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Let’s discuss “The Witches” (1990)

The Grand High Witch is a gay icon, right?

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by Anonymousreply 13July 11, 2025 5:28 AM

Vitches of Inkland, you’re a disgrace.

Anjelica Huston (happy birthday) deserved an Oscar for this role.

Roald Dahl hated it but like Stephen King, he doesn’t know what makes a good film. It was the perfect balance of actual horror and camp as I dare say no other children’s film would be made that scary intentionally in today’s time. The remake was utter shit.

by Anonymousreply 1July 10, 2025 6:45 PM

Dahl hated children and his entire beef was the change to the ending at the last minute. He wanted Luke to stay a mouse. lol. Dhal loved the casting of Huston though. The Witches is one of the creepiest kids films ever made.

by Anonymousreply 2July 10, 2025 6:51 PM

“I was playing Hitler for children.”

by Anonymousreply 3July 10, 2025 6:51 PM

I loved how Jane Horrocks turned out to be a good witch.

by Anonymousreply 4July 10, 2025 11:42 PM

That’s because he does stay a mouse in the book.

But in the movie, Bubble has to save the day.

I only saw the film as an adult. While I can see how the transformation scene would scare little kids, what got me is the story of the little girl in the beginning who is abducted and slowly fades from the painting.

Dahl wrote some great nasty stuff.

by Anonymousreply 5July 11, 2025 1:19 AM

One of my favorite scenes in the film. The cracking bones and shrinking skin sound extremely painful.

Also, anyone else notice the goofs of Nicola and the other witches in the background transforming into mice out of order?

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by Anonymousreply 6July 11, 2025 2:50 AM

Between this and The Grifters, Anjelica Huston was the best actress of 1990.

by Anonymousreply 7July 11, 2025 2:55 AM

One of my favorites. Mai Zetterling and Jasen Fisher were perfect. Everyone was.

The story in film form benefited from the change to a happier ending. They did show Luke's and Grandma's resignation at his mouse form, so a bit of the sense of Dahl's point (Witches are bad. Harm can be permanent. If you endure you can accept your lot. That's life.) remained.

Among Huston's greatest performance, along with her work in "Prizzi's Honor" and "The Grifters."

by Anonymousreply 8July 11, 2025 3:02 AM

The film has such a unique Scandinavian feel to it. This movie, Return to Oz, and The Neverending Story have a similar vibe. They’re kids films but very, very mature and quite un-Hollywood.

by Anonymousreply 9July 11, 2025 3:28 AM

I was so terrified of this movie as a child, I was convinced all of the women that worked at the makeup counters of department stores were witches. They all dressed in black with heavy makeup like Anjelica and the chocolate bar lady.

The relief I had as a 4 year old making it past those makeup and perfume ladies at Macy’s.

by Anonymousreply 10July 11, 2025 5:07 AM

R9 I was born in 1987. Every single one of those movies freaked me out.

by Anonymousreply 11July 11, 2025 5:23 AM

I love this movie as a kid I think this and Rodger rabbit where makes you absolute favorite movies as a kid. Actually even now. This movie in the feel of it reminds me of that movie The peanut butter solution does anybody remember that where the kid gets really scared and loses his hair and then puts the peanut butter solution on and then the hair doesn't stop going and he gets kidnapped so somebody can make paint brushes out of his hair.

by Anonymousreply 12July 11, 2025 5:24 AM

I’m going to have to disagree with one point made. The actor who played human Luke was grossly miscast; he was great at voicing the mouse but that was it.

Still, it worked because Mai Zetterling and Anjelica Huston acted circles around everyone. At the end of the day, it didn’t matter who played Luke.

by Anonymousreply 13July 11, 2025 5:28 AM
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