Witch movies tend to follow certain tropes, even with unique plotlines, usually involving a bloodline or family line of witches, a special timeline for a witch to grow into her powers, and a struggle to balance the mundane and the magical, with battling demons and finding true love. The way magic is presented in movies can serve as a metaphor and be symbolic of our own inner power as viewers – the ability to transform our circumstances, have faith in ourselves, and alchemize even adversity into gold, can feel empowering. Now that we know that one of the most famous witch movies of all time, Practical Magic, is getting a possible sequel, it’s time to revisit all the movies that made us believe in the impossible and in ourselves. Here are seven of the best witch movies and television shows of all time, including Practical Magic, that will help you tap into your inner magic.
Charmed (Original and Reboot)
Charmed gained a large cult following when it aired with its first episode, cleverly named, “Something Wicca This Way Comes.” The brilliant show follows the journey of three powerful Halliwell sisters as they come into the supernatural powers all while they tackle the normal challenges of love, work, and relationships as they struggle to keep their powers from interfering in their personal lives and fight demons who wreak havoc on mortals. The plots in each episode are complex, multilayered, and riveting, featuring everything from resurrected mythical Goddesses, unicorns and mermaids to a soul-sucking boyfriend who goes by the name Cole. The characters are extremely entertaining and fleshed out with witty banter as well. I may be biased as a long-time viewer and devout fan who rewatches it every few months, but Charmed is one of the best witchy television shows of all time, and its vibrant reboot (featuring a cast of badass women of color witches) is well worth a watch too!
Witches of East End
Witches of East End begins with a remarkable twist. A woman is at her engagement party when her soon-to-be-husband’s brother arrives. He reminds her of dreams she’s had of past lives, and they start instinctively making out in the bathroom. This scandalous opening scene draws in viewers into wanting to learn more about why such a shocking rendezvous would ever occur, inviting us into the sacred world of the immortal Beauchamp family. Witches of East End is perfect for the viewer who wants to experience an intoxicating lushness and expansive dream world of witchcraft, spells, and a legacy of past lives. The story is focused on Ingrid and Freya Beauchamp, sisters who are cursed to die young and be reborn again and again because they were banished from their home realm of Asgard. As they rediscover their witchy powers in each new life in the mortal realm, they are protected by their mother Joanna from evil forces, who strives to hide the truth of their magic from them. However, their magic is revealed when their aunt Wendy comes to East End in their current lifetime. Each of the Beauchamp sisters has special gifts and magical talents that distinguish them. For example, Freya has the powers of premonition, and her magic is driven by her natural emotions, whereas Ingrid has the ability to move things with her mind.
The Craft
The Craft is one of the most famous witch movies of all time, and for good reason. When shy new student Sarah joins a coven of fellow witches, they experience both the blessings and the curse of holding so much power. As they use their newfound powers to get back at their enemies, heal scars, and even make people fall in love, they find themselves increasingly overcome with the height of their supernatural abilities. However, some witches are more power-hungry than others, while others are simply more powerful. This is what makes The Craft such a thrilling movie, because witches who use their powers for “good” (like casting a revenge obsession spell on a bully who spreads slut-shaming rumors about you) are made to temper the witches who take their power way too far (like Nancy). The Craft reminds us to be diligent about our search for power and rein in our ambitions to serve the greatest good and highest good. The Craft: Legacy, its sequel, is also a very compelling series, featuring a more diverse cast.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch
If you’re looking for a less intensely dark witchy experience, Sabrina the Teenage Witch (both the original movie and the television series) are bound to cast a spell on you. Teenager Sabrina Spellman (played by the charming Melissa Joan Hart) comes into her powers on her sixteenth birthday and is now thrust into a double life as she balances high school with becoming a “licensed” witch. With her hilarious talking cat Salem and her lovely aunts Hilda and Zelda guiding her path, as well as her dreamy and loving boyfriend Harvey, the show is perfect for anyone who loves to have a good time watching witchy cinema but doesn’t want all the dark overtones. If you do want the dark overtones, however, be sure to check out The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, a dark twist on this series.
Practical Magic
Featuring a star-studded cast of Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, Practical Magic is another famous witch movie revolving around magical sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, who, too, are raised by their aunts. They are plagued by a centuries-long family curse which kills any man that they love. While Sally stays away from love and casts a love spell to tie her to a man with impossible traits so she can never truly fall in love, her sister Gillian runs headfirst toward it and ends up in an abusive relationship with Jimmy. The curse causes Sally to suffer loss when her aunts cast a love spell on her to marry Michael, only for him to die, and Sally is also driven to rescue her sister from Jimmy, who they accidentally murder with belladonna, only to resurrect him with a dark spirit. Thankfully for Sally, help is on the way in the form of her true love – none other than the investigator sent to solve the murder case. Chaos ensues, and so does a magic that threatens to challenge the tides of true love.
The Love Witch
American comedy horror film The Love Witch is a seductive and entrancing movie about witch Elaine Parks, played by Samantha Robinson, who moves to a town that is welcoming of witchcraft. Elaine is a powerful and destructive witch who uses her magic to seduce men into loving her and becoming obsessed with her, only to murder them afterward – including her former husband Jerry. To Elaine, no man is good enough nor can he ever love her enough. This movie appears to turn to the female gaze to comment on gender roles and expectations about love and romance, and the irony is that while Elaine can seduce men with her magic and her sexuality, initially giving her the illusion of power, she cannot fulfill her fantasy of fairytale love by weaponizing patriarchal objectification that relies on the male gaze, because such love is not always based on the foundation of mutual respect and a respect for a woman’s multifacetedness, and it will take more than a spell to cure that. The Love Witch is an intriguing witch movie that will make you think more about what true power is.
Teen Witch
Teen Witch is a fun, lively, nostalgic film that will bring you back to simpler times (even if you technically weren’t born yet) of romance, high school, and first loves. Louise Miller is told by a seer, Serena, that she is a powerful witch who will develop powers on her sixteenth birthday (quite the popular trope in witch movies, it seems). When she is gifted with a mysteriously powerful amulet, she is able to make an obnoxious boy disappear and manifest her crush, Brad closer to her. Using a magical book of spells, Louise begins to harness her powers to become the most popular girl at school and become the apple of Brad’s eye. However, she ultimately learns that her authenticity – not her witchcraft – is where her true power lies.
