Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

It is like the ultimate validation of the intense energy I have always experienced when a storm is on the horizon. Mother Nature is amazing . . .

But onto the movie . . . I felt that the meat and potatoes of this film really stood the test of time, though the special effects certainly did not. This one definitely smacks of morals when you get right down to it. Several lessons to be learned here kiddies - not the least of which is to be careful what you wish for - especially when the wish is being granted by one Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce), proprietor of a seriously evil, ages-old, traveling carnival.

And isn't there always something a little sinister and mysterious about a traveling carnival? Who are these people that travel from town to town cajoling the locals to ride their rides, taste their foods and play their games. Certainly in the case of Mr. Dark and his Pandemonium carnival all was not as it seemed.

Two young boys, Will Halloway (Vidal Peterson) and Jim Nightshade (Shawn Carson) get themselves into a bit of hot water when they, along with Will's father, Charles (Jason Robards), discover what it is that this traveling carnival is really all about. They then have to battle Mr. Dark and the Dust Witch (Pam Grier) as well as some of their own personal demons in order to save themselves and the others in their sleepy little town from the dark side.

The film adaptation of the classic Ray Bradbury book, Something Wicked This Way Comes, will certainly entertain you. If you can get past the cheesy special effects and focus more on the crux of the story, it may even frighten you a bit. Either way, it is certainly worthy of your time to watch it and heed the warning to be careful what you wish because there are often consequences to being given something you desire . . . nothing is free in this world or in any other for that matter.

Fmovies: This is a very eerie and dark film for one made by Disney. It contains all sort of dark and bright side of the human nature such as greed, envy, temptation, and at the same time it also embraces joy, hope, courage, and friendship. Although, the core of the movie is a fight between good and evil, it is not preaching at all. Yet it does have a conviction of fear.

It's like one of campfire folk tales that comes at you very slowly from your behind and some unexpected moment it grubs your neck. Something Wicked This Way Comes is a that kind of movie.

I don't consider this film as a horror film because it reminds of me something from my childhood memory and it is beyond horror. Do you remember the line your mom used to say when you were bad? "Be good or ..... will come and get you"

To me, Mr.Dark fits into the blank much better than any other monsters.

I enjoyed this movie as a child, it was very interesting and it was nice to watch a horror movie that was rated PG as it would actually come on in the day rather than having to try to stay up late to watch it. Granted, it is not a pure horror movie, it has some other genres mixed in as well, but at its core I say horror is its main ingredient. The movie also features good characters in the form of Mr. Dark and Jason Robards character. The kid who is featured is also quite good here. The story has a carnival coming to town, however this carnival contains a dark secret and it is not just the fact the owner of this particular carnival is named Dark. No it seems he likes to offer those that are a bit weak the thing they desire most and then twist it in a way that makes it not so good. However, that is the price you must pay when dealing with this gentleman. The story moves at a good clip and while it never really gets gory or anything the story more than makes up for this and provides plenty of entertainment.

Something Wicked This Way Comes fmovies. In Green Town, Illinois, the twelve year-old boys Will Halloway (Vidal Peterson) and Jim Nightshade (Shawn Carson) are neighbors and best friends. Will's father Charles Halloway (Jason Robards) is an old man and the local librarian while Jim and his mother wait for the return of their father and husband that will never occur. The boys know everyone in town, including their school teacher Miss Foley (Mary Grace Canfield) that misses her beauty and youth; the lonely barber Mr. Crosetti (Richard Davalos) that has no girlfriend or wife; the greedy owner of a cigar store Mr. Tetley (Jake Dengel) that is obsessed with money; and the bartender Ed (James Stacy) that has severed arm and leg and dreams on being a football hero. One day of Autumn, Jim buys a lightning rod from the salesman Tom Fury (Royal Dano) that tels that a storm is coming. During the night, the boys overhear a mysterious train and they run through the woods to see the arrival but they do not see a living soul. However, they find the Mr. Dark's Pandemonium Carnival ready to be enjoyed and they snoop around. Soon they realize that frustrated and greedy people are vanishing in town and the evil Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce) and the Dust Witch (Pam Grier) from the carnival make their dreams come true. In return, Mr. Dark seizes their souls. Now Mr. Dark is seeking the boys out but Charles Halloway has a journal from his father about the autumn carnival that might be their last chance to defeat the evil.

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" is an impressive movie with many layers with a story by Ray Bradbury. It is amazing how a story about greedy, vanity and shattered dreams can be seen and understood in different levels, depending on your age and life experience. The dialogs and lines are mature, but children will have a different understanding. Unfortunately this little gem is underrated and not well- known. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): Not available on VHS, DVD or Blu-Ray

This is always touted as a movie for children but not much is mentioned of the way it is also aimed at adults. The narration is skillfully done by Arthur Hill. In the beginning he speaks of his "first look into the fearful needs of the human heart." Maybe it's just me, but that sounds fairly mature. And the theme of the movie, selling ones' soul to the devil is both scary and grown up. And the final theme, the one of love overcoming regret is very adult. Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451 and Martian Chronicle fame) adapted his own story for the screen and did a wonderful job. This movie has a lot of mood and atmosphere too. This is a movie both children and adults can enjoy.

Ray Bradbury's 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' is a classic novel about the transition from childhood to being an adult. It deals with becoming independent from our parents, the dread of loosing a loved one and the very real possibility of being alone in the world. There is also the classic morality story of there being no such thing as a free gift - there is always some price to be paid.

This is a very dark story set in the classic mid-Twentieth century America of a Rockwell painting. The most innocent of places with the very best people you could imagine. But underneath the pristine surface, there is something dark gnawing at their souls. When a carnival comes to town, blown in with the autumn winds, it begins to feed on the evil in the town.

As a piece of cinema this is truly gorgeous, best seen through a good film print or the laserdisk transfer. The opening scenes of the autumnal countryside are superlative and are almost too pretty to be true, which only serve to contrast the darkness of the later scenes.

The central performances are all absolutely excellent. Jason Robards is almost typecast as Mr Halloway, the decent American father, but manages to pull some subtleties out of what could have been a by-the-numbers performance. You are never in doubt that he really does love his son and the exchanges between them ring true. Halloway is a man with a lifetime of regrets; missed opportunities and poor decisions who realises that he is the only person standing in the way of evil. Robard's performance is magical; you can't help but empathise with him.

Particularly when evil is played by a young and rarely bettered Jonathan Pryce. As the sleek and lupine Mr. Dark he comes across as the ultimate Victorian villain - one moment charming, the next terrifying beyond belief. Wonderful delivery of fabulous lines raise this bad guy above almost others in recent movies. The conflict between Dark and Halloway in the library is an all-time classic, both spitting their lines in a scene that will have you on the edge of your seat.

The movie is aided by some top-notch effects that still look good in the CGI age. Once again the library scene is perfection, with effects being used to enhance the acting - not overwhelm it. As Dark tears pages from a book, they flare up, illuminating the scene briefly before returning it to gloom. It may not sound much, but compared to the modern orgies of graphics, it is a blessed relief.

'Something Wicked...' is one of the last horror movies that allowed the audience's own fears to do most of the work. It didn't play gross just to get a quick scream and a guilty laugh, it builds on the very real fears we have inside our heads and lets them do the hard work.

Bradbury adopted his own book into the movie and fortunately kept almost all of the material. A pre-Eisner Disney then made a neglected classic without worrying if the Sand Witch would look good in a burger chain promotion.

Oh and then there are the spiders, but that would be telling...