Review of The Witches (1990) by Kai82 — 02 Jan 2022

A fantasy comedy that is surprisingly good while being also dark and scary. As child this movie impressed me. The title already gives away the premise. Witches exist but hide this fact from society. They hate all children and are always trying to kill them or trap them in something worse like curses where you wished you were dead instead (A good example is shown in the movie with a painting).

The protagonist the 8 year old boy Luke is warned about this by his grandmother Helga and has a disturbing experience. However when he has to move to England he is draw into much bigger events. I tried to keep it spoiler-free here.

The story is excellent and draw me in immediately. It is scary, intense and kept me engaged through the whole story. They succeed with the atmosphere they create, remarkable cast and creativity. I recently discovered it is based on a book of the same name by Roald Dahl.

Because I did not read this book I can make no assumption if it is a good adaptation. Because the movie itself is great enough on itself I would give a free pass if not. I must also praise the effects, costumes and mask.

Of cause this is thanks to Jim Hanson aka Jim Hanson Productions. The witches look disturbing and really scary especially the main antagonist is nightmare fuel. I think these even age really well. The cast did an amazing job to deliver their characters and enhance the story.

Lets begin with Jasen Fisher as Luke. Good child-actors are rare and he delivers a great performance that I praise. Sadly he never made a career later on in the movie business. Anjelica Huston as Eva is truly amazing.

She is truly scary and a highlight. Mai Zetterling as Helga / Lukes grandmother also delivers a praiseworthy performance. The support cast is excellent too and the total performance makes this excellent.

I should also praise director Nicolas Roeg and writer Allan Scott. Overall this is an interesting movie I would recommend. It is nearly forgotten but praised by most who I talked about. I recommend it for the ideas, story and scary effects.

It barley mosses the 10/10 mark for me.