What's old is remade again. This is The Witches, a 1990 Film that was designed for kids, but scared too many. It is important to remember that its Director- Nicolas Roeg- actually CUT Scenes that he found to be too scary. Considering what stayed in, you have to wonder! The big names related to the Film- Jim Henson and Roald Dahl- also share an eerie connection- they both died in 1990, the year of this Film's release. Coincidence? Yes. Still strange? Yes. Considering that the Film is about Witches and their magic curses, you can see why the random whims of fate seem like something more. Moving away from that, the Film is notable for its freaky effects and for Anjelica Huston. At the time of shooting, she was dating Jack Nicholson, who himself was in a Film about Witches just a few years prior. Obviously this is getting more attention now due to the Remake (which was dumped onto HBO Max due to the Pandemic). Is it as freaky as you may remember? To find out, read on...
The Film begins with a Grandma telling tales of Witches to her Grandson, who is visiting on Vacation.
While I never got to meet either of my Grandmothers, I'd like to think that they wouldn't freak me out like this!
Forgotten amongst all of the later Story is the Tale told about the little Girl who went missing and then seemingly reappeared in the family's painting.
Rather than keep remaking Films, why not cover stuff like this? Seriously, a full-length version of this Story would be great!
The boy's parents die- off-screen- and he stays with Grandma.
Her stories prove to be apt warnings as he avoids a Witch one day...
After Grandma gets sick, they go to an English Resort on Vacation.
Unfortunately, the place is full up with ladies that have a big secret...
They are all Witches!
Dun dun...I mean, the Title is a clue, no.
Even so, take nothing away from that Jim Henson Creature/Make-Up work!
The Grand Witch- Huston- reveals her big plan- to turn all of England's children into mice and to get their Parents to kill them. Children's Film!
They catch our young Hero and use the stuff on him!
The poor kid must join forces with another kid-turned-mouse to find out how to stop the Witches and reverse the curse.
Taking him to his Parents sure doesn't help!
In a bit of Mission: Impossible-style sneaking, the kid puts the formula in the Witches' soup and they all transform. The Grand Witch turns especially-ugly!
The Hotel Staff kill them and the kid escapes...but he's still a mouse.
In the Book, the kid can't be saved and knows that he will likely die within 9 years. So will Grandma though, so he's fine with that.
In the Film's ending, the Grand Witch's Assistant turns good and reverses the curse. Sorry, Dahl- this is better. The End.
A fun Film that is *probably* not for the whole family. The idea here is good. The execution here is good. Someone put alot of work into this Film- no question. You get freaky make-up for the Witches, as well as subtle digital effects like their purple-tinted eyes. When the kid is transformed, they use a good mix of real mice and animatronic ones. The transition is more obvious to adult me than it was kid me. It is good work, but it doesn't *quite* get realistic enough. I know that I'm nitpicking 30 year old effects- it's just how this works. The overall Story isn't the best we get from Dahl, who is viewed pretty high by most Critics. Just don't look to close into his personal beliefs or his interviews! The Acting is good and the tone is overall fun. It is interesting to see the weird tonal shifts throughout. For instance, the bit with the first Witch trying to trick our Hero feels very creepy. As the Film ends, it can't even keep it straight. We are happy to see the good people rewarded...but then a bitter sweet shift as the kid is stuck as a mouse...and then back again to happy as the good Witch saves him. I still like this ending, but it doesn't help the Film's confusing tone. It feels like someone made a Kid's Film for Adults. If that works for you (like it did me on this rewatch), then good. Here's hoping the Remake lives up to this...
Next up, we go back the '70s with a Monster Movie. With little Budget and little imagination, what do we get? Stay tuned...
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