If you’re sitting on your couch on a Tuesday night wondering how many good witch movies are there, you’ve probably realized the answer isn’t as simple as a quick Google search makes it look. Honestly, it’s a bit of a mess. Are we talking about the Hallmark "Good Witch" franchise starring Catherine Bell? Or are we talking about the broader world of cinema where witches aren't always, well, "good"?
People usually get these two things mixed up. You have the cozy, tea-sipping vibe of Middleton, and then you have the dark, goat-talking terror of Robert Eggers. Both are "witch movies," but they couldn't be more different if they tried.
The Hallmark Count: Breaking Down the Cassie Nightingale Saga
Let’s start with the literal "Good Witch." If you’re looking for the specific Hallmark series, the count is very precise. There are 7 original movies that aired before the TV show even started.
These films follow Cassie Nightingale as she moves into Grey House and starts fixing everyone’s lives with a well-timed "coincidence" and a carafe of herbal tea. Here is the list of those first seven:
- The Good Witch (2008)
- The Good Witch’s Garden (2009)
- The Good Witch’s Gift (2010)
- The Good Witch’s Family (2011)
- The Good Witch’s Charm (2012)
- The Good Witch’s Destiny (2013)
- The Good Witch’s Wonder (2014)
But wait. It gets confusing. After these seven movies, Hallmark launched the Good Witch television series, which ran for seven seasons. During that run, they released 5 additional feature-length specials that usually aired around Halloween. Fans often call these "movies" too. So, if you’re a completionist, the number is actually 12.
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Why the Hallmark movies actually matter
They basically pioneered "cozy fantasy" before it was a trendy TikTok aesthetic. There's no gore. No one gets burned at the stake. It’s basically just a lady who is suspiciously good at gardening and knows exactly what book you need to read to fix your marriage.
The Broader Lens: How Many Actually "Good" Witch Movies Exist?
Now, if you meant "good" as in high-quality cinema, the number explodes. Witchcraft has been a staple of film since the silent era. Most experts and critics generally agree that there are roughly 30 to 50 genuinely "must-watch" witch movies depending on how picky you are with Rotten Tomatoes scores.
Historically, cinema used witches as villains (think The Wizard of Oz in 1939). Then, things shifted. In the 60s and 70s, we got the "glamour" witch. Fast forward to the 90s, and suddenly every teen girl wanted to be in a coven because of The Craft.
The Heavy Hitters You Can't Ignore
If you want to know which ones are actually worth your time, you have to look at the different "flavors" of witchcraft in film.
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- The "Atheistic" Horror: The Blair Witch Project (1999). It changed everything. You never even see the witch, which is why it's so terrifying.
- The Feminist Iconography: The Witch (2015). Robert Eggers used actual journals from the 1600s to write the dialogue. It’s slow, it’s grey, and it’s arguably the best witch movie ever made.
- The Campy Classics: Hocus Pocus (1993) and The Witches (1990). These weren't hits when they came out, but they’re essential now.
- The Modern Arthouse: Suspiria (the 2018 remake). It’s long. It’s brutal. It uses dance as a form of spellcasting.
The Mystery of the "Witchcraft" Franchise
Here is a weird fact: there is a horror franchise literally called Witchcraft that has 16 movies. Most people have never heard of them. Why? Because they are low-budget, direct-to-video films that started in 1988.
Are they "good"? That’s a stretch. But they represent one of the longest-running interconnected series in horror history. If you’re counting every movie with "witch" in the title, you’re looking at hundreds of titles, mostly sitting in the bargain bin of film history.
The Numbers Game
- Hallmark "Good Witch" films: 12 (including specials).
- Critically acclaimed witch movies: ~40.
- Total witch-related films in existence: Over 500.
What Most People Get Wrong About "Good" Witches
We often think "good" means "heroic." But in film, a "good" witch movie is often one that treats the magic as a metaphor for power.
Look at Practical Magic (1998). For years, critics hated it. Now? It’s a cult classic. Why? Because it’s not about the spells; it’s about sisterhood. The "goodness" of the movie comes from the emotional resonance, not the special effects.
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Even the 2024 release of Wicked has shifted the count. It’s technically a "good witch" movie because it explores the origin of Glinda, but it does so by humanizing the "wicked" one. The lines are blurring.
How to Find Your Next Watch
If you want to narrow down your search for how many good witch movies are there, you need to decide what "vibe" you’re after.
- If you want comfort: Stick to the Hallmark 12 or Kiki's Delivery Service.
- If you want to be unsettled: Go for Hereditary or The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
- If you want 90s nostalgia: It's The Craft or Practical Magic.
The reality is that "good" is subjective, but the volume of witch cinema is growing. With new releases like the Practical Magic sequel and indie folk-horror on the rise, the "must-watch" list grows by at least two or three films every year.
Next Steps for Your Movie Night
To get the most out of this genre, start by watching the original 2008 The Good Witch to see if you like the cozy style. If that's too slow, jump straight to the 2015 film The Witch to see the peak of modern horror. For a middle ground, The Witches of Eastwick offers a perfect blend of star power (Cher and Jack Nicholson) and supernatural fun.