Review of Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) by Knox M — 13 Apr 2017

SPOILERS.

Something Wicked This Way Comes, a terrifying story of envy, celebrates the invisible dark side of want. Unfortunately the story was not able to fully flesh out director Jack Clayton's darker intentions for the story, as it was taken and "doctored" by Disney. Unfortunately that meant Clayton collaborator's Georges Delerue's superior score and the most adult aspects of the story were butchered. But what is left is a superb, atmospheric period film. The director, Jack Clayton, is by far one of the best filmmakers of the 20th century. Having years earlier helmed the scariest film ever made, The Innocents, Clayton was thoroughly prepared for this.

For one, the story shines where it exhibits the performance of Jason Robards. He plays a tired middle-aged man with the heart and soul of a child. The movie's brilliant trailer suggests the story follows him, but in the end the children are the true vehicles; which also brings me to another facet of the film: the children are great. One thing common in Clayton's films is great performances, which he believed, and I agree, to be the most important part of making a movie. No, I do not think it is the greatest film made by Clayton, but the 10/10 rating assignment is simply because what wasn't cut exposes a masterpiece of cinema.

We have two characters: Will and Jim. Will has a father, Jim doesn't. However, Will's father, Charles Halloway, feels that he might as well be invisible. His older age restricts him from doing what other dads do, and in effect he feels he has a failed as a father. Charles is obviously a great father, he's really cool and very smart, but in deep pain over an event in which he didn't save his son from drowning (someone else did), simply because he was physically incapable. Jim, on the otherhand, is jealous that his best friend has a father, even if he isn't physically ideal. His mother tries to recreate her husband by having flings with handsome men. When Mr. Dark arrives, he promises that she shall have her spouse return. But like, every desire, it is always just a short sensation with dire consequences. At the end of the film, Will's dad faces Mr. Dark, who as it happens, embodies his desires. He gives up being young again for his son. It'a a brilliant ending, most likely pure Clayton. Clayton was sidelined in production, so what can be seen of his original vision is in slices spread throughout the film, and the trailer was most likely approved and reviewed by Clayton. If you've seen any of Clayton's other films, it's much easier to identify what's Clayton and what's Disney meddling in places they shouldn't be. The film was, according to Wikipedia, "a dark thriller, which saw him to return to themes he had explored in earlier films - the supernatural, and the exposure of children to evil." Simply, it basically says that you were never innocent. In fact, innocence has never existed.