The movies mentioned here either have a Witch in a main role, have a magickal theme or are about Witches. Be warned some of these movies are tacky trash (Hollywood at its best) but they can be fun to laugh at. Enjoy!
Every Halloween, TV stations run their Made-for-TV "Witch" movies from the 70s and 80s. While watching some of them it struck me how little some things have changed.
Midnight Offerings
One of my favorites is Midnight Offerings starring a slew of TV show alumni. It stars Melissa Sue Anderson (of Little House on the Prairie fame) as the bad witch and Mary McDonough (of The Waltons) as the good witch. Apparently both are "born witches". Kathryn Damon (from Soap) plays Melissa's mom. Kathryn apparently has powers too but refuses to use them. Mary's mom is dead but her father makes reference several times to Mary having the same curse her mom had. Melissa uses her powers to manipulate people while Mary doesn't really understand her powers. They begin to battle over a boy. Once Melissa tries to harm Mary the battle is on. One interesting scene has Marion Ross (Mrs. C from Happy Days) explaining witchcraft to Mary and actually doing a fairly credible job of it. At one point Mary asks Kathryn to help stop Melissa but Kathryn is afraid. The final battle is hilarious with flames shooting up all over and objects flying around. The end is typical shlock and nothing new. Overall this movie is good for a laugh. I especially love the scenes involving Melissa worshipping at her altar. Her eye make-up alone is priceless. The other trappings might freak out the uninitiated but will only get a chuckle out of the rest of us. Watch it for a good laugh and wish it were that easy.
Stranger in Our House
This movie is a real beauty. The acting is horrible and the plot is thin. It's based on the novel Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan. Linda Blair is the star. She plays a suburban teen whose cousin (Lee Purcell) comes to live with Linda's family after the cousin's parents are killed in a car accident. At first Linda is welcoming and friendly but then strange things start to happen. Linda's horse hates the cousin but Linda's boyfriend loves her. Eventually he dumps Linda for the cousin. All of Linda's family adore the cousin and think Linda is just jealous. One of the neighbors is an expert on the occult and when Linda becomes suspicious of certain things (like a photo of Linda in a bikini with spots painted on it just when Linda get a rash) she turns to this neighbor. He tells Linda that her cousin may be (drum roll please) …a WITCH. Linda jumps on this idea like fleas on a dog. She tries to convince her family that her cousin is a witch and of course they disbelieve. Then one day a letter arrives from a former college friend of the cousin's which the cousin throws out. Linda retrieves it and contacts the friend to pump her for information. Based on what the friend tells her Linda concludes that not only is this woman a witch but she's not really Linda's cousin. Linda desperately tries to convince anyone of the truth but fails. One day Linda's mom takes some photos of the cousin and the cousin becomes furious. Linda's mom leaves town on a business trip and Linda decides to develop the photos and see what turns up. In the process the cousin bursts into the dark room (dressed in a wicked costume) and destroys the film. They struggle and the cousin reveals her plan to kill Linda's mom. Linda runs to her ex-boyfriend and begs him for help. He agrees but still refuses to believe Linda's accusations about the cousin. As they race up a treacherous mountain pass (which Linda has seen in dreams of her mother dying in a crash) the car begins going haywire. The cousin is chasing them and the battle is on. The ending is trite and no real surprise. Although directed by Wes Craven this movie is worth watching only for the wicked witch look the cousin develops in the last 15 minutes.
