Summary

  • 90s witches were diverse and complex, defying the traditional good vs. evil stereotype. They inhabited a gray area and sometimes did bad things for the right reasons.
  • The witches in the 90s had a significant impact on the portrayal of witches in recent movies. They showed that being labeled a "witch" doesn't automatically make a person bad.
  • The witches of the 90s were iconic and influential, leaving a lasting impact on popular culture. They remain beloved characters and a staple of supernatural movies and shows.

Witch movies from the 90s offered an intriguing variety of spell casters. Some were traditional, others adapted to the current culture, and the rest were a medley of the two. The witches that stood out were ed for their iconic style, magic prowess, affiliation with dark, light, or neutral magic, and their indelibly wicked personalities. The Nancy Dowds and Sanderson Sisters of 1990s cinema and TV would influence later witches down the line and remain icons for decades — long before Emma Watson made her debut as Hermione Granger in 2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. Witches have been a staple of supernatural movies and shows for decades, but the 90s was definitely a golden era for the character archetype.

The witches in recent movies owe a lot to the ones that came before. What they mostly owe to the witch movies from the 90s is a sense that, just because a person is labeled a "witch," it doesn't mean they are necessarily bad. However, as the movies and TV shows of that decade prove, there is a lot more depth to the role of a witch other than just good or bad. The best and most powerful witches in the 90s knew they lived in a gray area and had to often do bad things for even the right reasons. It's this dissection of the traditional moral binary of witches outlined in movies like The Wizard of Oz or classic 1964 sitcom Bewitched that made the witches of the 1990s so endearing to watch — although the 90s still had its share of traditional "evil" witches too.

15 Wendy - Casper Meets Wendy (1998)

Casper meets Wendy.
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Casper Meets Wendy was a direct-to-video comedy that featured Hilary Duff in her very first movie role. Wendy's magical family has angered Desmond, an evil Warlock, and they must escape to a supernatural resort for safety. Casper the Friendly Ghost and Wendy meet in the resort and become friends, even though witches and ghosts aren't known to usually get along. The spooky duo decides to form a team to defeat Desmond, giving the movie good stakes while being quite comical and bubbly. Wendy is as friendly as Casper, and while she proved to be the best witch ever, it was only because she befriended a ghost.

14 Mildred Hubble - The Worst Witch (1998-2001)

The cast of The Worst Witch in 1998
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The Worst Witch was originally a book series by Jill Murphy that got its own television show in 1998. The story follows Mildred Hubble, a non-witch girl who gains entrance to Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches thanks to her creativity on her entrance exam. Unfortunately, she always finds herself in all kinds of trouble throughout her time in the magical education system. Mildred ends up with a tabby cat instead of the traditional black witch's cat, for example, and her wild adventures and friendships lead to great comedy. She may be the "worst witch," but the show was charming and lasted for three seasons (and a less-warmly-received 2017 revival).

13 Claudia - A Simple Wish (1997)

Claudia pointing in A Simple Wish.
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A Simple Wish is one of the witch movies from the 90s full of magic and twists. It also includes Martin Short as a fairy godfather and Kathleen Turner as a godmother-turned-evil witch determined to steal all the wands from the North American Fairy Godmothers Association. Mara Wilson plays Annabel, the daughter of an aspiring actor who can't seem to catch a break, and Annabel asks the fairy godfather to grant her wish and help her father's career. Claudia the evil witch is both a modern woman and archaically evil, owning her own lair and wishing to possess all magic of the godmothers.

12 Lady Mary Van Tassel - Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Lady Mary Van Tassel in Sleepy Hollow.
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The Tim Burton movie Sleepy Hollow arrived in 1999, a retelling of the Headless Horsemen legend. It features Miranda Richardson as Lady Mary Van Tassel, the wife of Baltus and Katrina's stepmother. She reveals herself later to be a powerful witch with a massive plot to get revenge on Van Garrett for being evicted many years ago. She not only pledged her very soul to the devil, but she wormed her way into the Van Tassel family, killed off her own sister and any other heirs, and attempts to abduct and sacrifice Katrina. This woman is absolutely hardcore and lives for vengeance, attempting to control the Horsemen, which was, of course, her downfall.

11 Grandmama - Addams Family Values (1993)

Carol Kane as Grandmama Addams in Addams Family Values
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The Addams Family is a staple of Western pop culture, aesthetic and comedic icons for many who grew up with the franchise. There's someone for everyone in the family: Wednesday is a favorite of many Gen Z and Millennial fans; Morticia and Gomez are truly devoted to one another, a refreshing change of pace from the many "ball-and-chain" jokes of 20th-century family sitcoms. But perhaps most overlooked is Grandmama, a witch who has many talents such as spellcasting, potion-brewing, and even knife-throwing. Grandmama, played by the delightful Carol Kane, is wonderful in Addams Family Values. She also might be one of the most powerful and unpredictable witches in 1990s cinema.

10 Aggie Cromwell - Halloweentown (1998)

Aggie Cronwell in Halloweentown.
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Aggie (Debbie Reynolds) came from a long line of witches known across Halloweentown. During her oldest granddaughter Marnie's 13th Halloween, she tried to gauge Marnie's interest in witchcraft but decided not to train her. When her three grandchildren sneakily follow Aggie back to Halloweentown, they have to help her stop a great evil - all at great risk to their survival. Aggie is a powerful witch, and she has a huge bag of tricks, but she also is stubborn and set in her ways. However, in this family movie, she learns the errs of her ways and trusts in her grandchildren to help her save the world, making her stronger in the end.

9 Sabrina Spellman - Sabrina The Teenage Witch (1996 - 2003)

The cast of Sabrina the Teenage Witch against a white background for a promotional image
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Few fictional witches in the 1990s managed to penetrate the cultural zeitgeist quite as thoroughly as Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina (Melissa Joan Hart) was a well-intentioned but clumsy 16-year-old when she found out she was a witch. Her aunts, Hilda (Caroline Rhea) and Zelda (Beth Broderick), served as her guides and caregivers while Salem, (Nick Bakay) their "pet," was transformed into a cat after trying to achieve world domination. The series was a light-hearted romp that dealt with Sabrina learning magic, but her spells usually bite her or others in the butt, making her less powerful than other witches from the 90s. In 2018, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was released by Netflix and it's gone on to become one of the streaming service's most popular series.

8 Elzora - Eve's Bayou (1997)

Elzora in Eve's Bayou.
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In Eve's Bayou, Elzora (Diahann Carroll) is a local voodoo witch who warned Eve's mother, Roz, about impending family drama. Caroll's mystical nature and authoritative tone made her a force to be reckoned with. She enveloped the role and was one of the best aspects of the film, from her piercing eyes, haunting makeup, and spot-on readings. While just a small part of one of the best witch movies from the 90s, she was integral to the plot. The movie remains a critically acclaimed masterpiece, selected by the Library of Congress for inclusion into the National Film Registry in 2018.

7 The Blair Witch - The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The final scene in The Blair Witch Project.
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According to The Blair Witch Project lore, the Blair Witch commanded Rustin Parr to kidnap several children and murder them in his home. In 1994, three college students traveled to the Burkittsville woods where Parr's house was located. During their trip, peculiar coincidences occurred and remnants from the legends begin transpiring in front of their eyes. While viewers never got a decent look at the Blair Witch, it was the terrifying lore behind the character and creepy incidents in the film that stuck in audiences' minds. While the power or existence of the witch remains a mystery, this movie scared an entire generation.

6 Sally & Gillian Owens - Practical Magic (1998)

Sally and Gillian in the kitchen in Practical Magic.
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In Practical Magic, Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) were sisters who were affected by a long family curse that killed the men in the family's love interests. Since childhood, Gillian was entranced by her magical powers while Sally was hesitant to use them. By the film's climax, their sisterly love broke the curse and Sally realized she could use a little more magic in her life. Sally and Gillian's powerful sisterhood and their willingness to use their powers to protect each other makes them one of the most powerful duos in one of the best witch movies from the 90s.