There’s probably something to be said about the fact that Nollywood has spent the better part of its existence churning out movies about the supernatural, featuring witches, each one more grotesque than the last.
There’s something to be said. I’m not going to be the one who says it, though.
What I’m here to do today is honour the most iconic witches Nollywood has given us; those witches that damaged an entire generation of children by taking up residence in their subconscious and haunting their dreams.
Let’s get into it:
1) Regina Askia’s character in Full Moon
To be honest, I’ve always considered this character more of a Marvel mutant rip-off than a Nollywood witch. This is because she wasn’t evil (like other movie characters with mystical powers at the time). That being said, I think she deserves a spot on this list for that time she set a rapist on fire and that other time she turned her evil stepfather into a statue/pillar of salt.
2) Liz Benson’s character in Diamond Ring
I get that the movie never told us what this character was like when she was alive (except that she was filthy rich). But how else can you explain her ability to reach into the land of the living (from the afterlife) and fuck shit up? She caused a car accident (that killed Bimbo Akintola’s character), struck Teju Babyface’s character down with an illness, and still found the time to appear in RMD’s living room to fuck up his light bulbs and raise Shola Sobowale’s blood pressure. I STAN A DEAD QUEEN OF VENGEANCE AND MULTITASKING.
If you haven’t clocked it yet, I have huge crush on this character.
3) Nneka The Pretty Serpent
Nneka the Pretty Serpent was the first in a long line of Nollywood movies that featured marine spirits coming on land to fuck up the lives of men unfortunate enough to have sex with them. Nneka solidified her bad bitch status in a beach-front fight with a pastor at the end of the first movie. She lost, but she lost gracefully.
4) The witches in Koto Aiye
From blood sacrifices and killings to stylish meeting outfits and choreography, these women served us all the things we didn’t even know we needed from a coven of murderous witches.
5) Karishika
As the official queen of demons (Lilith, who?), Karishika came to Earth with a 20-inch weave, stylish early 90s clothes, and her own theme song! She walked out of a graveyard, took a huge bite out of the neck of the first man she saw, and stole his car! LMAO!
6) Willie Willie
Willie Willie’s sexually ambiguous nature made me wonder whether it deserved a spot on this list or not. But that doesn’t matter because it’s 2019 (inclusiveness for all) and Willie Willie’s M.O of murdering children that sang about it is so badass.
7) The witches from WITCHES
What I love the most about this movie (even more than the witches’ long acrylic nails and theme song) is how the makers made the decision to not stress themselves over naming the movie. It’s kinda like how Ridley Scott made a movie about aliens and named it Aliens.
8) Sakobi
Another marine spirit sent to wreak havoc on Earth, Sakobi made her grand entrance into the world as a giant snake, turned into a beautiful woman (played by Susan Patrick) on a busy road in broad daylight, and set off on her quest to destroy the destinies of men with her vagina.
9) Alex Usifo as Beelzebub in End of the Wicked
I know that he’s not a woman. But this character, who I recently learned was named Beelzebub (after the Philistine god and later demon), gave Dracula a run for his money by spending the better part of the movie’s runtime drinking blood. For that alone, he deserves a spot here.
10) Patience Ozokwor in everything she’s ever been in
Each new character she plays is more wicked than the last. How do you explain that?
