Our Top Broom Brigade

Whether fair or foul, we all have our favourite Witch. As we all dust down our broomsticks for Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages on 25 Oct 2025 here’s our top five broom-tastic film high-flyers.

Hermione Saves the Day

No5: Hermione Granger - Harry Potter (2001-11)

Harry Potter is, inarguably, the greatest-selling book series of all time; the movie adaptations were runaway successes and now we’ve a new TV series being cast. Granted, the shine of the series has dulled somewhat in recent years, but the characters in these books meant a great deal to a whole generation of readers. With that in mind, no talk of film witches would be complete without Hermione Granger, the witch that, for many, broke the idea of evil witches. For a generation of little girls, she showed that witches can be smart, kind, and save the day. Hermione remains one of the most iconic witches of all time, without green skin and a broomstick.

Kathryn Hunter Making Trouble

No4: The Three Witches - Macbeth (first film 1916)

I know what you’re thinking: ‘I thought this was a list of film witches, what are these three old hags doing here?’ Okay, yes, but there are enough adaptations of Shakespeare - creepy Kathryn Hunter from Joel Coen’s Macbeth immediately jumps to mind, so - c’mon, are we really going to talk about witches and not mention the weird sisters? The Three Witches remain some of the most iconic witches in any media. Their prophetic visions pave the way for the events of Macbeth (or cause them?) depending on your interpretation. Who knows if Macbeth would kill Malcolm if not told it would lead him to the throne. Just ask any group of three people when you should meet again and someone will begin rattling off those famous lines ‘In thunder, lightning, or in rain?’

Hamming it up for Halloween

No3: The Sanderson Sisters - Hocus Pocus (1993)

Following on from the 1600s, we can’t neglect another witch trio, this time from the modern age. Hocus Pocus opened in cinemas in 1993 to a poor performance and mixed reviews (to put it lightly). However, in the years following, it has gathered a cult following, especially among the now adult audience that had access to the Disney channel growing up. Now the Sandersons are iconic to Millennials and older Gen Z audiences, in part due to the performances of the three stars, in particular Bette Midler hamming it up as much as possible. The film, and the witches themselves, have become a Halloween staple over the past 30 years, leading to a sequel in 2022 and a third film in development.

The Scary Mother of Sighs

No2: Helena Markos - Suspiria (1977)

Something very evil is lurking in the dance academy, and while you may not see her, you can definitely hear her when she sleeps. Macbeth’s Three Witches seem perfectly benign compared to Helena/Mater Suspiriorum/Mother of Signs, director of the Tanz Dance Academy. Located in Freiburg, Germany, it appears to be a prestigious dance academy but is secretly a front for a coven of witches, and the scariest of all is Helena. You don’t see her but the throat-slittings, the noisy snoring and the terror on dancing hopeful Suzy Bannion’s sweet face are enough.

Our Ultimate Witch

No1: Wicked Witch of the West – The Wizard of Oz (1939)

I mean, it had to be her, didn’t it? The witch that epitomises all witches on film. Helena might scare us as adults, but West terrified us as children. Truly I can’t think of a more iconic display of witchiness than The Wicked Witch of the West. From her green skin to her broomstick, to her evil cackle, everything about her fits the bill. Margaret Hamilton did an incredible job cementing herself as the ultimate witch, so much so that in the modern adaptations of Oz and its fanfiction prequel for musical fans, Wicked, the witch is shown in all her green glory, a detail missing from the original book.The Wicked Witch of the West remains undefeated (if you don’t count her mishap with the bucket) as the ultimate witch in all of film, nay, all of fiction.