Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
3.5 of 5 from 55 ratings
1h 35min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
In a small anywhere town in any state in America, two young boys - quiet Will Halloway (Vidal Peterson) and somewhat rebellious Jim Nightshade (Shawn Carson) - enjoy the ever - shortening days of autumn. When the boys hear about a strange travelling carnival from a lightning rod salesman, they decide to see what it is all about - but Will is fearful, as most carnivals end their tours after Labor Day. When the ominous Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce), the Illustrated Man, rides into town on a dark midnight, setting up his massive carnival in a matter of seconds, the boys are both thrilled and terrified. It seems to be just another carnival at first, but it is not before long that the forces of darkness themselves are manifesting from the haunting melodies of the carousel - which can change your age depending on which way you ride it - and the glaring Mirror Maze. With his collection of freaks and oddities, such as the Fat Man, Mr. Electro, and the blind Dust Witch, Dark intends to take control of the town and seize more innocent souls to damn. It will take all the wit and hope of the two boys to save their families and friends, with aid from an unlikely ally - Will's father, the town librarian, who understands more than anyone else that "something wicked this way comes". - Actors:
- Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane Ladd, Royal Dano, Vidal Peterson, Shawn Carson, Mary Grace Canfield, Richard Davalos, Jake Dengel, Jack Dodson, Bruce M. Fischer, Ellen Geer, Pam Grier, Brendan Klinger, James Stacy, Angelo Rossitto, Peter Risch, Tim T. Clark, Jill Carroll, Tony Christopher
- Directors:
- Jack Clayton
- Producers:
- Peter Douglas
- Voiced By:
- Arthur Hill
- Narrated By:
- Arthur Hill
- Writers:
- Ray Bradbury
- Genres:
- Children & Family, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Thrillers
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Reviews (1) of Something Wicked This Way Comes
Darkness on the Midway - Something Wicked This Way Comes review by griggs
There’s a fine film hiding inside Something Wicked This Way Comes — you just have to peer through the smoke and carnival lights to find it. Ray Bradbury’s small-town nightmare of temptation and lost innocence should be a perfect fit for Disney’s early-1980s flirtation with darker material, but the tone wobbles between spooky fairytale and Sunday-school sermon. Disney’s nervous re-editing makes it uneven, but the atmosphere still casts a spell.
Still, the mood is rich. Jonathan Pryce makes a marvellously sinister Mr Dark, all snake-oil charm and velvet menace, and the autumnal setting drips with nostalgia and dread in equal measure. When they work, the carousel sequences feel like childhood dreams curdling into nightmares.
It doesn’t quite earn its goosebumps, but there’s a strange warmth to the chill. Imperfect though it is, it still captures something rare: that moment when growing up starts to feel like a kind of loss.
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