Various Salem Witch Trials movies and TV shows have explored one of the most fascinating and horror-centric events in American history. Witchcraft is a popular topic in the realm of horror and fantasy, but the subject is made all the more impactful when it’s based on real occurrences. Many have heard stories about the historical events that took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, and several movies and TV shows use the infamous Salem Witch Trials as either a backdrop or plot point.
The Salem Witch Trials were a period from 1692 until 1693 in which Massachusetts townspeople were put on trial after being accused of witchcraft. There have been many documentaries made about women who were killed. This period has inspired many on-screen works concerning magic, witchcraft, and the supernatural. Movies that effectively pay homage to the Salem Witch Trials use the historical event as a leaping-off point for even more terror (and not always within the horror genre), and while many feature evil witches, many also focus on the real-life tragedy of the events.
1 I Married A Witch (1942)
A Witch Burned In Salem Returns In The 20th Century
1942’s I Married A Witch may be a little dated, though it remains a charming and funny romantic comedy — one that also has a plot that makes The Salem Witch Trials an integral element. The story (which is based on Thorne Smith’s 1931 novel The Passionate Witch) starts with a witch, Jennifer, and her warlock father, Daniel, who are burned at the stake by Purtian community leader Jonathan Wooley. Fast-forwarding to the then-present day of the 1940s, Jennifer’s spirit reemerges to enact a curse she placed on Wooley’s male descendants.
Jennifer then tries to seduce Wallace Wooley, though seducing the married aspiring governor is no easy task. Her attempts to sway Wallace lead to a series of practical-comedy hijinks. Wooley eventually succumbs to her advances and leaves his wife, though the escapades only escalate when he discovers his new beau is a witch. Fredric March plays every member of the Wooley family seen, including Wallace, while Vernoica Lake stars as Jennifer.
2 Häxan (1922)
A Fictional Documentary Retelling Of Witchcraft’s History
1922’s Häxan is a horror documentary inspired by the Malleus Maleficarum and other historical artifacts, and is one of first movies to feature the Salem Witch Trials.. Directed by Benjamin Christensen, this silent-era horror movie takes viewers through the history of witchcraft, mixing in dramatizations throughout to make it a very frightening true-story retelling. However, it was also controversial thanks to recreating nude torture scenes depicting what happened to individuals persecuted as witches at the time.
Häxan
ended up re-edited and re-released in the U.S. in 1968, re-titled
Witchcraft Through the Ages.
Häxan was banned in several countries, including the United States. Some critics bashed the movie at the time as being “anti-religion and anti-clericalism.” The movie ended up re-edited and re-released in the U.S. in 1968, re-titled Witchcraft Through the Ages and it creates a history of both ancient witch scares and more recent ones, including the Salem Witch Trials.
3 Bell, Book And Candle (1958)
The Movie That Inspired Bewitched
Academy Award-winning actor James Stewart may be best known for his work with the likes of Frank Capra, George Cucko, and Alfred Hitchcock, but in 1958 he took the lead in the supernatural romantic comedy Bell, Book and Candle. Directed by Richard Quine, this Salem Witch Trials movie used the brutal historical event as the narrative foundationf for a light-hearted rom-com that went on to inspire TV shows like Bewitched.
Bell, Book and Candle focuses on Stewart’s Shep Henderson alongside multiple Golden Globe winner Kim Novak as Gillian Holroyd, a witch who survived the Salem Witch Trials and stayed alive long enough to be present in a stereotypical Greenwich village in the 1950S. Bell, Book and Candle is based on the Broadway show of the same name, and was almost remade by Disney in 2006.
4 The Crucible (2014)
The Third Adaptation Of The Play By Arthur Miller
The Crucible is the third movie adaptation of Arthur Miller’s 1953 play of the same name. Unlike the 1996 and 1957 versions, which were movies based on the play, the 2014 movie is a production of the stageplay itself from The Old Vic. The movie stars Richard Armitage and is directed by Yael Farber. It ended up being filmed during a live performance and was sent to theaters in the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland.
As a version of the Arthur Miller play, the story plays out as the original intended, with a dramatization of the Salem Witch Trials, with many moments fictionalized for storytelling purposes. The play itself was an allegory for the Red Scare in the United States known as McCarthyism, which caused Miller himself to get targeted when the play was released. The movie and play show the dangers of people rallying together to persecute an entire group of people just to feel safe themselves.
5 A Haunting In Salem (2011)
Indie Horror Studio The Asylum’s 3D Scarefest Set In The Town Of The Witch Trials
While it was a narrative element in plenty of early romantic comedies, horror is the genre that leverages The Salem Witch trials the most, for obvious reasons. While it’s not the strongest Salem Witch Trials horror film, 2011’s A Haunting In Salem is definitely worth looking into for genre aficionados who want to see as many movies that draw from the 1692-1693 event as possible.
The plot of A Haunting In Salem is textbook borderline B-movie horror of kind indie studio The Asylum is known (and beloved by its fans) for. Bill Oberst Jr. stars as Wayne, the new sheriff of Salem. He moves into a large townhouse which, to his shock, is haunted by the spirits of several witches who were burned alive in the trials. One surprisingly strong aspect of A Haunting In Salem are the special effects, which were created without CGI using practical methods.
6 Salem Witch Trials (2002)
A CBS Miniseries About The Salem Witch Trials
CBS created miniseries The Salem Witch Trials in 2003, which the tital makes clear is heavily focused on the Salem Witch Trials. The miniseries had a few familiar faces, including Kirstie Alley, Rebecca De Mornay, Shirley MacLaine, and Peter Ustinov. Running just over three hours, it is a dramatization of the Salem Witch Trials and the miniseries has very high production values for a TV movie and some great acting. It does seem a bit condensed for a miniseries that wants to define the Salem Witch Trials and its effects on people in the 1690s.
The series starts at the height of hysteria, with men putting fear into the young girls living in Salem at that time. However, while the lead-in is missing and viewers watch from the middle of the story, the historical accuracy is on point and the show hammers home the sexual politics, religious persecution, and community conflict that this era produced.
7 Mass Hysteria (2019)
A Group Of Witch Trial Reenactors Find The Events Become Their Reality
Much like 2011’s A Haunting In Salem, 2019’s Mass Hysteria is a low-budget independent horror movie that might not be the strongest, but is definitely worth considering for those seeking films about The Salem Witch Trials. Mass Hysteria comes from the studio Horror Collective, who are also responsible for Beyond the Dark, and was initially distributed by the streaming service Shudder. Despite not being the only horror film with a plot that involves the historial events creating terror in the modern era, he movie uses the events of the witch trials in an incredibly intriguing way.
A horror-comedy at heart, Mass Hysteria focuses on a group of historical reenactors who recreate the Salem Witch Trials for a Halloween performance. However, during the show, one of the audience members actually falls dead after an argument with Paige (Geen Santiago), who plays one of the witches. The townsfolk become convinced Paige is actually a witch, and so she and the rest of the cast must escape the violent lynch mob.
8 Black Death (2010)
Witch Hunting In Medieval England
Black Death is not technically a Salem Witch Trials movie, but it shares much in common with the hysteria of the witch trials and has many hallmarks of the niche horror subgenre. This story takes place three centuries before the Salem Witch Trials, during the Black Death in Medieval England. Sean Bean stars as a novice monk named Osmund who has a secret romance with a woman named Averill. However, after he believes she has died, he sees what he believes is a witch resurrecting her. Osmund then kills her to “save her soul.”
Osmund spends the rest of his life murdering innocent women in the name of witchcraft.
Things are not what they seem, but Osmund refuses to believe the truth and starts hunting the woman, Langiva, down, wanting to kill her for witchcraft. When she tells him that Averill was only drugged, and they saved her, only for him to kill her, Osmund finally loses his sanity. The movie then really focuses on the Salem Witch Trials connection when Langiva escapes and Osmund spends the rest of his life murdering innocent women in the name of witchcraft, continuing a horrific tradition.
9 Season Of The Witch (2022)
A Documentary Exploring Modern Witchcraft
While The Salem Witch Trials make great fodder for horror movies or as the inspiration for several supernatural romantic comedies, it’s always worth remembering that the historical event was a terrible tragedy. At least 19 people, mostly women, were killed, and the idea of witch hunts became integrated with the local beliefs of New England. Belief in witchcraft has also gained a renewed traction in the 21st century, with many who now spiritually identify with the title of witch.
The 2022 Season of the Witch is a Salem Witch Trials documentary that looks both into the events in New England between 1692 and 1693 (as well as other historical witch hunts and persecutions), and discusses their impact on modern witches and those practicing faiths within which the title of witch is used. It’s a fascinating watch, especially since it focuses primarily on four modern witches and so gives a unique perspective on the historical tragedy.
10 Maid Of Salem (1937)
A Classic Historical Drama From The 1930s
Directed by Frank Lloyd, Maid of Salem was one of the first movies ever made about the Salem Witch Trials, released in 1937. Claudette Colbert plays Barbara Clarke, a woman who has an affair with Roger Coverman, an adventurer played by the legendary Fred MacMurray (Double Indemnity). However, the affair causes a scandal in Salem and soon a young girl convinces the town’s elders that Barbara might be a witch, which sees her placed on trial and sentenced to death.
The town prepares to execute Barbara and Roger sets out to save her life. Maid of Salem was a blockbuster release of its era, with a large cast and an expansive location. MacMurray showed he was a star on the rise and Colbert slid into a role unlike anything she had previously done. While this movie didn’t paint the picture of the era’s panic, it still presented a good adventure story based on a real-life terrifying period.
11 The Covenant (2006)
A Guilty Pleasure From The Late 2000s
The Covenant is a guilty pleasure from the late 2000s when the supernatural was at its pop culture peak. It stars Sebastian Stan, Taylor Kitsch, Steven Strait, and Chace Crawford, among others. The film centers around a group of male friends who grew up together and are known as the Sons of Ipswich. They come from the founding families and wield magical abilities.
In 1878, there was a second wave of witch accusations that occurred in Salem.
The tie to the Salem Witch Trials is seen in the town where they reside and the boys’ lineage. In 1878, there was a second wave of witch accusations that occurred in Salem, which came to be known as the Ipswich Witchcraft Trials. In the film, the boys are direct descendants of the founding families who formed a coven to keep their magic a secret. There is also a short backstory that uses some of the family names of the original accusers during the trials.
12 The Lords Of Salem (2012)
A Supernatural Horror Film
In 2012, horror movie director Rob Zombie created a film that focuses on a modernized take on the centuries-old myths and legends surrounding Salem. The Lords of Salem is a supernatural horror film that takes place where the trials originated, in Salem, Massachusetts. While it’s not the best movie about the Salem Witch Trials, it is still a solid and unique entry to the subgenre.
A DJ at a hard rock station discovers an album by a band called The Lords. When listening to the record, she starts having bizarre nightmares. The next day, she interviews a writer who just wrote a book about the Salem Witch Trials and plays the record. The record has hypnotic powers that cause the woman of Salem to fall into a trance. As the visions progress, she uncovers a secret cult of Satan worshippers and a curse put on the women of Salem.
13 The Undead (1957)
A Common Subject In Horror
Before Salem was a common subject in horror, creepy Salem Witch Trials movie Undead from the late 1950s used it as a stage for a time-travelling B-Movie that remains incredibly endearing in the 2020s. Directed by cult film master Roger Corman, The Undead is mostly known now for its appearances on Mystery Science Theater 3000 and MeTV’s Svengoolie, but that doesn’t mean the movie has nothing going for it.
The plot follows a sex worker who gets hypnotized by a psychic. Suddenly, she’s in the middle of living a different life. Before long, she realizes it’s a regression, and she’s on trial for being a witch. As with many Corman horror movies, it has a charming, low-budget quality, but it is far from the low-brown releases that some people dismiss such movies as. Instead, it is a surprisingly imaginative and well-acted horror ride.
14 Witches Of Salem (2019)
A Town Gripped By Fear
Witches of Salem is a miniseries that aired in 2019, and remains one of the best Salem Witch Trials TV shows — and it comes from an incredibly unusual source. The Travel Channel created it as a historical dramatization of what occurred in Salem in 1692. The docudrama details the town’s rapid spiral into hysteria when a local reverend’s daughter starts acting erratically. This soon progresses to other young women suffering from the same affliction, which leads to the accusation of a family slave being a witch.
The miniseries uses original transcripts from the period to recreate accusations of possession and witchcraft.
The small town is riddled with fear and turmoil, causing the deaths of many townspeople who are falsely accused of witchcraft. The miniseries uses original transcripts from the period to recreate accusations of possession and witchcraft.
15 Salem (2014-2017)
Inspired by the 17th-Century Witch Trials
2017’s Salem is a Salem Witch Trials TV show only loosely inspired by the 17th-century mass persecution of suspected witches, but it’s surprisingly historically accuracte. The supernatural horror series takes the trials to a new and more dramatized level that hasn’t been seen before. It all starts with a powerful witch who works as the puppeteer behind the Witch Trials. She uses the trials to create mass hysteria among the Puritans. She’s also using it as a cover to fulfill her plan to summon the Devil.
The show uses real-life characters from the original transcripts, like a slave named Tituba. Her plans are complicated when new enemies and old love get in the way of her journey to power. While the series lacks the substance audiences might be looking for in its storytelling, it manages to pull off its horror scenes well on the small screen, which is more than can be said for many shows.
16 Motherland: Fort Salem (2020)
Witches Become Warriors
Motherland: Fort Salem is a 2020 Salem Witch Trials TV show created by Freeform, though it’s set in the modern day and builds on the legend of the trials rather than attempts to portray life while they were ongoing. The show takes a unique spin on witches, leading back to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. In the modern-day, witches are at the forefront of the US military after a powerful witch helps end the persecution of witches.
The Salem Witch Trials did occur and led to the deaths of many witches, but a deal struck with the current commanding general 300 years ago, The Salem Accords stopped the persecution of witches and instead used them as a weapon to help defend the U.S. from foreign and domestic enemies. The show features a strong cast and some great horror thrills even if it feels overstuffed at times.
17 The Autopsy Of Jane Doe (2016)
Unexplained Marks. Deadly Secrets.
This 2016 supernatural horror film The Autopsy of Jane Doe centers around an unidentified female cadaver in the modern era, though soon learn it belongs to a powerful witch who was burned alive during the trials. Father-and-son coroners start experiencing supernatural occurrences while trying to examine the body. The coroners suffer tragic events but realize Jane Doe is to blame. After re-examination, they discover the body has markers referring to Leviticus 20:27, which was used to condemn witches in 1693.
The Salem authorities accused an innocent woman of being a witch, who now wants revenge.
During that time, the Salem authorities accused an innocent woman of being a witch, who now wants revenge. The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a somewhat underrated horror gem that deserves more praise. It subverts the audience’s expectations, avoiding cheap thrills and going for a smarter horror movie than expected.
18 Bewitched (1964–1972)
Household Magic & Hilarious Hijinks
Bewitched
- Created by
- Sol Saks
- Character(s)
- Samantha Stephens , Darrin Stephens , Endora , Larry Tate , Nigel Bigelow
Winning three Primetime Emmy Awards and inspiring many spin-offs and remakes, Bewitched is a 1960s sitcom that sees Elizabeth Montgomery’s Samantha Stephens use witchcraft to help her non-magical family in their day-to-day lives. Though it touches on several topics, the show’s seventh season was dedicated to the Salem Witch Trials.
Samantha travels back in time to 1692 and visits many important landmarks emblematic of the infamous events in the Massachusetts town. Though perhaps not as nuanced as later depictions, this Bewitched saga stands as one of the first adaptations of Salem history in modern popular culture. The sitcom has a lot of fun with its wacky premise, even if it might not be as funny to modern audiences now.
19 The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
The Conjuring Confronts a Possession Defense
One of the more well-known movies about the Salem Witch Trials came in 2021, in the form of a franchise installment, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Michael Chaves takes over directorial duties from James Wan, who still helps with the story and produces it. The film is directly based on the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who denied responsibility for his crime based on the assertion that demonic possession was guiding his hand.
The Devil Made Me Do It sticks to a lot of what happened, but throws in an exorcism gone wrong and attempted explanations of Johnson’s murdering his landlord. Before long, the Warrens are involved, fearing that they’re about to face their greatest threat. Lorraine is worse for wear, Ed isn’t much better, and there’s a suspicious murder in Massachusetts that’s almost certainly connected. Though not seen as a high point in The Conjuring universe, it is still a thrilling horror ride.
20 Fear Street 1666 (2021)
A Colonial Nightmare
Fear Street
- Cast
- Kiana Madeira , Olivia Scott Welch , Benjamin Flores Jr. , Ashley Zukerman , Ted Sutherland , Gillian Jacobs , Sadie Sink , Jordana Spiro , David W. Thompson , McCabe Slye
- Created by
- R. L. Stine
- Character(s)
- Deena Johnson , Samantha Fraser , Josh Johnson , Nick Goode , Christine Berman , Sarah Fier , Mrs. Mary Lane , Ryan Torres , Thomas Slater , William Goode , Solomon Goode , Hannah Miller , Henry Fier
Fear Street Part 3: 1666 is the finale of Netflix’s three-part R.L. Stine throwback trilogy, and the third entry stands on its own as one of the best Salem Witch Trials movies too. Following up on plot points and characters from Part One: 1994 and Part Two: 1978, 1666 spends most of its time in the titular century but wraps up in 1994. This is because it’s the origin story of Shadyside, the murder capital of the United States.
The third film’s plot seeks to explain why Shadyside earns that reputation. What’s thought of as only legend was the beginning of a centuries-long curse datng back to the witch trials. The final chapter brings the Fear Street timeline full circle satisfyingly, revealing some great twists and capping off a terrific horror saga.
