Movie

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

The oldest movie on my list was difficult to place, as I’m not a huge fan of musicals, but the Wicked Witch belongs among the legends. Special effects were basic in this era, and the whole feel – simple costumes and painted backgrounds – is akin to a stage production. For a film made in the late 1930s, this was way ahead of its time and an amazing technical accomplishment.

The prologue looks black and white, but filmmakers shot it with a sepia tint. We’re introduced to Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland), a teenage girl who lives on a Kansas farm with her aunt and uncle. There are three farmhands, a mysterious fortune-telling professor, and the nasty Miss Gulch, who wants to put down Dorothy’s dog Toto.

Dorothy longs for adventure and sings the iconic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” But she gets more than she bargained for when a tornado sweeps up her house and deposits it (and her) in a strange land. The grand reveal that follows, with a switch from sepia to full colour as Dorothy steps into Oz, is startling even to modern viewers. It must have seemed a technical marvel in the mid-twentieth century.

The residents – a dwarven race known as Munchkins – and the Good Witch of the North aren’t unhappy to see a stranger. Quite the opposite, since Dorothy’s house landed on the Wicked Witch of the East. Nobody seems regretful, so one assumes she must have been a horrible person. In fact, the Munchkins burst into song and treat Dorothy and her dog as practical royalty.

The Good Witch is so indebted that she offers to help Dorothy get home. This involves a long journey along the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City, meeting three companions on the way: the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. On arrival, they receive an audience with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He’s not an all-powerful man as first seems, but a charlatan operating machinery from behind a curtain. The fraudster can provide assistance, but demands that the heroes perform a dangerous task. With no magic, Dorothy has to rely on wits, Toto, and her new friends.

Villainess

Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton)

Like any grand quest, there are obstacles to overcome. Turns out the dead witch has a sister even more evil than she. This woman is straight out of a Halloween party with green skin, a black outfit, a shoddy broomstick, and a pointy hat. It’s likely the Wicked Witch was the inspiration for party costumes, such is her cinematic legacy. From the moment she appears in a puff of red smoke, she is a screen presence to be reckoned with and a terrifying sight to young viewers.

Luckily, the Good Witch of the North is around to teleport the ruby slippers from the deceased Witch of the East onto the heroine’s feet and shield her from the Wicked Witch of the West. So many compass directions it could get confusing, but the other two are minor characters. The villainess will be called the Wicked Witch for brevity.

Dorothy’s quest along the Yellow Brick Road brings her into contact with the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion. They join Dorothy in search of a brain, heart, and courage, respectively. The supporting cast play multiple roles, distinct characters on Earth and in the fantasy world of Oz, which raises the question whether Dorothy’s experience is just a dream.

In this fairly repetitive section, the Wicked Witch is absent from the proceedings, except for a brief appearance when Dorothy encounters the Tin Man. No epic confrontation, just some threats and a fireball which narrowly misses Scarecrow. There’s only one human antagonist, though she has an army of monkey creatures to do her bidding.

With Dorothy and her three companions (four counting Toto) almost at the Emerald City, the Wicked Witch casts an evil spell. After gazing into a crystal ball, she cackles and creates a poisonous atmosphere. This puts Dorothy and the Lion to sleep, while the Tin Man and Scarecrow are less than helpful. Only the Good Witch’s intervention saves them, but the villainess won’t be stopped so easily. She takes off from her castle lair, riding her broomstick to the Emerald City. Then she flies around and leaves a message in smoke: SURRENDER DOROTHY.

If the heroes are hoping for help from the Wizard of Oz, none comes. He demands that Dorothy bring him the Wicked Witch’s broomstick. Talk about a steep price! The residents of the Emerald City are accommodating and give the heroes all kinds of comforts. But it’s a dangerous mission, especially once the villainess captures Dorothy and her companions must save her.

There’s a lengthy confrontation where the Wicked Witch torments Dorothy and threatens to kill Toto, but she’s thwarted by the magic of the ruby slippers. The shoes won’t come off while Dorothy is alive, so the Wicked Witch unveils a giant hourglass and proclaims her foe will perish when the sands run out. A good thing Toto escapes and brings the rescue party, though the Wicked Witch and her monkeys prevent the heroes from escaping.

After a pantomime chase scene through the castle with the usual chandelier-dropping antics, the Wicked Witch confronts Dorothy and threatens to set the Scarecrow aflame. Dorothy puts out the fire with a bucket of water and inadvertently drenches the villainess. The splash is deadly to witches, and the antagonist melts away, screaming insults as she turns to steam.

Honourable Mentions: Witches

The Witches (1990) – Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston)

This adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel is better regarded than the 2020 version, even if the unfaithful happy ending doesn’t fit the dark comic tale. The scene is set early on when an old woman tells her grandson, Luke, all about witches. These evil women have no toes, glowing purple eyes, and masks to conceal their true appearance. Witches hate children and do nasty things like trap them in paintings until they grow old and die. No wonder the tale scares the youngster.

After Luke’s parents die in a car accident, the grandmother Helga becomes his legal guardian, and they move to England. A witch tries to lure Luke from a treehouse with chocolate, but Helga’s knowledge – and the witch’s pet snake – means Luke is not deceived. However, the real danger comes when the family goes on a South Coast holiday. They picked the wrong hotel because every witch in England is there to attend a national convention.

With literally dozens of female villains, it’s disappointing that many are extras. The women cackle while their leader – the Grand High Witch – announces her scheme to turn all British children into mice. Ironically, they masquerade as members of the Royal Society for the Protection of Children. Yeah, right. Luke overhears their plan from a hiding place and watches them test the potion on another child. But the witches discover Luke, capture the boy, and transform him into a mouse!

Luke and his new friend Bruno spend the rest of the movie in animal form, but get the potion into a soup bowl so the witches drink it. There are some comic antics where Bruno’s disbelieving parents almost drink the soup and Rowan Atkinson runs around as an easily panicked hotel manager. But it’s Angelica Huston’s character who steals the show with her disfigured face and insane rants about children.

There’s a sequel hook with Luke transformed back into a boy and finding a list of American witches, but this is a one-off movie. The villainess gets a suitable demise, though. Being evil, the witches change into nasty-looking mice, which gives the holidaymakers a fright. The Grand High Witch seems immune to her potion, but eventually succumbs to the spell and the manager chops her up.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) – Delores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton)

Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter) is the main villainess in the evil magician hierarchy, but her contribution is disappointing for someone who had four movies (Order of the Phoenix onward) to make an impact. She kills two characters, but this doesn’t carry the emotional weight it should because we don’t know the victims well enough. Bellatrix is defeated too easily, with no major confrontation against any of the three central characters.

In the fifth movie, the Dark Lord Voldemort is still regaining his powers after his resurrection, and the main plot at Hogwarts is the Ministry of Magic attempting to quash rumours of his return. Conveniently, the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher slot is free (isn’t it always?), so they plant a sadistic woman to “educate” young witches and wizards. Delores’ methods are strict and demeaning, and she clearly has no love for children.

Harry resists Delores’ influence and gets detention for his trouble. The villainess has the hero write lines in blood, which carves the same message in his own flesh. This woman is on a power trip and gets the headmaster Dumbledore fired so she can take over the school. Up go notices to remind students who’s in charge, and the House of Slytherin pupils are happy to be Umbridge’s bullying prefects.

When the nasty Dolores is attacked by Centaurs, she begs Harry to tell her captors she’s a nice person. The hero simply responds with the line Delores forced him to write: “I must not tell lies”. Touché, Harry.

Delores Umbridge receives an extended cameo in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One (2010), but she’s not that threatening outside of Hogwarts. With the main villain now in the ascendancy, Dolores is a minor antagonist. While her return is certainly welcome, since female villains are poorly represented in the series, there’s little to comment on.