10 Witch Horror Movies To Watch If You Enjoy Hokum (#1 Is A Must Watch)
By Published May 3, 2026, 3:55 PM EDT Anthony is a news reporter and a guide writer who has covered the entertainment industry for five years. He has covered a wide range of genres, including aviation incidents and international crime, and has a keen eye for details that may slip under the radar.
When he's not writing, Anthony can be found at Brands Hatch race track or at home watching indie horror movies nobody has heard of. follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
The witch is among the most well-known and iconic characters in folklore, and there are countless tales about their powers, rituals, and abilities. Their impact on real-world history cannot be overstated either, making them unique among folklore entities. They also make for some entertaining horror films, including the recently released .
Considering their cultural significance, it makes sense that witches feature prominently in movies. They also take on many forms. We've seen countless films depicting witches riding broomsticks into the night, making bizarre potions in their cauldrons. We've also seen teen witches with talking cats in comedy shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Iconic movies like play off witches' powers for laughs, but others frame those abilities quite differently. The unknown power of witches and the occult also make them perfect for horror movies.
Witches have been a prominent part of the horror genre for decades. Some movies focus on stereotypical witch and magic tropes. Others expand on existing lore or delve deeper into the occult, adding their own twist to the genre.
Hokum falls squarely in the latter category. Offering a terrifying take on witches and folklore. Similar movies do not come around too often, but there are plenty of films already available if you crave more witch-adjacent or occult stories.
In this list, you'll find horror movies to suit every occasion. Whether you crave a story about witches with some teen drama on the side or want a film so influential that it popularized an entire sub-genre, here's a selection of witch movies any fan of Hokum will enjoy.
10 The Craft (1996)
is lighter on scares than some other titles on this list. However, it remains a classic witch movie, with a superb cast led by Robin Tunney as Sarah. She's the new girl at school and struggles to fit in.
Sarah isn't an ordinary student. She befriends three self-proclaimed witches, and the group learns how to harness supernatural powers together. However, tensions in the group begin to rise when it becomes clear that the girls have different motivations for using magic.
The Craft does have some scary moments, but it also tells a relatable cautionary tale about how sudden power can change people. Neve Campbell, Fairuza Balk, and Rachel True play Sarah's new friends, and the group has great chemistry as they learn how to use occult powers together.
9 Fear Street: Part Three - 1666 (2026)
is a unique movie on this list for several reasons. It's the third of four films, and the first three tell a grand story spanning multiple timelines. The movies are also produced as Netflix Original films, so they are exclusive to the streaming service.
The trilogy's third movie explores the town of Shadyside's past and why its residents often have a miserable time compared to those in the neighboring area of Sunnyvale. It's 1666, and fear of the supernatural and witches is at an all-time high. Part of the movie also takes place in the 90s, wrapping up the trilogy.
Similar to series like American Horror Story, several of the original Fear Street cast play new characters in the third installment. I'm being vague to avoid spoilers, but the Fear Street movies are worth watching in numerical order if you enjoy slashers and witch stories.
8 Gretel & Hansel (2026)
The story of Hansel and Gretel is a famous fairy tale about two siblings who stumble across a witch's house in the forest. draws heavily on the classic story, fleshing it out into a feature-length dark-fantasy horror film.
Fans of the fairy tale will already know what's coming, but Gretel (Sophia Lillis) and Hansel (Samuel Leakey) enter an ominous forest looking for work and shelter. They encounter a strange woman in the woods, offering them refuge, but there's more to her than meets the eye.
Gretel & Hansel doesn't just retell the classic fairy tale. It adds depth and its own spin to the story, offering beautiful visuals and brooding dread over jump scares.
7 Pyewacket (2017)
stars Nicole Muñoz as Leah. She's an angsty teenager with a fractured, challenging relationship with her mother. Leah's father passed away, and tensions boil over when her mom decides they should move house.
Leah befriends several other teens obsessed with the occult. Events only escalate between her and her mother, and she naively follows an occult ritual in the woods and summons a demon-like entity known as Pyewacket.
Pyewacket is not a traditional witch movie, but it shares a dark tone with many of the films on this list. Leah uses an ancient ritual to summon something beyond her understanding, and must try to stop it before it consumes her entire family.
6 Suspiria (2018)
is a remarkable psychological thriller with a coven and witch story at its core. The movie is set in the 70s and stars Dakota Johnson as Susie, a budding dancer.
Susie enrolls in a high-level dance establishment called the Markos Dance Academy. It should be every professional dancer's dream come true, but Susie and the other girls at the academy quickly suspect foul play. Rumors spread like wildfire when one student mysteriously vanishes.
Suspiria is a reimagining of a 70s movie of the same name. Both films share a similar story, but their deliveries are entirely different. The 2018 version is notably darker and more atmospheric. However, both have merit, and if you like one, you will likely enjoy the other.
5 The Lords Of Salem (2012)
is directed by Rob Zombie and stars Sheri Moon Zombie as Heidi. She's a radio DJ and receives a strange record in the mail by a band called 'The Lords.'
Heidi plays the record and broadcasts it to her listeners. The music has a profound effect on the DJ and the women around the town of Salem. Francis (Bruce Davison) is a historian and notices some disturbing details about the band and their links to witchcraft, which occurred centuries ago.
The Lords of Salem is more of a slow-burning horror than Rob Zombie's other movies. It relies on brooding dread and disturbing imagery rather than gory scares, offering a unique take on occult horror.
4 Hagazussa (2017)
is a German horror movie set in the Austrian Alps in the 15th century. The film is light on dialogue, and you will likely need subtitles, but it's such an inspired take on witches and folklore that we have to include it.
The movie follows a young woman called Albrun (Aleksandra Cwen). She lives in a small, isolated house alone on the edge of a village. The townsfolk believe her late mother used witchcraft and avoid her whenever possible.
Life is tough in the Alps, and Hagazussa explores Albrun's declining mental state and whether strange incidents are part of her imagination or something more supernatural and sinister. Hagazussa is a slow-burning psychological drama. If you don't mind the pace, it may just stay with you long after the credits.
3 The Wretched (2019)
Like Hokum, offers a modern take on folklore and witchcraft. The movie stars John-Paul Howard as Ben. He's a teenager staying with his dad in a quiet town owing to a messy situation between his parents.
Ben realizes something is amiss in the town, as strange things begin to occur. To make matters worse, Ben believes his next-door neighbor may be involved. Nobody takes him seriously, as if someone or something is making them forget important people in their lives.
The Wretched offers a delightfully disturbing twist on witch stories and established folklore. There are some jump scares, but the creeping dread makes the movie much more tense.
2 The Witch (2015)
, also known as The VVitch, focuses on a family on the edge of town in 1630s New England. Fear and superstition of witches are at their peak, and the family is left to their own devices to mull over bizarre occurrences.
A witch takes the family's baby into the woods, and events go from bad to worse from there. The eldest daughter, Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), takes the brunt of the family's grief and anger, but nothing is as it seems on the farm as the witches' influence seeps into their lives.
The Witch tells a bleak story about the horrors of witchcraft and its impact on the isolated farm. The movie has plenty of disturbing imagery and relies on brooding terror over cheap scares.
1 The Blair Witch Project (1999)
is arguably one of the scariest witch-horror movies and among the most influential films in the genre. It's not the first found-footage horror, but it popularized the style, telling a terrifying story that put audiences behind the camera and in the victims' shoes.
The movie is a must-watch for any fan of found-footage or witch stories. It tells the tale of a group of students who venture into the Maryland Forest to research the urban legend of the Blair Witch.
The group stays in the woods overnight and quickly realizes supernatural forces are at work that they cannot possibly comprehend. They become hopelessly lost, finding frightening effigies around their camp. Some audiences may find The Blair Witch Project challenging to watch, as the camera is particularly shaky at times. Modern found-footage films sometimes subtly reduce the shakiness, but it makes The Blair Witch Project feel raw and believable.
The cast of unknown actors helps to sell the realism, and the dynamic between the group as they grasp their situation feels relatable and genuine.
Cast
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Ohm Bauman -
Peter Coonan Mal
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