Bradbury's 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' scary, and powerful
‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ is a family horror film released by the Walt Disney Company in 1983. Its special effects are certainly from that time as is its pacing – it moves just a little slower than today’s films. However, there are some very compelling reasons to see this movie.
It is scary, and it plays off the idea of what if you get what you most want. Dark’s Carnival gives people what they hoped for, but at a price that is beyond what they would really want to pay. Remembering that this is a Disney film, the Barber who miss the smell of “lady skin” gets what he wants in a very risqué scene (for a risqué character) involving belly dancers.
It’s an All-Star cast. Jason Robards was known at the time and provides a compelling older father for the main character. Jonathan Pryce is the villainous and powerful Mr. Dark, whose best moment comes when he faces off against Robards for the first time. His slow walk away to a funeral dirge is the stuff that nightmares are made of. Pam Grier (yes, that Pam Grier) plays the sultry witch who ensnares her pray with a multitude of magic. Character actor Royal Dano plays the kindly, likable, and quite possibly crazy, Tom Fury. The child actors do a great job, but spookiest of the three was Brendan Klinger, who didn’t have a single line and was all the scarier for it.
Ray Bradbury, who is one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th century, wrote the screenplay based on his story. ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ is a classic that is still relevant and powerful today. With themes of death, love and the story of a father and son and how their relationship hinged on a fateful day long ago, Bradbury makes sure to leave the viewer feeling better about life, even if he has to scare them into believing it can be better. Check this film out if you are interested in retro Halloween fare.
It is scary, and it plays off the idea of what if you get what you most want. Dark’s Carnival gives people what they hoped for, but at a price that is beyond what they would really want to pay. Remembering that this is a Disney film, the Barber who miss the smell of “lady skin” gets what he wants in a very risqué scene (for a risqué character) involving belly dancers.
It’s an All-Star cast. Jason Robards was known at the time and provides a compelling older father for the main character. Jonathan Pryce is the villainous and powerful Mr. Dark, whose best moment comes when he faces off against Robards for the first time. His slow walk away to a funeral dirge is the stuff that nightmares are made of. Pam Grier (yes, that Pam Grier) plays the sultry witch who ensnares her pray with a multitude of magic. Character actor Royal Dano plays the kindly, likable, and quite possibly crazy, Tom Fury. The child actors do a great job, but spookiest of the three was Brendan Klinger, who didn’t have a single line and was all the scarier for it.
Ray Bradbury, who is one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th century, wrote the screenplay based on his story. ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ is a classic that is still relevant and powerful today. With themes of death, love and the story of a father and son and how their relationship hinged on a fateful day long ago, Bradbury makes sure to leave the viewer feeling better about life, even if he has to scare them into believing it can be better. Check this film out if you are interested in retro Halloween fare.