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‘The Witches’ Never Fully Captures the Magic or Danger of Roald Dahl

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The Witches

A new adaptation of The Witches is set to hit HBO Max in just a couple of days, but does it live up to the source material?

Roald Dahl’s unnerving kids-lit story about a coven of witches bent on turning the children of the world into mice has a brand new cast, a new setting, and a new time period, all of which could have made this thing one hell of a movie to watch. Sadly, despite some incredibly good moments it just never seems to come together.

The Witches Hotel

(L-r) JAHZIR BRUNO as Hero Boy and OCTAVIA SPENCER as Grandma in Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy adventure “THE WITCHES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

**There are some light spoilers beyond this point, but nothing that will be too shocking if you’ve read the book or seen the previous film adaptation.

This new film opens, not in Europe, but in 1967 Chicago–complete with narration by Chris Rock–as our young hero (Jahzir Bruno) survives the car accident that kills his parents. He’s collected by his Grandma (Octavia Spencer) who takes him back to her home in Alabama and desperately tries to help the young man heal from his heartbreak.

Soon enough the boy encounters a witch while they’re out shopping for groceries and Grandma, in a panic, decides to whisk them away to a fancy hotel to hide out from the fiendish character reasoning that witches “prey on the poor” so there’s no better place to hide than surrounding yourself with the finest, richest company.

Unfortunately for them, the hotel just happens to be the very same one where a witch’s convention, led by the Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway), has chosen as their gathering place.

So first, let me say that Octavia Spencer is a brilliant actress who deserves all of the accolades. From her first moment on screen, she is absolutely believable. She is heartbroken, herself, over the loss of her own child, but she is holding things together for her grandson. There is never a moment where we doubt that she will do anything to protect him. She is wise and empathetic and sometimes hilarious and it’s a joy to watch her work.

OCTAVIA SPENCER as Grandma in Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy adventure “THE WITCHES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

Likewise, Hathaway attacks her role with relish, pulling out all the stops. She doesn’t just want you to see her as the Grand High Witch, she wants you to believe it. She steals every scene then chews through the scenery, sometimes literally, and delivers her lines with all the subtlety of a rusty chainsaw.

Sadly, the rest of the casting was not so inspired. While Chris Rock was certainly a fun choice for narration, he just felt like he was playing an older Chris Rock rather than really immersing himself in the character he represented. Also, while Stanley Tucci certainly did a fine job as the hotel manager, he felt criminally underused in the film.

And then there’s Kristin Chenoweth cast in the film as a third child/mouse victim of the coven. As youthful as her voice and energy is, there is simply no way she sounded like a child who escaped from an orphanage less then five months prior only to find herself on the wrong end of a witch’s curse. Even granting her wiggle room for the “mice age faster than humans” angle, the voice was simply not right and pulled me completely out of the film multiple times.

The Witches Mice

(L-r) The three mice, Bruno, Daisy and Hero Boy in Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy adventure “THE WITCHES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

What became clear while watching The Witches was that Robert Zemeckis was not entirely sure what kind of film he wanted to make. Over and over again, he would walk right up to the edge of embracing some of the darker aspects of Dahl’s original work, then take a measured step backward. It was as if he was wondering exactly how scary he could get away with being and rather than taking a chance, he played it safe.

When he did decide to go for terror, it comes off as too cartoonish.

Take for example the scene where the witches reveal themselves in the conference room of the hotel. In the previous adaptation, this scene was heightened by a bone-chilling performance by Anjelica Huston and a sound design that made your skin crawl as the witches removed their wigs, scratching their heads, and embracing their wicked selves.

In Zemeckis’s version, it was all just a little too sterile. Oh there are aspects of the characters that are somewhat frightening. They borrowed their split-mouth design from Japanese horror that takes up far too much jagged space on the face and made some interesting choices with the witches’ hands and feet, but we’re left with an almost too-ethereal Grand High Witch floating over her cohorts and delivering a wicked aria in the elevated prose of Dick Dastardly.

She’s cruel, but she’s also just a little too fun to be taken seriously.

ANNE HATHAWAY as Grand High Witch in Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy adventure “THE WITCHES,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

One final note, I don’t understand moving the film’s location to 1967 Alabama and then basically ignoring the Civil Rights movement of the 60s. Grandma and grandson are met with hardly any resistance at all when they show up to the fancy hotel owned by white people and staffed almost entirely by people of color. Now, of course, not every film has to have a message, but this ultimately feels like another pulled punch in a film full of them.

Moreover there are moments where they actually seem to embrace certain stereotypes in a way that borders on alarming in 2020. For instance, at one point a maid in the hotel spies the three mice and understandably loses her cool at which point she picks up a broom and begins slamming it down on the floor trying to stun/kill them. For a moment, I could not help but feel that the optics of the scene was a throwback to some of the negative stereotypes we saw in old Tom & Jerry cartoons.

It is difficult to know their intentions with these scenes, but it is certainly something to think about.

Overall The Witches is not a terrible movie. It is, however, a tonally uneven movie that felt unsure of itself, and will no doubt elicit as many riotous shouts of gleeful joy from its audience as it will eyerolls and groans. It certainly did for me.

Check out the trailer below and look for it on HBO Max on October 23, 2020.

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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‘Strange Darling’ Featuring Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald Lands Nationwide Release [Watch Clip]

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Strange Darling Kyle Gallner

‘Strange Darling,’ a standout film featuring Kyle Gallner, who is nominated for an iHorror award for his performance in ‘The Passenger,’ and Willa Fitzgerald, has been acquired for a wide theatrical release in the United States by Magenta Light Studios, a new enterprise from veteran producer Bob Yari. This announcement, brought to us by Variety, follows the film’s successful premiere at Fantastic Fest in 2023, where it was universally praised for its creative storytelling and compelling performances, achieving a perfect score of 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes from 14 reviews.

Strange Darling – Movie Clip

Directed by JT Mollner, ‘Strange Darling‘ is a thrilling narrative of a spontaneous hookup that takes an unexpected and terrifying turn. The film is notable for its innovative narrative structure and the exceptional acting of its leads. Mollner, known for his 2016 Sundance entry “Outlaws and Angels,” has once again employed 35mm for this project, cementing his reputation as a filmmaker with a distinct visual and narrative style. He is currently involved in adapting Stephen King’s novel “The Long Walk” in collaboration with director Francis Lawrence.

Bob Yari expressed his enthusiasm for the film’s upcoming release, scheduled for August 23rd, highlighting the unique qualities that make ‘Strange Darling’ a significant addition to the horror genre. “We are thrilled to be bringing nationwide theatrical audiences this unique and exceptional film with terrific performances by Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner. This second feature from talented writer-director JT Mollner is destined to become a cult classic that defies conventional storytelling,” Yari told Variety.

Variety’s review of the film from Fantastic Fest lauds Mollner’s approach, saying, “Mollner shows himself to be more forward-thinking than most of his genre peers. He’s clearly a student of the game, one who studied his forebears’ lessons with adroitness to better prepare himself to put his own mark on them.” This praise underlines Mollner’s deliberate and thoughtful engagement with the genre, promising audiences a film that is both reflective and innovative.

Strange Darling

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