The ten best movie witches
Hollywood's most notable hocus pocus hags
Tue Feb 12 2013
Vampires are dead: 2013 is officially the season of the witch. As ‘Beautiful Creatures’ (aka ‘the new “Twilight”’) opens, Cath Clarke and Tom Huddleston pick the best screen sorceresses.
The Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston)
Film
‘The Witches’ (1990)
Appearance
Vampire glam. Devil-red lipstick, LBD, great fringe. Behind closed doors it’s a different story entirely.
Evil deeds
The elimination of all the children of England is her plan. Her means is a devilish potion that turns the under 12s into mice. The Grand High Witch’s diabolical followers disguise themselves as frumpy ladies from the shires to pose as earnest children’s charity volunteers.
Scare factor
10/10. The best kids’ stories are the scariest and this is based on Road Dahl’s most frightening novel. The thought of all those nice charitable ladies hiding hideous scaly faces is truly nightmarish – and Anjelica Huston gives the performance of a lifetime.
Wyrd words
‘Witches of England... You are a disgrace! You are good-for-nothing worms! Everywhere I look, I see the repulsive sight of hundreds, thousands of revolting little children.’
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