Disney Horror: 1983’s Something Wicked This Way Comes
Photo credit: Disney
Something Wicked This Way Comes was released by Disney during Disney’s weird period. Based on Ray Bradbury’s story of the same name, this gem is a great watch.
The Premise
Set in the fictional Green Town in the early fifties, twelve year olds Will Holloway(Vidal Peterson) and Jim Nightshade(Shawn Carson) are best friends and neighbors. They were born on Halloween night, just a minute apart. The boys are polar opposites in character. Jim is outgoing and rebellious, Will reserved and obedient.
Bespectacled Will and Jim
Photo credit: Disney
Will was born to his parents late in their life. Jim’s father has left his family, but Jim denies it.
Late in autumn, a carnival-Dark’s Pandemonium Carnival-arrives in the small Illinois town. This is unusual, as everyone knows carnivals are a summer activity. The titular Mr. Dark(Game of Thrones’s Jonathan Pryce)is an enigmatic figure that leads a parade through town. Aiding him is the beautiful and powerful Dust Witch(Pam Grier). While snooping around the carnival, Will and Jim see that the carnival’s a front for dark and sinister beings that appear to grant wishes, but really feed off the misery and heartbreak of humans. They see the people they know changed and destroyed, and Dark even has Jim’s vulnerable mother(Diane Ladd) in his sights.
Mr. Dark and some other scary mofos.
Photo credit: Disney
Will’s father, Charles(Jason Robards), is the town librarian, a wise man. He remembers Mr. Dark. Charles’s own father fought him decades before.
He recognizes the danger, but the boys get caught up in the carnival’s evil thrall.
The Dust Witch
Photo credit: Disney
The Film
The story builds without dragging, setting up the town and characters. The atmosphere is perfect for watching on a chilly evening. The special effects are sometimes dated, but effective. Much like Pumpkinhead, the children behave as adventurous children, not the overly precocious and smarmy children that came in shows and movies in the ’90s. This movie is a great scare for nearly all ages. Parents will appreciate the deeper themes and allegories between goodness and darkness. Feelings of nostalgia abound for a simpler time before cell phones and internet.
Please check out this movie, and read the novel. Definitely a movie for sitting on the couch, sipping cocoa and eating popcorn. Let us know how you liked it!
