When it comes to witches, there is certainly more than one type. They can be good, bad or somewhere in the middle. Due to their magical abilities and occult association, these beings have been a popular commodity in TV and film for over a century. From the 1900s onward, each decade has their definitive witches, from the 60s with Samantha Stephens (Bewitched) to the 90s with Sabrina Spellman (Sabrina: The Teenager Witch).
The 80s were no different. While 80s witches varied in morality, age and other factors, a recurring theme among them was their unwavering independence and unbridled confidence. And whether it was to summon the perfect man, gain godlike power or tempt the fates, these witches knew how to stir up trouble and were damn proud of it.
Alex, Sukie, Jane - The Witches Of Eastwick (6.5)
Sick of depraved men and loneliness, best friends, Alex (Jack Nicholson) mysteriously swept into town.
He managed to seduce each of the women and they opened themselves up whilst indulging in their newfound magical abilities. While rated the lowest on this list, the true charm in this film came from the four leads and their bewitching chemistry.
Elvira - Elvira: The Mistress Of The Dark (6.6)
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark was one of many projects released about the titular horror hostess Elvira (Cassandra Peterson).
Following the death of her great aunt, Elvira inherits her estate and travels to Massachusetts, where she is met/unappreciated by the more conservative townsfolk. While there, she discovers that not only were her great aunt and uncle witches, but she was, too. Besides the film's poor box office performance, fans of Elvira enjoyed seeing the character on the big screen.
Princess Mombi - Return To Oz (6.7)
Return to Oz's Princess Mombi (Jean Marsh) is a sinister sorceress who accessorizes with various heads. She was determined to thwart Dorothy (Fairuza Balk) and add the Kansas girl's head to her collection.
One of the creepiest scenes in the movie came when the headless Mombi pursued Dorothy whilst the other heads screamed in unison. Fortunately for Dorothy, she, along with her friends, was able to stop Mombi and her powers were consequently lost.
Ms. Grimwood - Scooby-Doo And The Ghoul School (6.9)
Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School saw Shaggy (Casey Kasem), Scooby-Doo (Don Messick), and Scrappy-Doo newly employed as gym teachers at Miss Grimwood's Finishing School for Girls, a school whose pupils were the daughters of the most infamous movie monsters, from Dracula to the Wolf Man.
The heistress, Ms. Grimwood (Glynis Johns), is a genial and motherly figure who oversees the activities at the institution and cooks up peculiar delicacies. She mainly used her magic for domestic duties and keeping her pet dragon, Matches (Frank Welker).
Mildred Hubble - The Worst Witch (7.1)
Mildred Hubble (Fairuza Balk) in The Worst Witch was a precocious and ambitious witch who tended to mess things up. Enrolled at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, her frequent blunders caused her peers to tease her and most of the school's staff to dismiss her as being hopeless.
Nonetheless, Mildred proceeded on and proved to her naysayers that she could be a competent witch. In the end, she helped save the school from the heistresses' evil twin-sister, Agatha (Charolette Rae).
The White Witch - The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe (7.2)
The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe's central antagonist is the White Witch (Barbara Kellerman). Due to her rule, Christmas never came and winter reigned over the land of Narnia.
While she was known tyrannical and cruel, she could be persuasive and win over those with her charisma and manipulation tactics, just as she did with Edmund, even when he learned of her true nature. Up until the end, she put up a vigorous and violent fight against the Pevensie children.
Mommy Fortuna - The Last Unicorn (7.5)
Mommy Fortuna is not a typical witch. While she was magically inept, her true ion and skill lied in her showmanship. She thrived on regaling audiences through fear or delight.
Fortuna attempted to kidnap and feature a rare unicorn (Mia Farrow) in her side-show attraction, among other oddities and creatures. Absolutely eccentric, Fortuna was giddy when faced with the prospect of death and willingly succumbed to her fate as she was consumed by the Harpy.
Ursula The Sea Witch - The Little Mermaid (7.6)
Ursula (Pat Carroll) was an intimidating but jovial sorceress in The Little Mermaid. She was feared across the seven seas and only the most desperate of souls came to her. She wanted to take Triton's (Kenneth Mars) place as ruler of the ocean and was a master manipulator and convinced Princess Ariel (Jodi Benson) to trust her and lend her her voice.
Diabolical, sassy, and beguiling, she stole almost every scene she was in. Ursula's signature design was based on the renowned drag queen, Divine.
Kiki - Kiki's Delivery Service (7.8)
Kiki's Delivery Service's titular character was an aspiring and hard-working witch. Despite moving to a strange town, she managed to endear the residents through her broom riding, beaming personality, and tenacious work ethic.
When she came across a hurdle in her journey, she realized she needed to find her own inspiration and saw that true magic came not from her abilities, but the spirit inside her. She was voiced by Kirsten Dunst in the English dubbed version of the film.
Magica De Spell - Ducktales (8.1)
Ducktales' Magica De Spell (June Foray) was one of Scrooge's greatest and most deadly foes. She constantly attempted to steal his Number One dime and came close, on quite a few occasions. As a witch, Magica's prowess was nearly unmatched and she could perform a litany of impressive feats, from teleporting far distances to metamorphizing into any animal.
Her familiar was a pet raven named Poe De Spell (Frank Welker), who was also her brother. Magica returned in the show's reboot of the same name and was voiced by Catherine Tate.
