When Childhood Meets : a Deliciously Dark Nightmare

Movie Time : Beautiful Films Every
Kid Should Watch

Released in 1990,
The Witches is a wonderfully strange children's fantasy that mixes humour, horror and imagination. Directed by Nicolas Roeg and produced with the extraordinary creative magic of Jim Henson, it turns Roald Dahl's wicked story into a memorable cinematic nightmare.
At its heart is a simple message: you may be small, frightened or outnumbered -
but courage and intelligence can
still defeat evil.

T he Witches is based on Roald Dahl's 1983 children's novel. It tells the story of Luke, a young boy who lives with his grandmother after the death of his parents. His grandmother knows a great deal about witches - and she has some very frightening information to share.
According to her, real witches do not look like the witches in fairy tales. They look like ordinary women. They hate children and secretly meet to plan ways of getting rid of them.
Luke and his grandmother eventually travel to England and stay at a seaside hotel. Unfortunately, the hotel happens to be hosting a secret convention of witches, led by the terrifying Grand High Witch, played brilliantly by Anjelica Huston.
Luke accidentally discovers their plan. The witches want to give children a special chocolate containing a magical formula that will turn them into mice.
But Luke is caught.
The Grand High Witch turns him into a mouse. Now Luke is tiny, vulnerable and surrounded by enemies - but he does not give up. With the help of his grandmother and the hotel manager, Mr Stringer (Rowan Atkinson), he uses his intelligence to fight back.
And that is what makes the film so enjoyable. Luke does not defeat the witches by becoming stronger than them. He defeats them by thinking.
The movie is spooky, sometimes genuinely frightening, but it also has Dahl's characteristic humour and sense of absurdity. It understands something important about children: they can enjoy being scared - as long as imagination, humour and hope are present alongside the fear.
How was the
movie made?
The film brought together two extraordinary creative forces: director Nicolas Roeg and puppeteer/filmmaker Jim Henson. Henson's Creature Shop created the witches' elaborate prosthetic makeup, animatronic mice and other special effects. The film was shot in Norway and England, including the spectacular seaside setting around the Headland Hotel in Newquay, Cornwall.
Roeg was an unusual choice for a children's film. He was famous for psychologically unsettling movies such as Don't Look Now. Rather than making the witches merely funny or cartoonish, he made them genuinely disturbing.
Roeg explained his intention quite simply:
"It speaks to a group, the 6 to 12 year olds, who I think have been overlooked."
And he added:
"One hopes that if it has some kind of truthfulness, all the people will enjoy it too."
That idea explains much of the film's special quality. Roeg did not talk down to children. He allowed the story to be frightening.
The special effects were remarkably complicated for 1990. Henson's team created mice in different sizes for different shots, including life-size animatronic mice, larger versions for medium shots and hand-operated puppets for close-ups. Some scenes also used real mice.
Anjelica Huston's transformation into the Grand High Witch was equally extraordinary. Her makeup included elaborate prosthetics, false teeth, special contact lenses, claws and other grotesque details. The transformation could take hours each day.
Interestingly, Roeg also tested the limits of what children could handle. After his young son reacted strongly to some footage, Roeg cut scenes that he felt were simply too frightening.
What should kids learn from
the movie?
The most important lesson is bravery. Luke is terrified, but he does not allow fear to stop him. The film teaches children that being brave does not mean not being scared. It means doing what needs to be done even when you are scared.

The second lesson is intelligence. Luke is transformed into a mouse, but he does not think of himself as helpless. He observes, plans and finds a way to fight back.
There are other valuable lessons too:
Think before you act.
Do not underestimate yourself because you are small or different.
Listen to people who have experience and wisdom.
Stay calm when things go wrong.
Friendship and family can give us courage.
Evil can sometimes hide behind a pleasant appearance.
The film's most delightful idea is perhaps this: being clever can be more powerful than being powerful.
Final words
The Witches is not simply a children's movie. It is a rare film that trusts children enough to frighten them - and then gives them humour, courage and hope to deal with that fear.
There is no sequel to the 1990 film. However, the story has received another major film adaptation: Robert Zemeckis directed a new The Witches in 2020, starring Anne Hathaway and Octavia Spencer. It is a new adaptation of Dahl's book, not a sequel to Roeg's film.
The story has also had a rich life on stage. David Wood created a full-length stage adaptation, and in 2023-24 the National Theatre in London premiered a major musical version, with a book and lyrics by Lucy Kirkwood, music and lyrics by Dave Malloy, and direction by Lyndsey Turner.
So, after all these years, the spell remains. Stay brave. Stay clever. And never trust a perfectly ordinary-looking woman at a secret convention.

Interesting titbits and awards

Jim Henson's final film project: The Witches was the last film project Henson personally worked on before his death in 1990. His Creature Shop's work remains one of the film's greatest achievements. Anjelica Huston's performance was highly acclaimed. She won Best Actress awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Boston Society of Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics.
The film also received several important nominations, including five Saturn Award nominations, a BAFTA nomination for Best Makeup and Hair, and a Hugo Award nomination for Best Dramatic Presentation.
Roald Dahl hated the ending. In Dahl's original story, the boy remains a mouse. The film gives the audience a happier ending in which Luke is transformed back into a boy. Dahl was furious about this change. Henson and Roeg had actually filmed both endings before choosing the happier one.
There is also a delicious irony here: although Dahl disliked the ending, the film has become one of the most fondly remembered adaptations of his work.