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The Witches

PG Released Feb 16, 1990 1h 31m Kids & Family Fantasy Adventure List
94% Tomatometer 48 Reviews 70% Audience Score 50,000+ Ratings
While staying at a hotel in England with his grandmother, Helga (Mai Zetterling), young Luke (Jasen Fisher) inadvertently spies on a convention of witches. The Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston) reveals a plan to turn all children into mice through a magical formula. When they find that Luke has overheard, the witches test the formula on him. Now, with the help of Helga and the hotel manager, Mr. Stringer (Rowan Atkinson), Luke the mouse must fight back against the witches. Read More Read Less
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The Witches

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Critics Reviews

View All (48) Critics Reviews
Michael Upchurch Seattle Times 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. Rated: 4/4 Nov 25, 2013 Full Review Michael Wilmington Los Angeles Times 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. Nov 25, 2013 Full Review Ada Calhoun Austin Chronicle Based on a Roald Dahl book, Nicholas Roeg's The Witches is a film surprisingly faithful to the creepiness of the original. Nov 25, 2013 Full Review Farah Cheded A Good Movie To Watch Finds a clever balance between being nightmare-inducing and deliciously fun, a tonal blend that harks back to the twisted appeal of traditional fairy tales. Oct 28, 2023 Full Review Terry Francis Southern Voice (Atlanta) Anjelica Huston is an extravagantly gifted actress. Rated: 3.5/4 May 9, 2023 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) The Witches really enchant. [Full review in Spanish] Nov 30, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jeff M Not only is this the best cinematic adaptation of a Roald Dahl book, it's also one of the best children's movies ever made. It harkens the deliciously cruel and surprisingly dark world of a Grimm fairy tale with a slightly lighter touch. This is the role Huston was born to play, and it's a grand slam performance. This came out the same year as THE GRIFTERS, for which Huston received an Oscar nomination, and it's one of the great years for an actress ever. Zetterling has an almost magical and ethereal realm about her, and the movie is littered with the most wonderful of British talents, from Brenda Blethyn to Rowan Atkinson. I have an insane fear of rats and mice, but the little rodents created by the Jim Henson Company ALMOST made me turn a new leaf. At just over 90 minutes, it moves quickly and won't test the patience of younger viewers. That being said, I'd recommend you watch it first before letting your kids see it as it does show little children being turned into mice and the young protagonist loses his parents in an accident, which I'm sure could upset some more emotionally sensitive youngsters. But I think this is a glorious achievement! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/04/24 Full Review Alec B Despite the changed ending this remains one the most faithful Dahl adaptations in tone and execution. Those terrific make-up effects still hold up. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/09/24 Full Review Elvis D Adaptada del libro de Roald Dahl, esta fue la última película de Jim Henson antes de partir dejándonos una clásica película de fantasía oscura. Es una historia clásica de niños siendo el blanco principal de brujas malvadas y aunque se trata de una película infantil, el concepto es bastante oscuro y tétrico. Anjelica Huston ofrece un gran rol como la malvada bruja líder con un diseño de maquillaje bastante espeluznante con el aire de las brujas clásicas. Muchos de los efectos especiales son bastante buenos y es genial la forma en que le dan vida a los pequeños ratones. La película se tomó muchas libertades creativas que la hacen algo distinta a la novela, pero tiene esa visión aterradora que Dahl trato de transmitir sobre las brujas. Claro que a Dahl no le pareció satisfactorio el resultado, especialmente el final, haciendo que Dahl no permitiera que adaptaran otro de sus libros hasta la fecha de su muerte. Eso fue algo muy exagerado del autor, ya que la realidad es que The Witches es una película genial en varios sentidos. Difícilmente se la puede considerar una película infantil debido a lo tétrica que puede ser, aunque la idea era claramente reflejar el sentimiento de terror que puede tener un niño. Si un niño puede o no ver esta película, dependerá de como el niño vaya a reaccionar. The Witches es quizás la película infantil más tétrica de su momento, pero es otra joya de los años 90 que se puede apreciar en muchos aspectos. Mi calificación final para esta película es un 9/10. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/19/23 Full Review Sofie M Amazing movie 🎥 👏 👌 😍 🙌 ❤ Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/15/23 Full Review Mu S Um dos melhores filme de terror infantil, é extremamente nostálgico e icônico. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/28/23 Full Review Teddy B Although blemished with a few story, effect, and editing flaws. 'The Witches' transcends itself to both achieving the ability to be a faithful adaptation to the book and just being a delightfully cruel and in a wistfully eldritch world all its own. I recommend this film to those who miss how far the ratings system would allow films to go while staying within the beloved 80s and early 90s PG rating. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Witches

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis While staying at a hotel in England with his grandmother, Helga (Mai Zetterling), young Luke (Jasen Fisher) inadvertently spies on a convention of witches. The Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston) reveals a plan to turn all children into mice through a magical formula. When they find that Luke has overheard, the witches test the formula on him. Now, with the help of Helga and the hotel manager, Mr. Stringer (Rowan Atkinson), Luke the mouse must fight back against the witches.
Director
Nicolas Roeg
Producer
Mark Shivas
Screenwriter
Allan Scott, Roald Dahl
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Home Vídeo
Production Co
Jim Henson Productions, Lorimar Film Entertainment
Rating
PG
Genre
Kids & Family, Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 16, 1990, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 25, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$8.7M
Runtime
1h 31m
Sound Mix
Dolby, Surround
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