5 heroines of Halloween
We can’t help but think of spooky movies and creepy costumes at this time of year. Let’s get in the spirit by celebrating some of the top witches to grace the silver screen.
By Amber McKenna, Emerita, on Oct 11, 2011 | 0 comments
1. Of course one of the most famous witches of all time is the Wicked Witch of the West, played by Margaret Hamilton in the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz.” With her green skin and warty chin, she represents the old-hag witch well. But why so angry, Wicked Witch of the West? Is it because your sister was crushed by a house? Is it because your sister, who is now dead, had her most prized possession (Ruby Slippers) stolen from her? We’d be mad too.
Luckily she got to tell her misunderstood side of the story in the Broadway-hit “Wicked.” Oh, and she had flying monkeys, which is pretty damn original.
2. Who hates children but needs to suck the lifeforce out of them to survive? Well, the Sanderson Sisters of 1993’s “Hocus Pocus,” of course. Winifred (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary (Kathy Najimy) are the three witches resurrected by a young teenage boy in Salem, Massachusetts.
They seem like your classic broom-flying witches, but they can do oh so much more. Singing to hypnotize people? Yep. Smell children from a mile away? Yes indeed. Can’t be killed by fire? True story. But alas, the sisters meet their end when they fail to extract new life force from children and explode into thousands of tiny pieces. The Sanderson Sisters stay medieval-chic throughout the film, making being bad look really good.
3. Not everyone may be familiar with Tia Dalma, depicted by Naomie Harris in “Pirates of the Caribbean” (movies two and three in 2006 and 2007), but they should be. Once Davy Jones’ lover, she is responsible for making him captain of The Flying Dutchman.
Turns out, Tia Dalma is only the human form of sea goddess Calypso.
She’s flirty and mysterious, yet she controls the power of the sea and acts as a fortune teller and witch doctor. This sea goddess seductress would definitely be a fun character to step into the shoes of, if only for one Halloween evening.
4. Sure, she’s technically a “good witch,” but Harry Potter’s Hermione Granger is a force to be reckoned with. Emma Watson portrays the young character who discovers her magical powers when invited to Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry, at age 11.
A girl-power icon, Hermione holds her own among a posse of boys and uses her academic mind to outwit others in many a tricky situation. Not only is she smart, but Hermione is also an advocate for positive muggle relations, being muggle-born herself, and stands up for house elf-rights. Love interest, dark-wizard hunter and prefect—Hermione is the good witch to watch.
5. Though the “Witches of Eastwick” don’t start out knowing they are witches, Cher as Alexandra, Susan Sarandon as Jane, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Sukie really give us witch-envy in this 1987 flick.
In the small, quiet town of Eastwick the three single women unknowingly form a coven. When a curious gentleman Daryl, aka Jack Nicholson, appears in town and starts seducing the women strange, paranormal things start to happen. Eventually the three witches realize their powers and use them to protect their town and families from evil. It’s spooky; it’s funny and it’s flashy.
Did we mention they are doing all this while rocking the greatest of ‘80s style? A must-watch for Halloween time.
