The Witches Review
Most scary children's films are frightening in a conventional, highly confrontational manner. The Witches has these kind of moments, but it also has moments that are scary in a more subtle, sinister and disturbing manner, such as the sequence involving the child who disappeared into a painting. Nicolas_Roeg has done an admirable job of keeping the macabre atmosphere of Roald_Dahl's original book, softening it only by replacing the impressively mature ending of the original with a more directly happy (and therefore weaker) conclusion. He also creates a surreal visual quality for the film, aided greatly by Jim_Henson's clever animatronic designs for the witches and mice. The cast is uniformly excellent. The coldly imposing Anjelica_Huston is a fierce and determined Grand High Witch, creating one of the most memorable and delightfully frightening villainesses in the history of children's cinema. Mai_Zetterling is her perfect foil, capturing both the charm of the grandmother and her hidden formidableness. Jasen_Fisher never hits a false note, and Jane_Horrocks and Brenda_Blethyn turn in valuable support. Inventive, entertaining and sprightly paced, Witches was initially a disappointment at the box office but has achieved a greater following in the years since. Craig Butler, Rovi
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