Roald Dahl’s The Witches – The Witches (2020)

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis | 105 minutes | adventure, comedy | Actors: Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Chris Rock, Brian Bovell, Josette Simon, Jonathan Livingstone, Ashanti Prince-Asafo, Lunga Skosana, Miranda Sarfo Peprah, Vivienne Acheampong, Sobowale Antonio Bamgbose, Ken Nwosu, Charles Edwards, Morgana Robinson , Codie-Lei Eastick, Orla O’Rourke, Eurydice El-Etr, Ana-Maria Maskell, Eugenia Caruso

Anyone who grew up in the eighties and nineties will undoubtedly still remember her: Anjelica Huston’s terrifying supreme witch in Nicolas Roeg’s film adaptation of ‘The Witches’ from 1990. Her genius, maniacal performance will have given many a child the necessary nightmares at the time. But the craftsmanship of the legendary puppeteer Jim Henson also contributed to the effectiveness of the film. While the film didn’t do too well at the box office, ‘The Witches’ did receive critical acclaim and the film’s cult status grew steadily throughout the 1990s and beyond. However, Roald Dahl, the quirky Anglo-Norwegian writer from whose brain the macabre witch tale once sprang, distanced himself from the film. The main reason was that Roeg and screenwriter Allan Scott had changed the ending. In an effort to make up for it, Roeg showed Dahl two endings—one that was true to the book, and one that deviated from it. It may be obvious what the writer’s preference was, but because Roeg ultimately chose the off-topic ending, an enraged Dahl demanded that his name be removed from the credits. He also threatened to launch a negative publicity campaign around the film, but declined thanks to Henson’s mediation.

Thirty years later, Roald Dahl’s ‘The Witches’ has been given a new look. The story, which dates from 1983, is still rock solid and Robert Zemeckis and Guillermo del Toro believe that a new generation demands a new film adaptation of ‘The Witches’. Unlike Roeg, they do remain faithful to Dahl’s book, but they have made adjustments in other areas. For example, the story is set in Alabama (and therefore not in Great Britain) of 1968 and the young protagonist (who remains unnamed and is played by the excellent newcomer Jahzir Bruno) and his grandmother (Octavia Spencer) of African-American descent. After both the boy’s parents die, Grandma, who used to hunt witches, takes him under her wing and teaches him that there are witches who try to lure children into turning them into animals. After the boy almost falls victim to such a witch, Grandma takes him to a hotel, where they hope it is safer. But there turns out to be a conference in progress of a large group of witches led by the chief witch (Anne Hathaway pulls out all the stops), who are plotting to turn all the children of the world into mice with the help of a magic potion. The boy happens to hear of their plans and enlists his grandmother, hoping to put a stop to it.

With Zemeckis and Del Toro at the helm (directors and producer/screenwriter respectively), expectations for ‘Roald Dahl’s The Witches’ are running high. After all, both have demonstrated in the past that they have the necessary creativity and innovation. And films like ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ (1988) and ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2006) are not only extremely imaginative, but also a bit creepy. Exactly the ingredients that a good Roald Dahl film adaptation should have. And that is exactly where it is a bit lacking with this new version. The production has been taken care of down to the last detail, with fine music and a beautiful production design, and the CGI of course offers endless possibilities compared to 1990. With Hathaway, Spencer and also Stanley Tucci on board, the film also has an experienced cast that has been has been widely proven. But the tension and threat that emanated from the earlier film is missing. Hathaways chief witch is stylish and has a number of striking assets. For example, her wound tears wide when she transforms and she has arms that are so stretchable that Elastigirl from ‘The Incredibles’ (2004) is jealous of them. But in witch form, she’s not necessarily frightening or memorable, rather mischievous – it’s purely the CGI that makes it even better. Her accent is also quite over the top; it’s English with such a bold Eastern European accent that it’s almost laughable. In any case, it’s not creepy.

This version of ‘The Witches’ is supported by a solid screenplay, a reliable cast and clever use of computer animation that culminates in the crazy scene where mice invade the hotel kitchen. ‘Roald Dahl’s The Witches’ is certainly entertaining, especially for those who have never seen Nicolas Roeg’s version and therefore cannot compare. If you still have childhood traumas from Anjelica Huston, you will miss the tension and threat that emanated from her in this new film adaptation. Zemeckis seems to have wanted to make it all too easy, especially towards the end. You expect more from someone with his reputation. One advantage: you can also watch this version of ‘The Witches’ with the little ones, without having to worry that your children will suffer the same trauma as you did in 1990…!