Review - Something Wicked This Way Comes

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By the pricking of my thumbs, Something Wicked This Way Comes . . .

It is like the ultimate validation of the intense energy I have always experienced when a storm is on the horizon. Mother Nature is amazing . . .

But onto the movie . . . I felt that the meat and potatoes of this film really stood the test of time, though the special effects certainly did not. This one definitely smacks of morals when you get right down to it. Several lessons to be learned here kiddies - not the least of which is to be careful what you wish for - especially when the wish is being granted by one Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce), proprietor of a seriously evil, ages-old, traveling carnival.

And isn't there always something a little sinister and mysterious about a traveling carnival? Who are these people that travel from town to town cajoling the locals to ride their rides, taste their foods and play their games. Certainly in the case of Mr. Dark and his Pandemonium carnival all was not as it seemed.

Two young boys, Will Halloway (Vidal Peterson) and Jim Nightshade (Shawn Carson) get themselves into a bit of hot water when they, along with Will's father, Charles (Jason Robards), discover what it is that this traveling carnival is really all about. They then have to battle Mr. Dark and the Dust Witch (Pam Grier) as well as some of their own personal demons in order to save themselves and the others in their sleepy little town from the dark side.

The film adaptation of the classic Ray Bradbury book, Something Wicked This Way Comes, will certainly entertain you. If you can get past the cheesy special effects and focus more on the crux of the story, it may even frighten you a bit. Either way, it is certainly worthy of your time to watch it and heed the warning to be careful what you wish because there are often consequences to being given something you desire . . . nothing is free in this world or in any other for that matter.

Something Wicked This Way Comes Movie Cast and Credits

Directed by
Jack Clayton

Writing credits
Ray Bradbury (novel and screenplay)

Cast (in credits order)
Jason Robards .... Charles Halloway
Jonathan Pryce .... Mr. Dark
Diane Ladd .... Mrs. Nightshade
Royal Dano .... Tom Fury
Vidal Peterson .... Will Halloway
Shawn Carson .... Jim Nightshade
Mary Grace Canfield .... Miss Foley
Richard Davalos .... Mr. Crosetti
Jake Dengel .... Mr. Tetley
Jack Dodson .... Dr. Douglas
Bruce M. Fischer .... Mr. Cooger
Ellen Geer .... Mrs. Halloway
Pam Grier .... Dust Witch
Brendan Klinger .... Cooger as a Child
James Stacy .... Ed, The Bartender
Angelo Rossitto .... Little Person #1
Peter Risch .... Little Person #2 (as Peter D. Risch)
Tim T. Clark .... Teenage Boy
Jill Carroll .... Teenage Girl
Tony Christopher .... Young Ed
Sharan Lea .... Young Miss Foley
Scott De Roy .... Cooger as a Young Man
Sharon Ashe .... Townswoman
Arthur Hill .... Narrator(off-screen)

rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Phil Fondacaro .... Demon Clown (uncredited)
Jerry Maren .... (uncredited)

More Reviews of Something Wicked This Way Comes

Review of Something Wicked This Way Comes from Ultimate Disney
Something Wicked This Way Comes Movie Review and Information Page at The Internet Movie Database

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Anonymous	Posted: 2006/4/16 22:52 Updated: 2006/4/16 22:52
	Re: Something Wicked This Way Comes Classic novel, weak film. The acting is poor, the pacing ponderous, and yes, the special effects are dated. But it is the acting that stands out as a downer. The only wonderful scene is the confrontation in the library, with Mr. Dark and the father. Pryce does a wonderful job, but seems a little too young for such a role. This is one novel that cries out for a real translation to the screen, as it is a powerful mix of fantasy and horror. JMC http://zomboscloset.blogspot.com

Anonymous	Posted: 2006/6/10 17:15 Updated: 2006/6/10 17:15
	Re: Something Wicked This Way Comes The movie is much better than the book. The book seems like an "amateur" version of the movie. No serious comparison between Clayton's elegant cinematographic style and Bradbury's pedestrian writing style. The book is full of inane sub-plots, cardboard, artificial characters and, in a ironic way (considering Disney) the novel accentues the crappy sentimentality. Horrible climax (ridiculous deaths of Mr. Dark and Dust Witch: the smile and the bullet etc). The movie is a lesson of intelligent contention. And more disturbing and creative solutions of the situations.