These witches never age in the pop culture zeitgeist. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the film, TV, and even literature witches who left their generation utterly spellbound.
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00:00When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
00:05Welcome to Ms Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the film,
00:10TV, and even literature witches who left their generation utterly spellbound.
00:25Number 10. Sally and Gillian Owens. Practical Magic.
00:30Is there any connection stronger than the one between sisters?
00:33I feel like I'm never going to see you again. Of course you're going to see me again. We're
00:37going to grow old together. It's going to be you and me, living in a big house,
00:41these two old bitties with all these cats. For the Owens sisters, it's them against the world.
00:46Thanks to an old family curse and a society still not ready to embrace magical beings,
00:51they vow to always have each other's backs, no matter what.
00:55Thanks for being my sister. Sorry, let's just put this all behind us.
01:00Sally is the more level-headed sister to Gillian's free spirit. However,
01:04together they're unstoppable. Although love and romance play a big role in the movie,
01:09these sisters prove they don't need a knight in shining armor to save the day.
01:13Their bond and magic are more than enough. Sally and Gillian created a space for those
01:19who've never quite fit into society's boxes, a message that still rings true today.
01:24Was it our joined hands that finally lifted Maria's curse?
01:29I'd like to think so.
01:319. Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. Scarlet Witch
01:35Marvel Cinematic Universe
01:37Comic book fans first met this character in 1964's The X-Men
01:41No. 4, but most of us discovered her when she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe
01:46in Captain America, The Winter Soldier. Wanda and her twin brother, Pietro,
01:50initially side with Hydra, whose experiments strengthen her powers.
01:54But I saw Stark's fear. I knew it would control him, make himself distraught.
02:00Everyone creates the thing they dread.
02:03Eventually, they switch sides and join the Avengers. Though Wanda is initially
02:07overwhelmed by her abilities, she gradually learns to control them.
02:11Hands off.
02:14She even creates an alternate reality based on the sitcoms she loved as a child.
02:19Wanda may think she's in charge, but it turns out that someone else is pulling the strings.
02:31Agatha also fully pushes Wanda to embrace her destiny as the Scarlet Witch.
02:368. Sabrina Spellman, Sabrina the Teenage Witch
02:40If you grew up watching teenage witches, you probably wished for magical powers to
02:44help you survive school. Even though magic often caused more trouble than it solved,
02:49that's what we loved about Sabrina. She was a relatable teen who just happened to
02:54have magical abilities. She lived with her aunts and their talking cat, Salem,
03:09who guided her through the ups and downs of growing up and learning to manage her powers.
03:13Sure, her spells had a tendency to backfire, but that was part of the show's charm.
03:19We eventually got a version of Sabrina closer to her comic book roots,
03:33but let's be honest, Melissa Joan Hart's Sabrina practically raised a generation.
03:387. Hermione Granger, The Harry Potter Franchise
03:50Let's be real, this franchise could easily be titled Hermione Granger
03:55and the Time She Saved the Day. She's undeniably the unsung hero of the story.
04:00Without her quick thinking and book smarts, Harry might not have made it through his first
04:10year at Hogwarts. Hermione doesn't just seem to have all the answers, she's practical and
04:15prepared for nearly any situation. She isn't just guided by her intelligence, but also her
04:29intuition and genuine compassion for others. As the series progressed,
04:34she grew more confident and comfortable in herself.
04:47Also, speaking of great witches in this franchise,
04:50we think we can all agree that Professor McGonagall is an underrated icon.
04:546. Willow Rosenberg, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
05:03When we first met Willow Rosenberg, she was the wallflower of the Scooby gang,
05:08but with her friend's support, she quickly found her stride.
05:25Still, many of us could relate to her struggles with self-confidence and finding her place.
05:49As the series progressed, Willow's magical abilities grew.
05:53Yes, she went too far, but we'll set that aside for now. Willow also became part of a same-sex
05:59couple at a time when LGBTQIA plus representation was rare on TV. The best part is that they didn't
06:07make her sexuality her entire identity. It was just one part of who she was. Willow became a
06:13role model for a generation, showing that it's more than okay to just be yourself.
06:185. Ursula, The Little Mermaid
06:31Do Disney villains get more fabulous than Ursula?
06:34She doesn't need much screen time to whip up a storm of trouble.
06:49Banished from Triton's kingdom for reasons unexplored in the 1989 Disney tale,
06:55Ursula thrives on making deals with merfolk that always tip the scales in her favor.
07:01While she's as deceitful as they come, she's surprisingly upfront about her intentions.
07:06Come on, Ariel, we know it's a catchy tune, but maybe listen to what she's actually saying?
07:11Now it's happened once or twice. Someone couldn't pay the price,
07:15and I'm afraid I had to rake them across the goals.
07:19Modeled after drag queen Divine, Ursula is the ultimate unforgettable villain.
07:25She can switch from hilarious to terrifying in the blink of an eye.
07:29This sea witch's magnetic presence keeps us hooked every second she's on screen.
07:414. The Charmed Ones
07:45Charmed. At its heart, the original Charmed series is about three powerful
07:49sisters using their magic to protect the innocent and battle evil. While it was
07:54full-on fantasy, the show also tackled real themes like family, friendship,
07:58love, and personal growth.
08:00You haven't kissed me like that since…
08:02Since this morning, 1999, remember? We were supposed to meet, you had to leave,
08:07I went up to the attic, and this is where I came, the future. And if you don't believe me,
08:10at least believe what you feel, trust that.
08:12The Halliwell sisters' struggles with their powers and personal lives made them relatable,
08:17drawing in a dedicated fanbase. It became a pop culture phenomenon, and apparently
08:22even some Wiccans were impressed with how it portrayed their beliefs and customs.
08:27All you have to do is hold off the demons until dad and crew get out.
08:30Uh, you haven't by any chance had a premonition that this is all gonna turn out okay,
08:34and you've just neglected to inform your…
08:36The sisters bewitched us with their humor, heart, and, of course, loads of magic.
08:41After seeing them in action, who didn't want to start their own Power of Three coven?
08:45Power of Three will set us free. The Power of Three will set us free.
08:50The Power of Three will set us free.
08:523. The Sanderson Sisters
08:54Hocus Pocus
08:55Is there anything scarier than a trio of witches who feed on children to stay young?
09:00Definitely not if you're a kid. The Sanderson Sisters are resurrected by Max,
09:05a teenager who lights a black flame candle, fulfilling an old curse.
09:19While we were definitely scared stiff whenever the Sanderson Sisters appeared,
09:23we were also entranced by them. Their distinct personalities gave us plenty of laughs,
09:28but also sent chills down our spines as they chased our heroes through Salem.
09:33The sisters put a spell on us from the moment we met them,
09:36making the film a cult classic for the spooky season.
09:46And as the 2022 sequel revealed, that spell still hasn't worn off.
09:532. Samantha Stevens
10:00Bewitched
10:01Get ready to wiggle your noses. Samantha is a witch who marries a mortal man,
10:06defying her family's wishes.
10:08In a straw?
10:16You're a witch!
10:18That's what I've been trying to tell you.
10:19She tries to balance her magical powers with a normal life, and like any great comedy,
10:24things often go hilariously wrong, especially when her mother, Endora, shows up.
10:29Samantha works hard to fit into the non-magical worlds,
10:32but magic usually becomes her last-minute fix.
10:35I had to be in two places at once, so Mother volunteered to double for me.
10:40That's when she met Bob.
10:42She met Bob? Then it really is Endora?
10:47Afraid so, darling.
10:48She was a groundbreaking character who challenged gender roles and witchy stereotypes,
10:53showing that women could be strong, capable, and magical.
10:57Elizabeth Montgomery, who played Samantha, said that, to her,
11:00The show was about the fallout that comes with not letting people live as their true selves.
11:05Talk about ahead of its time.
11:07How do you always know when I want to see you?
11:10Oh, just call it witch's intuition.
11:12Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
11:16Melisandre, Game of Thrones
11:19Mysterious and fascinating, this witch is a force of nature.
11:22I see a darkness in you.
11:26And in that darkness, eyes staring back at me.
11:29Brown eyes, blue eyes, green eyes.
11:33The Blair Witch
11:34The Blair Witch Project
11:36The most terrifying witch we've never seen.
11:45The White Witch
11:46The Chronicles of Narnia
11:47The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
11:49Did it just get cold in here, or is the White Witch nearby?
11:53Go on ahead. Gather the faithful.
11:56If it's a war Aslan wants, it's a war he shall get.
12:02The Coven
12:03The Craft
12:04And we thought our high school had some witches.
12:07How do I get down?
12:13Who's got the instructions?
12:15Just keep concentrating.
12:16The Grand High Witch
12:18The Witches
12:19That unmasking scene still haunts our nightmares.
12:26The Wizard of Oz
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12:47Wicked Witch of the West
12:49The Wizard of Oz
12:50Few witches have struck fear into generations of children quite like this one.
12:55Take special care of those ruby stickers. I want those most of all. Now fly! Fly!
13:05With only about 12 minutes of screen time, that's impressive. However,
13:09did anyone else grow up feeling a bit sympathetic towards her and questioning
13:13if Glinda was really so good?
13:15Their magic must be very powerful, or she wouldn't want them so badly.
13:19You stay out of this, Glinda, or I'll fix you as well.
13:22Rubbish. You have no power here. Be gone before somebody drops a house on you too.
13:26Wicked gave us fresh perspectives on both characters, making them iconic in their own right.
13:41Yet this green gal remains the most bewitching of them all. Margaret Hamilton's portrayal of
13:47Oz's villain was so compelling that she reprised the role on Sesame Street,
13:51only to have the episode banned for being too scary. She even appeared on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood
13:57to reassure kids it was just make-believe. Even now, she still can chill us to the core.
14:03I'll get you, my pretty. And your little dog too.
14:06Which pop culture witch would you want to start a coven with? Let us know in the comments.
14:20Are you a good witch or a bad witch?
14:22Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo,
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