While the hype builds for the impending release of Robert Zemeckis’ The Witches starring Anne Hathaway, let us take time to remember that this is not the first adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel of the same name. Back in 1990 English director Nicolas Roeg teamed up with Jim Henson Productions to produce the dark fantasy The Witches starring the incomparable Anjelica Huston. That’s right, the director that brought you such intense films as Performance, Walkabout and Don’t Look Now made a family film with the creator of The Muppets. This is not a complete left turn, though, as The Witches is a dark film about witches wanting to mercilessly kill children. Roeg tackled the subject matter with gusto, so much that he had to trim out some scenes that he felt went too far with the scares. Although it was not a box office smash, the film has remained a cult favorite over the years. Before hot takes start rolling out for the new film, let us take a look back at this wonderful original version.
Eight-year-old American boy Luke Eveshim (Jasen Fisher) is learning a lot from his grandmother, Helga (Mai Zetterling), during his vacation to Norway. Specifically, she is giving him the low-down on everything he needs to know about witches, foul female demons who have a real desire for snuffing out children. Helga, who is missing a digit, claims to have some personal experience in the field and aims to make sure Luke is more prepared to spot a witch. There are various tells that give a witch away from the purple in their pupils to square feet with no toes, and be sure to keep an eye out for a scrunched up nose as children smell like dog droppings to witches. After a tragedy befalls Luke’s parents, Helga takes over as guardian full time and moves to England with Luke. Circumstances force the pair to spend their summer by a seaside hotel, which happens to be the site of an annual convention for witches, disguised as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. When Luke inadvertently gets a front row seat to their secret meeting, he is put in the dangerous crosshairs of this group of menacing witches.
At the center of this pursuit is The Grand High Witch Eva Ernst (Anjelica Huston), the leader of all the world’s witches. As Eva, Huston is gloriously haughty in her contempt for children, and the fantastically elaborate, grotesque creature work of Eva in her true form perfectly manifests her evil interior to the outside. The practical effects employed throughout the film is what allows this one to continue to hold up after thirty years. These witches truly look repulsive, and when they start carrying out their plans to turn children into mice, things only get more delightfully sickening in the makeup department. As someone who had never seen the film, I also did not expect the second half of the film to be following Henson-operated mice, but these puppets are functional and lovable enough to make it palatable. This movie leans completely into the fantastical, and the way in which the story unfolds with Dahl’s trademark darkness was quite enveloping. This is a family film at its heart, but there are certain elements that could be genuinely unsettling to a younger audience.
As someone who is always on the lookout for some more lighthearted fare suitable for Halloween, The Witches proved to be one of the most substantial additions to the pantheon in quite some time. The direction from Roeg is perfectly executed with some truly inventive shots throughout the adventure. The cast are all putting in some solid performances, but Huston makes this movie sing with her dark soul. If there is any complaint to lodge against the film, it is that the ending seemed a bit abrupt in a bid to give the audience a happy ending. Upon reading accounts from Dahl, he was not too happy about this either and thought that Roeg ruined his story. While I would not go that far, it would be more satisfying and exciting to see the film roll the dice on a bittersweet ending. Whether people love or hate the new adaptation from Zemeckis, audiences should check out the original Halloween classic from Roeg for a bit of pure joy.
Video Quality
The Witches gets a stellar upgrade on Blu-Ray courtesy of Warner Archive with a new 2019 1080p master derived from a fresh 2K scan. This film has never been available in its original aspect ratio on home video domestically, which makes this Blu-Ray a godsend from Warner Archive. The transfer provides natural film grain absent of any compression artifacts or other such digital anomalies. This disc also wonderfully represents the picturesque European settings captured beautifully by cinematographer Harvey Harrison. There are some excellent, vibrant colors that make the film pop visually in an exciting way. Skin tones look natural, and the presentation offers up deep black levels. The disc also handles fine detail in an expert manner. Subtle details in the production design are clearly defined, and textures on outfits are easily discernible. Warner Archive has once again knocked it out of the park for a film that has never gotten the respect it deserves.
Audio Quality
Warner Archive brings us this new Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix that beautifully reproduces the film sonically. The dialogue holds up quite nicely, coming though clearly without being stepped on by the score or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely from the waves at the seaside hotel to the chatter amongst the guests in the common areas. The movie is accompanied by a lovely score from Stanley Myers that sounds great here. There are no signs of any hiss or other track damage to sully the presentation. This is a track that represents the film in a very satisfying way. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- Theatrical Trailer: Even at a minute-and-a-half long, this trailer still manages to give away way too much about the film including the final moments from the film. The trailer is in good shape, though.
Final Thoughts
The Witches is an incredibly satisfying tale filled with wonderfully disgusting makeup work and other inventive practical effects courtesy of Jim Henson Productions. Anjelica Huston gives an iconic performance as this nasty, blackhearted lady with extermination on the brain. Warner Archive has given this Blu-Ray a stellar A/V presentation that should wow fans of the feature. With Halloween around the corner, I could not recommend picking up this Blu-Ray of The Witches any more. Highly Recommended
The Witches can be purchased directly through Warner Archive or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
