Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
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Two boys born a minute apart on Halloween encounter an ominous carnival led by a mysterious man who seeks to steal their youth.
The story
In Green Town, Illinois, two young boys, Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, who were born a minute apart on Halloween, leave an after-school detention and head home. A lightning rod salesman arrives, selling Jim a rod to protect him from an upcoming storm. Soon, an ominous carnival led by the mysterious Mr. Dark arrives in town. The boys notice that residents are becoming entranced by the carnival's attractions, which seem to grant desires like regained youth or restored limbs. As the boys explore the carnival, they are confronted by Mr. Dark, who becomes suspicious of them and begins to exert his influence over the townspeople.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Green Town, Illinois, two boys born a minute apart on Halloween, Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, encounter a carnival led by the sinister Mr. Dark. The carnival offers supernatural favors, such as restoring limbs to a bartender or youth to a teacher, but at a dark cost. Mr. Dark uses a carousel to revert his assistant, Mr. Cooger, into a child. After the boys witness the torture of a salesman and the transformation of a teacher, they are hunted by Dark. Will's father, Charles, eventually discovers the danger and confronts Dark, who offers him his youth in exchange for the boys. Charles resists but is knocked out, and Dark kidnaps the boys. Charles rushes to the carnival as a storm breaks. Inside, Will declares his love for his father and repels the Dust Witch, allowing the salesman to escape and impale her. Will and Charles rescue Jim from the carousel just as lightning strikes the ride. Dark ages and decays into a skeleton before collapsing. The three boys and Charles flee the carnival as it is sucked into a giant tornado, returning home safely.
- First release year
- 1983
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jack Clayton
- Writers
- Ray Bradbury · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Jason Robards · Charles Halloway; Jonathan Pryce · Mr. Dark; Diane Ladd · Mrs. Nightshade; Pam Grier · the Dust Witch; Vidal Peterson · Will Halloway; Shawn Carson · Jim Nightshade; Arthur Hill · Adult Will (Narrator); Mary Grace Canfield · Miss Foley
- Genres
- dark fantasy; supernatural thriller
- Themes
- father-son relationships; vanity of illusions; good vs. evil
- Tone and mood
- dark; tense; wholesome
- Premise and plot tags
- supernatural; fantasy; horror; carnival; witchcraft
- Source material / true-story basis
- novel by Ray Bradbury
- Content notes
- horror
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with some critics praising its tension and atmosphere while others criticized its pacing, special effects, and the studio's heavy-handed re-editing. It holds a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 68 Metascore.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 63% · review count: 35; Metacritic · score: 68 · scale: 100 · review count: 13
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · Best Fantasy Film · 1984 · win; Saturn Award · Best Writing · 1984 · win; Saturn Award · Best Music · 1984 · nomination; Saturn Award · Best Supporting Actor · 1984 · nomination; Hugo Award · Best Dramatic Presentation · nomination; Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival · Grand Jury Prize · nomination
- Production trivia
- The title was taken from a line in Act IV of William Shakespeare's Macbeth.; The film was the last Disney film to be released by the studio under its original name.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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