The concept of witchcraft traces back as far as medieval England, when society deemed it fitting to trial any woman they believed to be practicing black magic. The most prominent example of these procedures is the infamous Salem Witch Trials, which occurred between February 1692 and May 1693 and saw more than 200 individuals accused of witchcraft. Ever since, the conceptualization of witches has been integrated into pop culture through the celebration of Halloween, as well as varying portrayals in entertainment media such as movies, TV shows, and video games.
Witches aren’t as common of an enemy in video games as — let’s say — demons or mutants, but they are oftentimes the driving force behind deuteragonists — or serve as an overarching antagonist themselves. Witches are often portrayed as both enigmatic and incredibly powerful, which only makes them all the more dangerous. These horror games feature witches in their element, stirring up chaos for unsuspecting protagonists.
When police officer Ellisand his emotional support dog, Bullet, join the search for a missing nine-year-old boy, they find themselves navigating the Black Hills Forest, where three filmmakers infamously disappeared years prior. In Black Hills Forest, Ellis and Bullet come across wooden voodoo dolls, ominous photographs, and cassette tapes that hint at the lost child’s whereabouts. While Ellis never actually confronts the Blair Witch herself, her presence is felt throughout the entire game in the form of shadowy monsters that Bullet can detect and Ellis must fend off so as not to lose his sanity. Ellis can shine his flashlight toward the enemies to disperse them, and Ellis becoming separated from Bullet directly impacts his sanity.
Although the titular villain is never seen,Blair Witchmarks a first for the franchise, as the witch’s voice can be heard at certain intervals. The Blair Witch is a resentful and malicious spirit who aims to manipulate anyone who steps into Black Hills Forest to commit unspeakable acts. Since the witch is never actually seen,Blair Witchdoes an excellent job of building tension by tricking a player’s mind and generating fear of the unknown. She is allegedly the vengeful soul of Elly Kedward, who terrorized the town of Blair — now Burkittsville, Maryland — during the late 1700s and was subsequently tried for witchcraft and executed.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hopecomes straight from the minds of Supermassive Games, the developer ofUntil DawnandThe Quarry, and serves as a sequel to the anthology series' debut title,Man of Medan. It stars Will Poulter as Andrew, one of four college students who survive a bus crash and find themselves stranded in the fictional town of Little Hope, located in Massachusetts. The group is pursued by demons resembling their ancestors from the colonial era, who are disfigured depending on their specific cause of death. For example,Angela is hunted down by a demonwho serves as the manifestation of Amy, a woman who was wrongfully accused of witchcraft and drowned.
While there isn’t technically a ‘Big Bad’ in the form of a witch,Little Hope’s Amy was a real victim of the aforementioned Salem Witch Trials, which — in the eyes of colonial society and by the cultural definition of the word — makes her a witch. If the Drowned Demon catches Angela, she can fittingly vomit a black substance into her mouth that effectively and poetically drowns her. It’sLittle Hope’s monster designs that really win the day, as each demon/witch is uniquely patterned after the player characters, which only makes Angela’s witch all the more horrifying as an essential copycat.Depending on the player’s choices, all characters can either live or die, though everything is not as it seems in the town of Little Hope.
3Witch’s Doll
The Elderly Woman Haunts Your Every Step
Released in 2024,Witch’s Dollsees the player assume control of a young writer in search of an affordable new apartment. They stumble across ridiculously cheap housing owned by an elderly woman now living alone after the premature death of her young daughter. Things turn awry almost immediately at the new property after a massive storm rolls in and completely cuts off the electricity. A series of unsettling noises resonate from the elderly woman’s apartment across the hall, signaling all manner of horrors in a quaint condo that isn’t all it seems.
Witch’s Dollisa story-driven game jam-packed with jump scaresand disturbing imagery that encourages the player to investigate the homeowner’s fate. Along the way, they uncover the secrets behind the land’s cursed reputation and the fates of numerous missing people in the area. Without giving away too much, the game lives up to its name and, unlikeBlair Witch, players will be seeing a lot of this antagonist. Without a doubt,Witch’s Dollhas one of the most nightmare-inducing designs for a witch in any horror game both past and present. The sight of a disfigured woman in a rocking chair, somehow resembling both Slender Man and Granny fromResident Evil 7at the same time, truly stays with a person for days.
2The Witch’s House MV
Ellen Is Deeply Unnerving Despite The Game’s 16-Bit Art Style
Japanese developer Fummy spearheaded this remake ofThe Witch’s House, originally released in 2012,using the RPG Maker VX engine. As the game’s title suggests, the main objective is to escape the witch’s house; players can do this by correctly solving numerous puzzles.The Witch’s House MVutilizes16-bit graphics with anime-style pixel artand a black cat acts as 13-year-old Viola’s only source of conversation for the vast majority of the game. Viola can’t escape the woods through a wall of thorns, so she has no other choice but to enter Ellen’s house, which has dangers lukring around every corner.
Ellen — the game’s antagonist and titular witch — suffers from an unidentified illness and is horribly neglected by her parents. Depending on Viola’s actions immediately after the final savepoint of the game, there are three possible endings: the Normal Ending, the True Ending, and the Secret Ending. In an updated version ofThe Witch’s House MV, Fummy added a fourth ending, known as the “___” Ending. While Ellen herself isn’t a stereotypically “scary” witch, there’s a uniquely off-putting essence to her that feels as eerie as Flowie fromUndertale. The concept of an antagonist who doesn’t appear completely imposing turning out to be extremely dangerous provides players with a false sense of security that’s ripped from under their feet like a rug.
1Shhh!
Needing To Remain Silent Only Makes The Witch Even More Terrifying
InShhh!, even the slightest sound picked up through the player’s microphone will cause the game to restart, which makes for an interesting and unique game mechanic. The objective of the game is to choose one of three 20-minute-long scenarios and navigate the environment with a VHS camera. AlthoughShhh!was released with only one playable scenario back in 2023, which was Morgan’s House, there have since been a few extras added to the selection. In particular, Witch Forest, which — as the title suggests — sees Stan Kono navigating a dark and eerie forestwhile being hunted down by a hostile witch.
The scenario unfolds in the form of a tape, which was allegedly recovered after Stan’s disappearance. As the player progresses (which they do so by simply walking around), the witch’s voice and sinister laugh can be heard echoing throughout the forest, especially when the player stumbles upon a crime scene. InShhh!, the witch resembles a tall, disfigured woman with sunken eyes and a bald head. She is extremely pale and malnourished and dressed in a tattered black gown. At certain points throughout the game, the witch can jump scare or approach the player to try and make them scream.Witch’s Dollstill takes the cake for the creepiest design, butShhh!delivers the overall strongest witch experience — especially when it only gets worse to have this grotesque witch sprinting at full speed. Truly terrifying.
