The Witches (1990)
83%RT Audience Score: 70%
Awards & Nominations: 10 nominations
With a deliciously wicked performance from Angelica Huston and imaginative puppetry by Jim Henson’s creature shop, Nicolas Roeg’s dark and witty movie captures the spirit of Roald Dahl’s writing like few other adaptations
The Witches” is a film that will have you laughing and screaming at the same time. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you’re a precocious first-grader with a warped sense of humor, you’ll love it. The puppet creations are delightfully macabre, and the story is surprisingly faithful to the creepiness of the original book. It’s a slow-to-get-going adventure, but once it gets started, it’s a delectably creepy movie that’s guaranteed to keep your night lights burning bright. So grab some popcorn, turn off the lights, and get ready for a spellbinding adventure with “The Witches.
Production Company(ies)
Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures,
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Home Vídeo
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (HBO Max)
Filming Location(s)
Surrey, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for scary images/moments, language and thematic elements
Year of Release
1990
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 31m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States, Mexico
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 16, 1990 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 22, 1999
Genre(s)
Fantasy/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher, Rowan Atkinson, Bill Paterson, Brenda Blethyn, directed by Nicolas Roeg, written by Allan Scott, Roald Dahl, fantasy, adventure, PG rating, box office gross $8.7M, reviewed by James Berardinelli, Michael Upchurch, Michael Wilmington, Ada Calhoun, Steven Rea, Dave Kehr, Brian Eggert, Mike Massie, Aaron Neuwirth, Rick Chatenever, Jeff Simon, Steve Persall, Jim Henson’s creature shop, puppetry, witches, magical formula, mice, hotel, England, convention, Grand High Witch, Helga, Mr Stringer, Mr Jenkins, Mrs Jenkins, Warner Bros Pictures, Warner Home Vídeo, Dolby, Surround, Nicolas Roeg’s adaptation, Roald Dahl’s writing, dark, witty, imaginative, Angelica Huston’s performance, Mark Shivas’ production
Worldwide gross: $29,303,571
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $30,929,658
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,534
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 3,372,918
US/Canada gross: $203,571
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Mai Zetterling – Helga
Jasen Fisher – Luke
Rowan Atkinson – Mr. Stringer
Bill Paterson – Mr. Jenkins
Brenda Blethyn – Mrs. Jenkins
Director(s)
Nicolas Roeg
Writer(s)
Allan Scott, Roald Dahl
Producer(s)
Mark Shivas
Film Festivals
Cannes
Awards & Nominations
10 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (44) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (3)
The Witches feels like a throwaway feature rather than a fully-realized fantasy adventure…
August 11, 2020 | Rating: 2.5/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
It’s not a film for small children. But for precocious first-graders with a warped sense of humor and an appetite for chills, thrills and spills, nothing could be better.
November 25, 2013 | Rating: 4/4
Michael Upchurch
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
Real darkness seethes beneath the “Once upon a time” surface, mostly due to Henson’s seemingly curious selection of the brilliant and audacious Roeg to direct.
November 25, 2013
Michael Wilmington
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Based on a Roald Dahl book, Nicholas Roeg’s The Witches is a film surprisingly faithful to the creepiness of the original.
November 25, 2013
Ada Calhoun
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
The Witches is a slow-to-get-going but ultimately entertaining yarn about a nasty coven conspiring to turn Britain’s entire populace of single-digiters into mice.
November 22, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
There are moments of genuine charm and solid invention, but it`s a film that doesn’t believe enough in itself.
November 22, 2013 | Rating: 3/4
Dave Kehr
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Captures a quality of cinematic fun that only filmmakers like Terry Gilliam or Ken Russell seem to create on a regular basis
February 17, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Jim Henson’s various puppet creations are delightfully macabre yet deviously inventive, invitingly combining the whimsical with the horrifying.
September 25, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Better than a simple round of hocus pocus, The Witches casts the right kind of spell.
August 13, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Aaron Neuwirth
We Live Entertainment
“The Witches” is more fun for parents than kids and not all that much fun for anyone.
August 11, 2020
Rick Chatenever
Santa Cruz Sentinel
One of the damndest creative collaborations to hit movies since Laurence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe pretended to vamp each other in “The Prince and the Showgirl.”
August 11, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
Jeff Simon
Buffalo News
The Witches is a delectably creepy movie guaranteed to keep night lights burning bright.
August 11, 2020
Steve Persall
Tampa Bay Times…
Plot
Reimagining Roald Dahl’s beloved story for a modern audience, Robert Zemeckis’s visually innovative film tells the darkly humorous and heartwarming tale of a young orphaned boy who, in late 1967, goes to live with his loving Grandma in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. As the boy and his grandmother encounter some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, she wisely whisks him away to a seaside resort. Regrettably, they arrive at precisely the same time that the world’s Grand High Witch has gathered her fellow cronies from around the globe-undercover-to carry out her nefarious plans. Zemeckis is joined by a world-class team of filmmakers, including Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro and Kenya Barris. The cast includes powerhouse performances from Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Kristin Chenoweth and Chris Rock, with newcomer Jahzir Kadeen Bruno as the brave young hero.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Anjelica Huston delivers a “deliciously wicked performance” as the Grand High Witch.
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