We hate to give in to movie hype, but we'll admit it – the publicity for Maleficent (out 30 May) is making us very excited. Naturally it's all down to Angelina Jolie. With the icy green eyes, sharp prosthetic cheekbones and gleeful 'kill them all' smile, she makes a hell of a good (bad) witch.

Movie witches are endlessly appealing. First of all, they're psychopaths. They behave unpredictably and show no mercy, and frankly that makes for addictive viewing. Witches are not doormats. Mess with them and you'll end up with a poison apple at the very least.

Secondly, they tend to be incredibly glamorous. Why just wear a pointy hat when you could wear a towering crown made of icicles? Why miss an opportunity to throw on a huge, billowing cape? Why not wear a full Oscars-style face of make-up while you're casting horrific spells on civilians? Witches, just like Kim Kardashian, always go the extra mile.

Tell us you can watch this gif of Jolie in Maleficent without falling into an adoring trance. You can't. She's irresistible. If she'd released this during the whole Brad Pitt/Team Aniston debacle, we'd have gone over to the dark side immediately.

So in celebration of all things spell-casting, heavily lipsticked and just generally witchy, we've put together a list of the 27 most fabulous witches in cinema history. Enjoy.