Have You Been Watching...? Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

 

Back in the late 1970s/early 80s, family friendly film provider Disney experimented with what some people refer to as the “Dark Disney” era. This is a series of films made by the producer that err on a slighty-more-scarier and frightening side than most previous Disney movies. Examples of these include The Watcher in the Woods (if you ever get to see the alternative ending, watch it! It’s even scarier that the theatrically released one), The Black Hole (seeing Anthony Perkins get eviscerated by a robots propeller), and the Black Cauldron. For some reason, the 1983 released Something Wicked This Way Comes frequently gets left off this list. It’s not readily available outside the US and is missing off Disney+ etc. Personally, I think the main reason for this is, even though the other movies are clearly scary kids movies, SWTWC is 100% a decent horror film, just not gory. Well, hold that thought.

Something Wicked This Way Comes is based on a story by renowned sci-fi author Ray Bradbury (Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man and so much more). What makes the film special, is that he also wrote the screenplay for it. Most people will say a book is nothing like the film or vice versa, and while the movie changes from the book, it is absolutely in line with the thoughts and unsettling style of the story.

The movie sets the story in what appears to be default Disney world, circa 1920s/30s(?) small town America. Two young boys, born on the same night to different families, but a few minutes apart, have grown up together and are best friends. They are Will Halloway, a quiet studious young boy, and more free-spirited Jim Nightshade. Will lives with his mum and (clearly a lot older) Dad, while Jim lives with his Mum, his father is not on the scene. On their way home from school one day, Jim buys a “lightning rod” from an apparent vagrant called Mr Fury. While fitting the lightning rod, Jim and Will find a pamphlet advertising a travelling carnival coming to town.

Seeing the train arrive, the boys set off excitedly to the location to find the carnival all set up and running. The next day, the townsfolk attend the carnival, which appears to supernaturally fulfil their desires. A bartender missing an arm and a leg sees himself in a mirror with his missing limbs back. The local barber, who is very into his women, attends a show with exotic dancers, where he is transformed into a bearded lady, Mr Tetley who is obsessed with money and gambling gets turned into a wooden statue and Ms Foley, the elderly teacher wishes for her to be young and beautiful again, and becomes young and beautiful, but loses her sight to see herself.

All this happens under the watchful gaze of Mr Dark, who runs the carnival, and may or may not be the actual devil. Dark is played by the Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce, looking dashingly handsome in this! As the story progresses our two young heroes find a carousel capable of turning people older or younger, incurring the wrath of Dark who sets out to get them. Using a parade trough town to hunt the boys, we see the townsfolk transformed by the carnival are now part of the carnies. The boys enlist the help of Will’s dad to help evade capture. Mr Dark even uses his tattoos to show images of the boys in order to help catch them. Mr Halloway, who is the towns librarian, discovers the carnival had visited the town previously and his own father had fought them.

This all leads to a confrontation with Dark, the disclosure of Mr Halloway’s own dark secrets and the power the love of a son for his dad can have. It also results in one of the most visually gruesome death scenes in a Disney movie!

There are so many unsettling and disturbing moments in this film, from the prices paid by the townsfolk for having their desires (and we DON’T see them revert back to normal, so assume they are lost for good), to one horrific moment when Will sees an image of himself being decapitated and the film SHOWS the head in a basket. If you suffer from arachnophobia, there’s another scene that will give you nightmares for weeks.

I absolutely LOVE this movie. I love Bradbury’s work in general and this is one of the best adaptations of his work EVER. Jonathan Pryce (Dr Who: Curse of fatal Death, 007 The World is Not Enough) is enthralling as Mr Dark, creepy, eerie and downright scary. The young boys are good but the next best performance is Jason Robards (All the President’s Men, The Day After) as Charles Halloway, conveying the anguish of failing to protect his son, and wishing he could be the more active dad for his boy while being the older man he actually is, medical problems and all.

Maybe “Horror” is too strong a term for this, but it’s certainly nightmare fuel. It’s very Bradbury, and certainly stays with you long after the end credits roll.

Year: 1983

Availability: US – DVD and Blu Ray, Europe – DVD, UK – not commercially available

HWBW rating: 8/10