1. The Witches
Based on what is arguably Roald Dahl's most frightening book, The Witches is another supposed children's film that ups the ante when it comes to fear of witchcraft. We follow Luke, who has gone on holiday with his grandmother in Cornwall. There we meet the Grand High Witch, who is a vision played by the great Anjelica Huston. This role could not have been cast, nor played, better. Huston embodies the perfect glamourous and powerful witch. However, her beauty is short-lived when a scene that has haunted many children comes to light. The Witches shows us practitioners of witchcraft in their most grotesque form, and it is their unassuming disguise that really spooks the viewer. Luke soon realises that there are witches everywhere, and that their evil plot (to turn everyone into mice, of course) is coming to a climax. This leads to a wonderful soup-laden showdown that is equal parts hilarious and awful. The Witches (with Huston in-particular) is a truly great exercise in preying on childhood fears, and is definitely one of the spookiest films about witchcraft.
Like this article? Let us know in the comments section below.