Though I’ll be bringing you one last Halloween movie on November 1, this is our last scary film for the archive before Halloween. Therefore, it had to be one that’s very important to me. Based on the Ray Bradbury novel of the same Shakespeare-inspired name, this PG-rated Disney movie is probably not one that most parents today would show their kids at a young age (is showing the vein in a hand exploding too much?). Luckily for us, I have watched it every year from the time I was a baby. Here’s the Bitchin’ Bio on Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Synopsis: Will Halloway (Vidal Peterson) and Jim Nightshade (Shawn Carson) are best friends in a small Illinois town. When Dark’s Carnival comes through one October, the boys are shocked and fascinated by its supernatural effect on the townspeople. Soon, they have seen too much, and the sinister Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce) begins to pursue Will and Jim, the latter of whom is tempted to join the carnival. Will’s father, town librarian Charles Halloway (Jason Robards), must overcome his insecurities about being an older father in order to save the boys and the town from the threat of the Autumn People.
How I Watched It: DVD
Degrees of Kevin Bacon: I’m honestly not sure what number this qualifies as, but Kevin Bacon was considered for Kiefer Sutherland’s role in the 1988 film Bright Lights, Big City, which Jason Robards is in.
Come For: The incredible, dramatic Jonathan Pryce and general spookiness.
Stay For: Jim’s glamorous mother (Diane Ladd) and her cat, as well as the fun of seeing two wild scenes where the boys are obviously older due to refilming.
Had I Seen It? About 20 times. My parents, siblings, and I have a tradition of making caramel apples and watching it with my Auntie Gabi every October.
Do I Like It? I love this movie and have such great memories of watching it with my family over the years. I look forward to watching it every year and spotting things I’ve never seen before, or to quoting its best lines. It can be weird at times, but that’s part of its fun. At its heart, Something Wicked This Way Comes is about family, facing the truth, and the strength of overcoming your self-doubt. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend giving it a try.
Thanks for finishing off this fright-fest with me! Next week, we will dive into a true classic: E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
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