“The Witches of Eastwick,” which had been...

“The Witches of Eastwick,” which had been No. 2 for several weeks, finally toppled “The Untouchables” as the No. 1 video rental on Billboard magazine’s Video Rental Chart.

But “Witches” may not enjoy the altitude too long. “Fatal Attraction,” which burst onto the chart at No. 3, could take over as No. 1 as early as next week.

“Throw Momma From the Train,” a surprise box office hit last Christmas, may not be as strong a contender among video hits as experts first thought. Its upward movement has slowed considerably, heading up just one notch to No. 5.

David Mamet’s eccentric pot boiler “House of Games” didn’t figure to be a big rental attraction, but it jumped to No. 22 after a slow start. The other “fatal” flick--”Fatal Beauty,” starring Whoopi Goldberg--resides in the No. 8 spot on the rental chart.

A real video best bet for movie lovers is John Boorman’s “Hope and Glory,” an autobiographical account of a young boy’s view of the London blitz. The film was a contender in several Oscar categories this spring and debuted this week on cassette, landing in the 21st spot.

The top five movie rentals: 1. The Witches of Eastwick; 2. The Untouchables; 3. Fatal Attractions; 4. Baby Boom; 5. Throw Momma From the Train.

Even though the pop market is fully in the throes of metalmania, who figured Van Halen would get to the top of the Billboard magazine pop chart this fast? It took just two weeks for the band’s “OU812” to power its way to No. 1.

The Top 10 has two other newcomers--Sade’s “Stronger Than Pride” (No. 8) and Run- D.M.C.’s “Tougher than Leather” (No. 10). Two new R&B; acts have been charging up the pop charts--Al B. Sure with “In Effect Mode” (No. 28) and D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince with “He’s the D.J., I’m the Rapper” (No. 33).

Young singer Tracy Chapman is confounding everyone with the success of her album of pithy, folkish ballads. Her eponymous debut album climbed to No. 20 on the pop album chart this week. And in an era dominated by dance music and heavy metal, this kind of album usually doesn’t get out of the basement of the Top 100.

The top 5 albums: 1. OU812, Van Halen (Warner Bros.); 2. Faith, George Michael (Columbia); 3. Hysteria, Def Leppard (PolyGram); 4. Open Up and Say Ahhh, Poison (Capitol); 5. Dirty Dancing, Sound track (RCA).