The Witches (1990)

 

 

'The Witches' was released in 1990 and is based upon the 1983 novel by Roald Dahl, who also brought us the beloved children's books 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' & 'Matilda'. In what is likely his darkest tale ever, the story revolves around a young boy and his grandmother after his parents die in an accident. They vacation at a prestige hotel in England to recover when the young boy discovers a sinister plot to murder all the children in the countryside led by the evil Grand High Witch. Unfortunately, the boy is discovered eavesdropping and is turned into a mouse making things a little more complicated.

This one is an absolute classic hands down and one of my personal favorites. It's always a fun experience to go back to a movie you haven't seen since childhood and seeing it with a different set of eyes. You see those little details or appreciate the movie for it's more technical aspects or in the case of this film just how dark they were able to go with the film while still giving it that child friendly charm. This is a PG children's film with grotesque witches who wish to commit genocide, push a baby in a pram down a hill to lure out a child, and horrific transformations into mice. Yet looking at it again all the criticisms the film received for being too dark for kids seems a bit harsh and very exaggerated. Trust me, this is no less scary than your average 'Harry Potter' film but that being said it's not like I'd suggest showing this to a toddler or anything.

 Nicolas Roeg was best known for creating adult thrillers from the 60's and 70's so seeing him in the director's chair with a children's film at first seems like a strange choice. However, his talents with those thrillers make for some brilliant cinematography and overall style that gives the film a sophisticated look in comparison to other family fare of the time. The makeup and creature work was provided by Jim Henson's shop and would sadly be his last contribution before his untimely death. The Grand High Witch's makeup effects are appropriately grotesque and scary and Anjelica Huston is still able to out act everyone else even when caked in heavy appliances. The mice puppets are well done and cute and they mix in some real life animals here and there. Some blue screen and photo effects have aged poorly but overall the special effects have aged well in 30 years.

I highly recommend 'The Witches' especially with a remake on the way in a couple of weeks. It's a great film to show during the Halloween season that's not too scary but gives the kids enough of a fun fright.

A-

 

(Watch The Witches on Amazon)