Movie Review: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Today I watched a 1983 Disney movie called, "Something Wicked This Way Comes". I had never seen or heard of it before, but the premise of a demonic carnival that grants people their deepest desires for a "price" sounded really interesting, and dark, especially for a Disney film. When I saw that it was rated PG and had two children that couldn't be older than nine for the lead roles, I was a little worried that this was going to be a kiddie movie. However, I came away from "Something Wicked..." feeling entertained, a little creeped out, and surprised by how much I liked it. This is a really cool movie for both children and adults, although younger children may get completely freaked out by several scary scenes... hell, I was freaked out. One scene in particular, where the two children are trapped in a bedroom that is filling up with tarantulas, got my heart pumping really fast. There is also a touch of gore here and there, but it really adds drama and fear to the scenes, and was all very well done.

One of the great things about this movie is that it was filled with interesting characters that you just don't see very much in other movies. Not only are they rare, but they are believable, and likeable: A stern and aging teacher that used to be the prettiest girl in town, a lonely barber that longs for a woman's touch, a man with missing limbs that used to be a football star, an over-the-hill father who feels he's too old and a disappointment to his very young son, just to name a few. And I thought Mr. Dark, the proprietor of the satanic carnival, was terrific. The scene where he and Mr. Halloway (the lead boy's aging father) had their conversation in the street, while Mr. Dark's clenched fists started dripping blood, was really well done and very intense.

The only characters that seriously lacked personality (and acting skills) were the two lead boys. Although it was stated that they were best friends, there was no visible relationship between the two. They couldn't act to save their lives, and they weren't even that cute. I mean, if you're going to hire bad child actors, at least make them cute bad child actors. They almost ruined the movie for me with their under-acting. Every time I thought something really chilling was happening, the boys' reactions were completely nonchalant. It's like they weren't even trying to act like they were afraid when something creepy was coming right towards them, and it was very distracting to watch. I also didn't understand their characters' motivation in making some of their decisions. It felt like every five minutes the boy, Jim, would do something really dumb, or very random, and the movie never made it clear why. The movie would've been better without the two of them. Different... but better.

Another of the movie's major problems is that, while we were given several entertaining characters, there was not enough focus on the townspeople's desires and what exactly the "price" was that they had to pay. We immediately see people getting what they always wanted, without seeing what deals were being made with the demons, or what exactly was happening to them. We only get a hint of evil doings with one of the women, who became young again, but also became blind, and then we are left to guess at what happened with everyone else. I admit it kept the setting very mysterious, but seeing what was going to happen to all the characters was the part of the story I was looking forward to the most, so it left me unsatisfied. Nothing was really explained, and much was left to the imagination; which was okay... but frustrating.

Overall, I recommend this movie, but only if you're older than ten. It was engaging and well done on many levels. And though I think there are more holes in the plot than there is in Swiss cheese, it didn't bother me; It is a Disney movie after all.