Guest posting written by: John Threlfall

While Halloween is the time of year when movies about witches steal the spotlight, it’s rare that actual witches get a say in what’s considered good or bad. You’ll find no hint of the Devil in the details of these films, as that’s not what our craft is about—but you will find a lot of feisty, independent women who don’t hesitate to use their magic to remake the perpetually patriarchal world into something more to their liking. In no particular order, here’s my personal top-10 list of witch movies that won’t make your coven cringe.

Bell Book and Candle 

The classic 1958 romantic comedy that broke conventions by showing  contemporary witchcraft for what it is: urban, modern, artistic and full of kooky characters.

Brave 

Disney finally moves beyond the stereotype by showing us that some witches would rather just be woodcarvers in this 2012 Celtic fable of independent womanhood.

The Goddess Remembered Trilogy

Donna Read’s ground-breaking documentary trilogy (1989-1993) as the first to tell the truth about witchcraft past and present, and helped fuel the rise of modern Canadian paganism.

The Craft: Legacy 

Sometimes a sequel can be better than the original, as with this 2020 story of teenage witches who discover that toxic masculinity is the real villain of the story.

Kiki’s Delivery Service

Studio Ghibli’s charming 1989 fable of a young witch finding her place in the city breaks all the stereotypes and fills your heart with joy.

Practical Magic 

While a bit sappy and a bit silly, there’s far more to like than loathe in this 1998 rom-com that offers some very familiar portraits of contemporary witches.

The Love Witch 

As artistic as it is kooky, Anna Biller’s 2016 modern parable is a colour-drenched ode to ’60s-era witches with a decidedly feminist spin.

Stardust

Yes, the witches here swing wildly for the stereotypical woods, but this 2007 Neil Gaiman adaptation is just too much fun to complain about. 

Bedknobs & Broomsticks 

Skim off the silliness of Angela Lansbury’s 1971 live action/animation fusion and you’ll find a surprisingly accurate subtext of mail-order witchery and how occultists helped prevent a Nazi invasion of England during WWII.

Molly Weasley and the Witches of Hogwarts 

A shout-out to the witches of the Harry Potter series who all too often play second fiddle to the often insufferable wizards while being the far more interesting characters!

A veteran freelance writer and arts & culture specialist, John Threlfall is a Black Cord Priest with Victoria’s 13^th House Mystery School Tradition, one of the city’s largest extended covens, and has been a practicing witch since 1986. By day, he is the Special Projects & Communications Officer for the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Victoria.