Angeles who pursue witchcraft for their own gain. Unsurprisingly, things don’t go too well in that regard, and the girls soon discover that it’s probably best to not dabble in magic for your own desires.
The Craft is one of the more obscure entries in the world of witch-based films, but has developed a huge cult following since its release. Fairuza Balk steals the show, but her fellow witches (played by Robin Tunney, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True) make up an awesome group that’s just a ton of fun to watch.
- Hocus Pocus
The most “family-friendly” of all the movies on this list, Hocus Pocus is still firmly and squarely all about witches. Specifically, a trio of sisters who make it their mission to find an unsuspecting child and drain their life force to stay young. The Disney movie originally premiered in 1993 and became a true cult classic after its home release, becoming a staple on various networks’ yearly Halloween programming.
While the story itself is a bit cheesy, the performances of Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters remain iconic to this day. For many, they are some of the first people you might think of when the term “witch movies” comes to mind, and even though it might be as scary or “realistic” as some of the movies on this list, Hocus Pocus is a bona fide classic in the genre.
- The Witch
The most recent entry on this list, 2015’s The Witch (or The VVitch, if you will) is Robert Eggers’ directorial debut, and what a debut it is. The movie takes a hyper-realistic and historical look at the concept of witches, centering around a Puritan family in 1630s New England who becomes besieged by evil forces in the woods, which throws the family’s extreme religious beliefs into question and turmoil.
The movie features a great cast, but is led by Anya Taylor-Joy in her breakout role as Thomasin, the teenage daughter who is alleged to be a witch by her family after her young brother goes missing. For some, The Witch might be too hard to get into due to its strict adherence to a period-accurate accent. However, it is well worth the watch, as its depiction of witches and the devil is some of the best we’ve ever gotten in the genre.
- Suspiria
Released in 1977, Suspiria may be one of the most essential when diving into the genre of witches in film. The movie follows an American ballet student who transfers to a prestigious school in Europe, only to find herself at a place that isn’t what it seems. Students begin to go missing, and it’s soon revealed that the school she’s attending may be a coven of something other than dancers.
Like many movies on this list, Suspiria became a cult classic after its release. The movie’s sharp use of technicolor is something you don’t often see in a supernatural horror movie, but it works perfectly here. Italian progressive rock band Goblin’s score to the film has also lived on as a legendary one, and Jessica Harper’s portrayal of Suzy Bannion also carries the movie, as she perfectly embodies a terrified student out of her depth and unfamiliar with her surroundings.
Not only is it one of the best horror movies of all time, but it stands as one of the greatest films about witches ever made.
- The Wizard of Oz
Truthfully, what else could be #1 here? 1939’s The Wizard of Oz has stood the test of time as one of the greatest movies ever made, and even though it’s certainly a non-traditional take, the movie is all about witches at the end of the day. Based on L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the film stars Judy Garland as Dorothy, a girl from Kansas who somehow finds herself transported to the magical world of Oz. There, she runs into the Wicked Witch of the West and must try to find her way home.
While it might not seem like a “witch movie,” The Wizard of Oz is probably the most influential of them all. Margaret Hamilton’s portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West, complete with a pointy hat, long nose, broom, and green skin, has become the look of witches throughout subsequent years of interpretations. The film also gave us the Wicked franchise, which began as a novel centered around the witches in the Land of Oz.
For its contributions to future movies, the perception of witches, and its subject matter, The Wizard of Oz might really just be the greatest witch movie there is.
never saw SUSPIRIA
me neither.