The evillest of movie witches come in all shapes and sizes, some are unseen threats while others at center. Here are the best movie witches.

With the Halloween season upon us, there are a lot of classic monsters that will be stepping into the spotlight. One of the most popular beings this time of year is the witch. Though witches haven't been used as frequently in movies as vampires and zombies, they have had plenty of time to shine and be scary.

The evillest of movie witches come in all shapes and sizes. Some are unseen threats while others are front and center. Some are entertaining and funny villains while others are downright terrifying. If you're looking for some Halloween inspiration, have a look at the best and evilest movie witches of all time.

10 Helena Markos - Suspiria (1977)

The master of Italian horror Dario Argento delivered what many consider his masterpiece with the surreal and unforgettable Suspiria. The film follows a young woman who joins a prestigious dance academy only to discover it is run by a coven of witches.

The young heroine learns that she can only defeat the coven if she kills the head witch, the academy's unseen director, Helena Markos. When she finally comes face to face with Markos, she is a grotesque and terrifying creature who can turn invisible which explains many of the mysterious killings she carried out.

9 Witch Of The Woods - The Witch (2015)

David Eggers cemented himself as an exciting new voice in horror with his debut film, The Witch. The eerie film follows a Puritan family in the 1600s who try to establish a new home outside a dense and mysterious woods which happens to be the home of the Witch of the Woods.

The witch quickly targets the family, killing the young children, including the newborn baby, to use for her dark magic. In the end, the witch and the dark forces of the woods manage to persuade the youngest daughter of the family to join them.

8 Minnie Castevet - Rosemary's Baby (1968)

The classic horror film Rosemary's Baby stars Mia Farrow as a young woman who moves into a new apartment building with her husband and soon the neighbors take a strange fascination with her. One neighbor, Minnie Castevet, is especially nosy.

While Minnie initially seems to be friendly and harmless, it is eventually revealed that she is a Satanist who uses witchcraft to impregnate Rosemary with the dark lord's child. It is a frightening depiction of a witch hidden in plain sight.

7 Ursula - The Little Mermaid (1990)

Witches have been a common villain type in Disney movies. Ursula distinguishes herself from her peers by being a sea witch. She holds a vengeful grudge against King Triton and seeks to use his daughter Ariel to make him pay.

She tricks Ariel into signing over her soul and her voice to Ursula in exchange for the ability to live among the humans above the sea. It's clear by Ursula's unsettling collection of "unfortunate souls" that Ariel is not the first one she has successfully conned.

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

Much like the shark in Jaws, the witch in the ground-breaking found footage horror film The Blair Witch Project is made scarier because she remains unseen. The film follows a trio of filmmakers who go into the woods to learn more about the local folklore of the Blair Witch.

The filmmakers soon discover that there might be a lot more to the stories than they thought as some unknown entity begins stalking them, tormenting them, and causes them to become lost in the woods to be its victims.

5 Eva Ernst - The Witches (1990)

Adapted from the classic story by Roald Dahl, which will soon get an updated retelling starring Anne Hathaway, The Witches is a family-friendly witch story that still features some evil witches.

The film follows a young boy who discovers a secret society of horrible witches, led by the evil Eva Ernst. In order to protect their plan of getting rid of all the children in the world, she turns the boy into a mouse. And while their human disguises are effective, they are truly grotesque in witch form.

4 Maleficent - Sleeping Beauty (1959)

Before getting her own live-action film that painted her in a more sympathetic light, Maleficent was seen as one of Disney's most evil villains. Just going by how she is presented in Sleeping Beauty, she is certainly an unlikable creation.

With all her dark magic, Maleficent uses it to put a curse on a newborn baby just because she is jealous of the attention it is getting. She also turns into a dragon which seems cool until she tries to eat Prince Charming.

3 Winifred Sanderson - Hocus Pocus (1993)

In another witch-focused film that is suitable for the whole family, Hocus Pocus stars Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson, a Salem witch who steals the life force of children to make herself young again.

Though she is joined by her two sisters, Winifred is the leader of the trio and the dastardliest one in the group. She is hilariously evil, kidnapping children, turning people into cats, and forcing people to dance until they drop.

2 Bellatrix Lestrange - The Harry Potter Franchise

There are plenty of witches in the Harry Potter series, but Bellatrix Lestrange is the evilest by far. She is a loyal follower of Voldemort and believes that all non-magic people should be wiped out.

Bellatrix seems to take a lot of pride in the fact that she is so evil. She tortured Neville Longbottom's parents to death and killed Sirius Black then went on to gleefully brag about it. At times, she even seems to be more villainous than Lord Voldemort himself.

1 The Wicked Witch Of The West - The Wizard Of Oz (1939)

In the land of Oz, there are good witches and bad witches. The good witches, like Glenda, help young Dorothy and her companions on their quest to find the wizard of Oz. however, the Wicked Witch of the West is a feared being in Oz who will stop at nothing to get Dorothy.

The fact that her title refers to her as "wicked" should give some indication of how bad she is. Not only is she trying to kill a young woman and her innocent dog, but she commands an army of terrifying flying monkeys who will give anyone nightmares.

NEXT: Strangest Behind-The-Scenes Stories From The Wizard Of Oz

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