Witches are some of the most popular film and entertainment characters of all time, from the Wicked Witch of the West to Harry Potter, and while they make for good cinema, what would Halloween be without the good old witch or the witch costume? Witch stories and witch tales have been passed around this planet for at least two thousand years. In fact, whole sects of Greek citizens back in the heyday of Greece were called the Bacchantes and were devoted entirely to the practice of witchcraft. There are still practicing Bacchantes to this day. Next to the easy ghost made of a sheet, Halloween witches are probably among the most popular get-ups of all time. Halloween witches have haunted carnivals, festival, fairs and funhouses for centuries. Halloween witches grace cookies and candy wrappers come October, bags and costumes, and even boxes of cereal.

The witch, more so than any horror character except perhaps ghosts, are synonymous with Halloween. Sure vampires, werewolves, and zombies have their place, but Halloween witches and witch costumes rule All Hallow’s Eve. Think of a witch and you typically think of a green face and a wart on the nose, the Maxwell House lady, or perhaps an in-law, but some of the best, most innovative costumes exude a certain amount of sex appeal. There’s nothing hotter than an ample witch dressed up in a black mini-skirt, green face paint and all. Thanks to Elvira a few years back, who was actually a hybrid vampire/Frankenstein/Halloween witch, sexy witch costumes have been in vogue for quite some time.

Take a poke around the internet or in a party store. Witches are the face of Halloween. Halloween witches grace napkin covers, placemats, table cloths, party favors, greeting cards, and even e-cards. Halloween witches star in movies, television, and in the old days, even radio. Halloween witches are as much a part of Holiday lore as Santa, The Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy, though they represent a more cynical agenda. Give me candy, or I shall cast a spell over you and your household. Why even today, witches have a television show called Charmed.

While witches used to get a bad rap, what with the eating kids and curses and sorcery and burning at the stake and all, today witches represent a yearning to go back to an innocent time when it was fun to be scared of the dark, to believe in things that made no sense at all and frankly didn’t exist, and to escape by playing that you had evil powers, and storytelling about people with evil powers, instead of committing evil crimes or trying to develop evil powers. Considering Halloween witches were most likely created as a symbol to scare children to keep them in line, it seems they have developed some staying power, and have earned their way alongside many happy icons of Holiday lore.

Long live the witch and the witch costume, may they enjoy Halloween and the crisp fall for many years to come. The fact is, a witch is much sexier than a Frankenstein or a Vampire, and besides, witches ride brooms, which are far better for the ozone lair than any car. Perhaps its time we had a witch in office?