The Witch earned raved critical reviews all throughout its festival run, but when Robbert Eggers' ambitious A24 horror movie hit theaters, the reception was mixed, to say the least. A truly special movie that worms its way under your skin, Suspiria is a haunting, spiritual film that's got guts, brains and heart - sometimes splattered all over the walls. A reflection on revolution and power struggle between generations, Suspiria is as smart as it is stunning, working from a script by The Terror co-writer David Kajganich and boasting a hypnotic score from Radiohead's Thom Yorke. Dakota Johnson stars as Susie Bannion, a Mennonite girl who travels to Berlin to attend a prestigious dance academy where she meets Madame Blanc ( Tilda Swinton) and the hidden coven of witches therein. Call Me by Your Name director Luca Guadagnino makes a hard left turn into the "sighing nightmare" of Dario Argento's classic horror film and reimagines it as a bleak, bizarrely beautiful wonderland of terror. If you're lucky enough to have Suspiria playing near you, get thee to the theaters for one of the best witch movies, the best horror remakes, and just one of the best damn movies of the decade. Magic movies don't get much adorable or more feel-good than this one, so if your spirits need a boost, get your witch fill here. Not to mention one seriously cute black cat. The film's story is somewhat slight, but its wonders are immense, and while it owes a lot to its Ghibli predecessor Kiki's Delivery Service, there's just something so spectacular about the magical sights found within the halls of Endor College. Unfortunately, the effects are short-lived, but Mary takes the "smoke 'em while you got 'em" approach to magic, embracing the newfound world whole-heartedly. Mary is your average girl in a quiet summer town until she stumbles upon the magical Fly-by-Night flower that imbues her with immense magical skill.
The first feature film from the Studio Ghibli offshoot Studio Ponoc, Mary and the Witch's Flower is a downright delightful animated adventure that follows a clumsy, well-meaning young girl inside the halls of a magical school where nefarious plans are at work. In a better timeline, we would have got the planned sequel to this blood-soaked action movie, but for now, the least we can do is give this little oddball gem the credit it deserves. Wirkola went from Nazi zombies in Dead Snowto his world of fairytale witches, maintaining his splattery set-pieces and cheeky approach to genre while delivering some spectacular witch designs (not to mention a gorgeous practical troll played by Derek Mears) and a whole lot of kickass action. Renner and Gemma Arterton star as the titular witch-hunting siblings and they're pitted against Famke Jansen's head witch, a delicious scenery-chewing performance from the otherworldly actress. Wait, what? Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters? As in the barely seen and swiftly forgotten Jeremy Renner movie with 15% on Rotten Tomatoes? Yep! Critics did Tommy Wirkola's weird and wildly camp action horror wrong when it arrived in theaters in 2013, and while it's strange B-movie brew certainly isn't for everyone, there are few witch movies that are so fearlessly tongue-in-cheek with the production value and quality casting on display here. But now, with further ado, here are my favorite witch movies for an enchanting Halloween. If you want something a little more family friendly, you can get your fill of witches in The Wizard of Oz (or it's creepier, witchier sequel Return to Oz), the spirited Studio Ghibli delight Kiki's Delivery Service, Matthew Vaughn's Neil Gaimanadaptation Stardust (which also stars Robert DeNiro as a queer sky pirate, so get on that), the charming Kim Novak classic Bell Book and Candle, or watch Angela Lansbury wield magic against the Nazis in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and of course, any of the Harry Potter films. If you're looking for horror, you can't go wrong with Mario Bava's Black Sunday, George Romero's Season of The Witch, Lucky McKee's The Woods, the recent Spanish horror comedy Witching & Bitching, or the silent fictionalized documentary Häxan, which is filled to the brim with iconic witchcraft imagery and really sets the mood with its hypnotic score. These are my personal favorites, and they're just scratching the surface. But again, there's no shortage of great witch films out there.