There’s a long history of witches in popular culture. As we prepare for Halloween, we focus on the portrayal of witches in films in this episode of Music at the Movies.

From witch trials to their pallid complexion, pointy hats and the grouping of witches in threes, we feel their presence in otherworldly ways — that world being a musical one.

Selections

* “Something Wicked This Way Comes” from The Tragedy of MacBeth (2021) by Carter Burwell

* “Elizabeth Accused” from The Crucible (1996) by George Fenton

* “Miss Gulch” from The Wizard of Oz (1939) by Herbert Stothart*

* “Graveyard Attack” and “Witches Capture Dani” from Hocus Pocus (1993) by John Debney

* “Let’s Steal Their Souls” and “Lighting the Black Flame” from Hocus Pocus 2 (2022) by John Debney

* “The Dance of the Witches” from The Witches of Eastwick (1987) by John Williams**

* “Witches Are Real” and “A Narrow Escape” from The Witches (2020) by Alan Silvestri

* “The Red Woman” from Game of Thrones (2016) by Rawin Djawadi

* “The Christening” from Maleficent (2014) by James Newton Howard

* “Bellatrix” from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2011) by Alexander Desplat

* Indicates an Academy Award

** Indicates an Academy Award nomination

Related links and a deeper dive available in our Notes section:

* Music at the Movies #9: Witching Hour

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