Warner Bros. Pictures
Roald Dahl has served up some of the most iconic children stories of all time. With works such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, and James and the Giant Peach, he has gotten many young children interested in reading including myself. Many of his stories have been adapted into movies and one that is often overlooked is the 1990 film The Witches directed by Nicolas Roeg. The film has gained a cult following throughout the years as the children who grew up watching it are no longer terrified of the film. I never saw the movie growing up, which is weird to me since I have read the story, along with every single Roald Dahl story.
The story centers around Luke (Jasen Fisher), a young boy who stumbles upon a witch convention at a hotel he is staying at. He lives with his grandmother Helga (Mai Zetterling) after his parents passed away. His grandmother tells him stories of witches, which he absolutely loves to hear. After Luke’s grandmother falls ill, they take a relaxing trip to the seaside hotel, the Hotel Excelsior. At the hotel, he finds that a group of women have occupied the hotel to hold their ‘Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’ meeting. The meeting isn’t exactly what Luke thought it was going to be and he discover that witches are planning to turn children into mice.
REVIEW
I felt I have seen The Witches before. The images of Anjelica Huston as the Grand High Witch have been all over the internet throughout the years. I’ve heard how it created nightmares for kids when they saw it (thank god I didn’t see it as a kid). Even as an adult, this film is disturbing. The film has a strong set up with the grandmother telling Luke stories of witches and warning him of their glowing eyes, square toes, and sense of smell. The stories prepare us for the haunting moments where the witches reveal their true forms.
The film spends a little too much time on the witches’ plans to turn all children into mice. This takes away from the adventure of Luke and Bruno trying to return to their human form after they are turned into mice. The first and second act feel drawn out and the third act suffers from having little development. Even though the pacing is all over the place, this is a film I genuinely enjoyed. The atmosphere, the camera work, and tone all come together for an entertaining adaptation.
VIDEO
The Witches looks stunning on Blu-ray!
The images, costumes, and even the mice are fully detailed and are given a fresh look. Anjelica Huston’s bright purple cloak fills the film with color in a film with a dark story. Nicolas Roeg directs the film in a unique way where he often zooms in on the witches when they are hackling at the Grand High Witch’s plan to rid children from the world.
The film’s transfer looks clean from any grains with colors popping and dark color presented strongly.
AUDIO
The film doesn’t have many different shooting locations but wherever the movie was being filmed, it utilized its sound well. The convention room captures all the gasps of the witches as they hear the Grand High Witch’s plan for the first time. The dialogue from the young boys as mice is amplified for being small characters. The sound effects from the witch’s powers is loud enough to create intensity during climatic scenes.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Theatrical trailer (1:26)
OVERVIEW
This is another solid transfer from Warner Archive Collection. They somehow made the most disturbing costumes in cinema history stunning to look at. I wish there were more special features though. This would be a film I would love to explore the making of and special notes about the film as well. It is one of my favorite Roald Dahl stories and for a first-time watch, I loved it!
Glad I watched it for the first time on Blu-Ray from Warner Archive Collection.
Warner Archive generously provided Hotchka with the Blu-ray for reviewing purposes.
The Witches has a run time of 1 hour 31 minutes and is rated PG.
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