Witch! (1964)
Earliest documentary on the Wiccan religion. Features an interview with Eleanor Bone (1911-2001) and footage of ritual with her coven.
The Power of the Witch (1971)
This is the next earliest documentary on the Wiccan religion that we have been able to find. The first half is much better and more relevant to Wicca than the second. Features an interview with Doreen Valiente (1922-1999), the author of five books on Witchcraft published between 1962 and 1989, and a posthumously published book of Wiccan poetry. The film also features more footage of Wiccan ritual, both solitary and coven-based.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
The Wiccan religion was founded in the United Kingdom by Gerald Gardner (1884-1964) during/shortly after World War II. The idea that Witches used magic to prevent Hitler from invading the British Isles is baked into the religion’s founding folklore. So, while most of the magic in this Disney movie is fantastical, this enjoyable family film with a Witch protagonist, based on The Magic Bedknob (1943) and Bonfires and Broomsticks (1947) by Edith Norton of “The Borrowers” fame, is cut from the same cultural cloth—and her books were likely a direct influence on Gerald Gardner.
Season of the Witch (1972)
The first film in our list set in the Americas, this movie by George A. Romero (produced by his first wife Nancy Romero), captures the zeitgeist of an era and explores through the topic of contemporary Witchcraft some of the social issues of the day. Features the hit psychedelic pop song “Season of the Witch” by U.K. musician Donovan, and a more accurate depiction of what a coven initiation ritual looks like than any other occult film of this time.
Excalibur (1981)
This is the first Pagan retelling of the central Arthurian legend. Its release also happened to coincide with the first re-publication of The Tree: The Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft (1974) by Raymond Buckland (1934-2017), the first book to advocate self-initiation into the religion of Witchcraft. An obvious influence on the Witchcraft writers of the eighties and nineties, particularly D.J. Conway (1939-2019). You can almost smell the dragon’s blood and strawberry incense while watching it. Beltane favorite.
Robin of Sherwood (1984-1986)
A television series rather than a movie, but another favorite of Saxon Witches and a cult classic for a reason. Not only a really enjoyable retelling of the Robin Hood legend, it also features positive references to the Wiccan religion. The only Wiccan elements it notably lacks is the Goddess and Priestess aspects, but Maid Marian being the only woman in a band of freedom-fighters is pretty much the narrative equivalent. Features a beautiful soundtrack by the Irish band Clannad too.
A Christmas Carol (1984)
The quintessential Yuletide story. This movie starring George C. Scott is our family favorite retelling of Charles Dickens’ Victorian English classic. The God of Yule in Wicca is more the Bacchus-Frey of Paganism than the Jesus Christ of Christianity, and this movie conveys that well through the Ghost of Christmas Present (played by The Wicker Man’s Edward Woodward), while also dealing seriously with social issues such as poverty and “karma”—i.e. the ethical idea of accepting responsibility for one’s actions.
The Burning Times (1990)
Historical documentary on the idea of Witchcraft as a European Pagan diaspora religion. Features interviews with the American Witch-Priestesses Margot Adler (1946-2014) and Starhawk. Also features a beautiful soundtrack from Canadian musician Loreena McKennitt.
The Halloween Tree (1993)
The second film in our list set in the Americas. Despite the Wiccan Wheel of the Year having eight seasonal holidays, the two most important for most Wiccans are undoubtedly Samhain and Beltane. While Beltane no longer has a widespread secular counterpart in American culture, Samhain still does in Halloween. This family movie touches both on Witchcraft as a religion, and on a closely related American holiday happening at the same time of year, the Day of the Dead.
Drawing Down the Moon (1997)
This is probably the most accurate and sympathetic movie out there depicting a practitioner of the Wiccan religion, which it does within the mundane context of a crime drama. Unlike most movies depicting some portrayal of Witchcraft/Wicca, there are absolutely no supernatural or horror movie elements whatsoever. “Drawing Down the Moon” is the central ritual of Witchcraft. Set in the United States.
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
While the Wiccan element in this one is minimal, and the torture depicted is not historically accurate to actual tortures used, the movie’s depiction of Christianity in Colonial North American history is uncomfortably accurate in a way many Americans can’t even begin to admit. The protagonist is a man of science whose mother was a Wiccan. This is also just a beautifully-made supernatural gothic. Perfect for Halloween.
