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Why 1990’s ‘The Witches’ is the Scariest Children’s Horror Film Ever Made

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Roald Dahl is undoubtedly one of the most influential children’s book authors in history. Dahl, known for his quirky characters and colorful writing style, is responsible for classics like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach. However, Dahl also wrote stories that were dark and sinister – ones that ultimately reflected aspects of the real world that are not typically explored in children’s literature.  

Originally published in 1983, The Witches tells the story of a boy and his grandmother, who discover a plot by the Grand High Witch to destroy all the children in England. The book was inspired by Dahl’s childhood fascination with witches and magic and the grandmother in the book was partially inspired by his own mother. The book is still widely considered to be one of the scariest children’s books ever written, now more than 32 years after its initial publication.

The feature adaptation of the book was optioned by Lorimar Productions and the film was completed in 1989. Warner Brothers eventually bought the rights to the film after Lorimar Productions went bankrupt. It released in the United States on August 24, 1990 and received positive feedback from both critics and fans but performed poorly at the box office, generating a total of only $10,360,553. The film has since garnered cult status on VHS and DVD and has a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film also has the distinction of being the final one that world-renowned puppeteer Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets, worked on before his death and also the final film that was completed while Roald Dahl was alive. Both men died in 1990.

The Witches, directed by Nicolas Roeg, an English-born director known primarily for adult-themed films such as The Man Who Fell to Earth and Don’t Look Now, translates Dahl’s book closely while exploring themes of child abduction and death through the eyes of “the boy”, who is given the name of Luke in the film.

The movie opens with Luke’s grandmother (Mai Zetterling) telling him all about witches: They dress in ordinary clothes, have ordinary jobs and live all over the world, led by the Grand High Witch. She details how they plot to kill children and how she herself was once a victim of a witch’s plot, displaying a stump where her pinky finger once was. She continues to describe witches as naturally bald (they wear wigs to look normal), with no toes, and having a purple tinge to their eyes. She also tells the story of her childhood friend Erika, who was abducted by a witch on her way to the market, and trapped within a painting until one day disappearing all together.

The visuals of seeing glimpses of what a witch looks like (which is fully explored later in the film) and the eeriness of seeing Erika trapped in the painting only hint at the true horror of this scenario. It is the idea of being abducted by a complete stranger that Roeg truly coveys with this opening scene. Child abductions have become common in society today and the thought of being taken and never seen again is all too real. Witches may use magic, but the real-life comparison is much worse to contemplate.

Roeg continues to explore the theme of death early on in the film, as we discover that Luke’s parents are killed in a car accident. The tragedy serves the purpose of reminding us that children are not immune to the tragic and somber aspects of life.

To cope with the death of his parents and a recent health issue with his grandmother, Luke and his grandmother take a holiday at a hotel, where all the witches in England are meeting to discuss their sinister plots – this is foreshadowed by an encounter Luke has with a witch who tries to abduct him by enticing him with chocolate and a snake… an unsettling scene to say the least.

It is the witches meeting scene that perhaps gives us the most terrifying visual aspect of the film: We see the Grand High Witch (played perfectly by Angelica Huston) and the rest of the witches in England transform into their true selves, removing their shoes to reveal stumpy toes, scratching their wigs off to reveal scaly, rash-riddled bald heads and removing their gloves to reveal claw-like fingers. The Grand High Witch herself has to go as far as to remove her entire face to reveal the most hideous and disturbing sight this side of Freddy Krueger. Luke is witness to this entire reveal behind a panel to the side of the main platform.

Throughout the meeting, we see the witches picking at their heads, cackling and showing off their yellow rotting teeth and purple eyes as the Grand High Witch scolds her minions and even goes so far as to kill one of them by burning her to death with magic beams from her eyes, simply for disagreeing with her. The witches are cruel to each other and almost salivate at the idea of seeing harm come to any of them. They hang on every word as the Grand High Witch describes how to kill children and are delighted when they discover they will soon witness a child transform into a mouse.

There is also a scene that shows the Grand High Witch trying to blatantly kill a baby with no regard and several scenes involving children and the witches themselves transforming into mice that are visually impressive, yet horrifying and painful to watch at times – although Roeg does inject some humor into these transformations.

Jim Henson and company did a spectacular job of creating a Grand High Witch that is beyond terrifying and still gives me nightmares to this day. This, coupled with Huston’s sinister performance, give a lasting impression of a movie villain that transcends time. The score composed by Stanley Myers also gives the film a creepy vibe throughout.

Nicolas Roeg directed an adaptation that incorporated many aspects of the book (most notably absent was the book’s original ending) and injected it with a visual style that continues to terrify audiences. However, it is the real-life implications of what is possible without the element of magic that is truly terrifying.

The fact that a film that garnered a PG rating could tackle adult themes this well is a testament to its legacy.

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

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Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

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Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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