Every Halloween, plenty of “best witchcraft movies” lists make the rounds. And every Halloween, you can guarantee that those lists will probably include well-worn favorites such as The Craft, The Witch, or Practical Magic.
While those movies are great in their own right, I’m doing something a little different for this article. Full disclosure: I’m a practicing Pagan, and witchy movies are something of a spiritual experience for me. So this Halloween, sit down with this witch-approved list of unsung, underloved, and must-see witchcraft classics.
Why six, you ask? Just ask Iron Maiden.
VIY (1967; dir. Nikolai Gogol)
Available on Blu-ray; Streaming On Prime Video.
Based on a classic Russian horror novella, VIY follows a young seminary student, Khoma, as he’s headed back home with his friends for vacation. On the trek back, the lads seek shelter in a woman’s barn, who happily obliges them. But no sooner is Khoma seduced by the woman than does he realize she’s a witch and bludgeons her to death. (Rude!)
This is just the beginning of Khoma’s troubles. Upon killing the witch, he discovers her body has transformed into the daughter of a rich noble. As penance, he’s forced to spend three nights alone – ensuring her safe passage into the afterlife. But is the witch really dead? And is Khoma all that innocent? VIY is an esoteric, visually sumptuous Soviet classic, and a must for anyone thirsty for an occult psychological thrill ride.
Virgin Witch (1972; dir. Ray Austin)
Available on Plex.
Britain put out a healthy glut of occult thrillers in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Some are cerebral spine tinglers with complex things to say about our culture. Others are satanic panic exploitation vehicles with plenty of nudity and nonsense witchcraft. Virgin Witch falls somewhere between the two extremes, which is why it’s such a compelling film – it straddles the line of art and trash so well, you can’t help but admire it.
It’s also a satisfying taste of British witch films. Focused on two women seduced into witchcraft by a satanic modeling agent, the movie exemplifies some of the most popular tropes, motifs, and themes of the genre. At the same time, it trades in enough tawdry scenes and bare flesh to give you a taste of primo Brit sleaze. A strange and unwieldy film full of questionable performances, it’s a great jumping-off point into the wild world of UK occult thrillers.
Season of the Witch (1974; dir. George Romero)
Available on Blu-ray; Streaming On Arrow and Tubi.
A little-seen masterpiece from Night of the Living Dead maestro George Romero. Season of the Witch (also released under the unfortunate title Hungry Wives) follows a bored and neglected housewife drawn into the world of witchcraft. The 1970s was the time of women’s lib in America, and interest in the occult was at a historic high. Season of the Witch capitalizes on that cultural moment to deliver a fiery, feminist-friendly potboiler.
Released just four years before his landmark Dawn of the Dead, Season of the Witch represents Romero at his most cerebral. His brand of suburban horror – aimed at the specific fears and vulnerabilities of American housewives – shows empathy from a director too often pigeonholed as “the zombie guy.” One of my personal favorites, and a great “how-to” if you’re interested in the craft. Plus – who doesn’t love a good Donovan needle drop?
The Queen of Black Magic (1981; dir. Liliek Sudjio)
Available on DVD; Streaming on YouTube and Prime Video.
Murni – played by beloved Indonesian actress Suzzanna – is accused of being a witch after an upper-class man takes her virginity and promises to stay with her. He remarries, and when Murni confronts him at the ceremony, he accuses her of being a witch. The town believes him, and bands together to throw her off a cliff to her death. But with the help of a dark wizard and a book of spells, Murni returns from the brink of death as The Queen of Black Magic.
An utterly unhinged and delightful watch, this cult classic was so beloved in Indonesia that it received a splashy remake in 2019. It’s easy to see why – Queen of Black Magic has something for everyone, from over-the-top gore to a satisfying revenge yarn where every jerk gets what’s coming to them. Best described as I Spit On Your Grave with magic, Sudjio’s tripped-out bit of folk horror is widely available online.
The Devonsville Terror (1983; dir. Ulli Lommel)
Available on region-free Blu-ray; Streaming on YouTube.
Halloween icon Donald Pleasance stars in this grounded but bone-chilling film. In the late 1600s, a trio of women are tried, convicted, and executed for witchcraft. Three hundred years later, Jenny, Chris, and Monica move to the remote, conservative town. Between them, the women teach school, study the environment, and help women escape their regressive lives with a radio show. You know – things that go over so well in conservative towns.
Soon, the women are stalked and harassed by the townsfolk. After one woman spurns a local man that forces himself on her, he accuses her of being a witch, and they’re soon attacked on all sides by the community of bloodthirsty religious zealots. But the spirits of the slain witches are still restless – and they just might be on the women’s side. Devonsville Terror is a gristly watch but doesn’t dwell in the fetishistic witch torture of movies like Witchfinder General and its lesser imitators. Instead, it rightly showcases real violence and its delayed, supernatural consequences.
Lords of Salem (2013; dir. Rob Zombie)
Available on Blu-ray; Streaming on Roku, Tubi, and Amazon Prime.
It feels weird to call a Rob Zombie film “obscure,” but Lords of Salem is easily his smallest and most unloved film. Zombie shies away from the grindhouse gross-out antics that put him on the map with House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects. He directs Sheri Moon Zombie through a loopy descent into Satanic madness, as a heavy metal DJ is pulled deep into the primal world of witchcraft by a coven of elder witches – played by horror legends Judy Geeson, Patricia Quinn, and Dee Wallace.
Lords of Salem is Zombie at his most dreamic and cerebral. It’s a high-concept film, stuffed to the brim with more veiled metaphors and layered imagery than his previous work. But don’t let that scare you away – it still manages to deliver some gleeful gore and a final sequence so insane it needs to be seen with your own eyes. Plus, Salem manages to deliver a full-throated defense of what our culture deems evil and impure. In that sense? It’s Zombie’s most honest film.
There you have it! Now you’re armed with six films to carry with you deep into the witching hour. So cast your circles, call the spirits, and let the season of Samhain take you. Blessed be.