The Witches (1990)

You have got to adore Roald Dahl. Not only was he able to get inside the mind of children and figure out what they enjoyed, he was also good at making things both fun and creepy. Who wouldn't want to be entertained and frightened at the same time? Both things are so close to one another.

You know what else can frighten you? This film.

Roald Dahl himself apparently wasn't too thrilled with this adaptation of his work, but honestly: this is a fun romp. It is also - as hinted at before - sometimes scary as fudge, so just in case you want to watch this with children that are very young: beware!

Young Luke's parents die in a carcrash and he is left with his grandmother. Ever notice how often Dahl does away with parents? There must be something here for psychologists, I just know it. Anyway, his grandmother is a little like a child herself and she looks after Luke with a lot of love. She also warns him that there are numerous witches in the world and they hate children. So much so that they want to kill all the kids on the planet. After grandma has a diabetic episode, they go to a hotel by the sea to recover. But little do they know that the annual witches' convention is happening right there, under the auspices of the grand witch, whom grandma has a history with. Luke finds this out and is turned into a mouse together with another boy. Now they have to foil the witches' plan.

The characters are what make this one fun. Luke's grandma is a loveable scamp, Rowan Atkinson is great as the obnoxious hotel owner and above all: Anjelica Huston steals the show as the supreme witch. She revels in the role and plays it with a touch of humour that makes it all the more enthralling. Seriously, she's great.

Sometimes, the mice are portrayed through Henson Studios puppets, and they look good as always. The make-up for the witches is also excellent. A little over the top perhaps at times, but it's all in the vein of the story.

The witches are also what scares the heebiejeebies out of me. Seriously, the reveal of the supreme witch is downright nasty. It works well, but holy crap, does that stuff give you nightmares... The same goes for another transfomation into a mouse near the end. I won't really spoil it, but it's once again the stuff of nightmares.

Nevertheless, this one is highly recommended if you like some fun thrills. You could argue it's not that special and in truth, it isn't. But you are sure to have a good time watching this, and have a few laughs and a few scares along the way. Nicely balanced, well shot. Sometimes that's all you need.