Despite having more and more monsters in movies every year, witches remain the most popular archetype in both classic films and modern blockbusters. All of these terrible ladies are scary in their own way. Some broom-riders are visual bogeymen, while others will send chills down your body without even appearing on the screen.
Here are the most spine-chilling witches from movies and TV.
1. Forest Witch — The VVitch
This wicked lady first appears as a beautiful woman in the thicket of the forest, but the moment her hands touch the child, her true horrific essence is instantly revealed. Little is known about this witch, but it’s quite clear she’s the reason why her family was cursed. Throughout the movie, we see how the witch uses her ungodly powers to charm, spy, create illusions, and this one time, she even makes a little kid puke apples.
2. Helena Marcos — Suspiria
The 2018 supernatural thriller was inspired by the 1977 Italian film of the same name. The movie tells the story of a young American woman attending a prestigious dance school in Berlin without knowing it’s a home for a coven of witches. Helena looks pretty nasty due to her inhuman age. However, she’s even uglier on the inside, as she is willing to do anything to get a younger body.
3. Margaret Morgan — Lords of Salem
Despite controversial reviews, the 2012 horror conquered the hearts of many fans thanks to the incredibly memorable witch — Margaret Morgan. We can see her evil deeds through DJ Heidi’s surreal visions, but this does not make the witch any less scary.
4. Blair Witch — Blair Witch Project
The thing that makes the 1999 horror movie about a witch in the forest so scary is that we don’t actually see her. Sometimes showing the monster can make them less intimidating because humans fear the unknown. That’s exactly why Lovecraft’s stories work better on paper. Either way, we don’t really know if there even was any malevolent entity going after the bloggers or if it was just a bad shroom trip.
5. Nancy — The Craft
The 1996 horror revolves around a group of girl misfits who practice witchcraft to get what they want in life. Nancy stands out from the other witches on this list, as she is still very human. Eventually, she lets the power control her, becoming the main antagonist. Nancy does not hesitate to sacrifice anything and anyone to get even more powerful, becoming mentally unbalanced in the end.
6. Haggis — Pumpkinhead
Haggis from the cult horror movie of 1988 will teach you an old lesson: never bargain with witches. No, the witch is not the main monster in the movie, but rather a powerful entity that “helps” the grieving father resurrect his dead son. But naturally, the price is way too high.
7. Dolores Umbridge — Harry Potter
Not all bad witches come from horror movies. Dolores is a sneak hidden under a bright and colorful guise. She is not afraid to make children bleed to death as punishment for little things, doing the most horrendous deeds with a big smile splattered over her face.
8. Bathsheba — The Conjuring
Bathsheba is a ghost-witch from the now-iconic horror — the Conjuring. Wandering around the house, she possesses the matriarchs of the families who enter her domain, forcing them to kill their own children and then send them into oblivion. This is not your regular 9-to-5 job.
9. Pit Witch — Ash vs. Army of Darkness
The 1992 comedy horror about a time-traveling badass named Asho includes a scene in which he fights a witch in a pit with a standing ovation from the cheering crowd. Her appearance is horrifying, and she uses harsh words to damage Ash’s psyche. This evil lady scared the living daylights out of me as a kid, which made her inevitable demise even juicier.
