The Woman in Black (The Witches)

"We will do better! We'll do much better!"

- Pamela among the Grand High Witch's followers.

Pamela, also known as The Woman in Black, is a witch who is one of the Grand High Witch's followers and a minor villainess in the book and later film The Witches. She is a lesser witch who is a minor antagonist in the book, but in the movie she has a larger role. She is the first actual witch to appear in the story, as the other witches that appeared before her were only in flashbacks.

She was portrayed by Anne Lambton.

In the book she only appears once when she tries to offer the main character, Luke, a pet snake, saying it is tame while it is implied to be deadly. She tries to get him to come down, either so the snake could bite him or she could kidnap him. Luke hides up in the tree until she goes away.

In the movie she has a larger role, even being one of the film's primary antagonists. She first appears in the same way in the book, offering to give Luke a snake. But unlike in the book, rather than going away after her attempts to give him the snake, she then offers him a (presumably) poisoned candy bar, although she soon leaves after while laughing.

Again, unlike in the book where it said that Luke never saw her again, in the movie he does as she is one of the witches at the annual meeting. Another witch is shown about to take her wig off when the Pamela stops her. The Grand High Witch comes onto the stage and tells the witches to remove their disguises. She then reprimands the other witches for not killing enough children, and Pamela says they will do better. The Grand High Witch is not impressed.

When one witch by the name of Beatrice says they are incapable of killing every child, the Grand High Witch incinerates her. While most of the witches are shocked and upset, Pamela actually finds Beatrice's death amusing. She smells Luke as the witches are leaving and after a long chase the Grand High Witch captures him. She helps holds Luke down while the Grand High Witch pours the Delayed Action Mouse-Maker into his mouth. She has a look of satisfaction on her face as he turns into a mouse.

She was seen again sitting beisde the Grand High Witch about the be served soup. However, Luke had poured the Delayed Action Mouse-Maker into the soup, and the chef Jacqueline, who was a witch, turned into a mouse from testing it. She snuck into the room to tell them what happened. However, Pamela assumes that it is a common mouse and kills Jacqueline. Because of this she and the other witches eat the soup and the potion takes effet. As the witches turn into mice, Pamela is shown with mouse ears, clearly horrified. She attempts to grab the Grand High Witch, apparently trying to ask for help, but the Grand High Witch runs away. Pamela turns into a mouse with her black dress still attached to her. The guests and the hotel staff arrive and most likely kill her and the other witches.