I wish to talk today of an appropriately Halloween movie, but one which is quite difficult to track down. In the UK this is a movie that is barely known. It has never had a UK DVD release, and has not been shown on British television in decades. In the US it is hidden away in the back-catalogues of Walt Disney. I had to watch it on a imported disc with a multi-region DVD player.
It is sometimes mentioned, along with The Watcher in the Woods (1980), as a movie from the time known as ‘Dark Disney’, when the corporation tried to move away from its family-friendly entertainments to something a little bit more… uncomfortable. (Although, as I will explain, it is this that may have contributed to the movie’s lack of success.)
Its relative failure may be that the movie took years to complete. It generally was regarded as a troubled production, eventually released to little acclaim and disappeared from cinema showings very quickly. It cost an estimated $19 million dollars to make, but made $8.4 million.
Back in the 1980’s, here in the UK, I came across it in imported issues of Starlog magazine, where interviews with cast and crew were given, but then it went ominously quiet.
The few stories that have appeared since then about the difficult production have not done the movie any favours. Problems with the director and overspending, especially on the ground-breaking special effects, were initial issues, but as the production continued there were continuous tweaks, fiddlings and rewrites. Georges Delerue’s soundtrack was removed* and re-scored by James Horner, and John Mortimer did an uncredited rewriting of Ray Bradbury’s screenplay, without Bradbury’s knowing. Undecided between a family-friendly story and a more faithful retelling of Bradbury’s novel, there were delays and more delays, so much so that there are signs that the younger members of the cast are visibly older in some scenes than in others – this does not sound good.
And yet, I think that this is the closest we are going to get to a good adaptation of a Ray Bradbury tale.
The story is appropriately Halloween-ic in style and tone. To quote from Wikipedia,
“In Greentown, Illinois, a small town enjoying the innocence of an upcoming autumn as the days grow shorter, two young boys—reserved Will Halloway and somewhat rebellious Jim Nightshade—leave from an after-school detention for “whispering in class” and hurry off for home. When the boys hear about a strange traveling carnival, Mr. Dark’s Pandemonium Carnival, from a lightning-rod salesman, they decide to see what it is all about, but Will is fearful, as most carnivals end their tours after Labor Day. When the ominous Mr. Dark, the Illustrated Man, rides into town on a dark midnight, setting up his massive carnival in a matter of seconds, the boys are both thrilled and terrified. It seems to be just another carnival at first, but it is not long before the forces of darkness begin to manifest from the haunting melodies of the carousel—which can change your age depending on which way you ride it—and from the glaring Mirror Maze. With his collection of freaks and oddities, Dark intends to take control of the town and seize more innocent souls to damn. It will take all the wit and hope of the two boys to save their families and friends, with aid from an unlikely ally, Will’s father, the town librarian, who understands more than anyone else that “something wicked this way comes.” “
The movie begins with an iconic image from the movie’s poster: a steam train, billowing dark smoke, speeds towards the viewer in darkness, the noise and smoke suggesting that something rather evil is heading our way. It is on its way to the small town of Greentown, Illinois, the brilliant setting of our tale. This sets the scene for a story that is steeped in autumnal foreboding. For those who know Bradbury’s lyrical prose, the nostalgic, somewhat romantic and elegiac tone that Ray often evokes is shown there in vision. The small town, semi-rural imagery of Greentown in the early 20th century America is visible almost from the start.
Of the script, things have aged less well, though I believe that there’s always a difficult balance to maintain between Bradbury’s poetic prose and narrative drive. It also shows that there was a difference in opinion here, in that the original version was darker and stuck to the prose of the novel, whilst the re-edited version was dark, admittedly, but more family-friendly. Difficulties in creating some of those text ideas on film may also have played a part. I understand that the start of the movie would have been a grand entrance by the train bringing Mr Dark and his travelling fair to Greentown was dropped after considerable time and expense, for example.
Of the wordage, it must be said that there are patches that are rather purple, and whether there were more or less of these in Bradbury’s original script makes interesting conjecture. Overall, though, in this final form they are not as jarring as I expected them to be. What it does is create a steadily-paced, rather florid movie rather than a screamingly boo-in-your-face style shocker.
The whole tone of the movie is dark and brooding and visually evokes Halloween in such a way that to my mind it rivals Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. Anyone who likes Stephen King, who cites Bradbury as a seminal influence, will recognise the style of the movie.
Of the actors, the youngest actors portraying Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, Vidal Peterson and Shawn Carson, have a lot to carry in this movie. Generally they do so, although it is clear that child acting has progressed in the last thirty years or so. More noticeable is Jason Robards, who, as Will’s librarian dad, does well to create a fatherly presence that exudes a world-weariness and melancholic manner. This may be seen as subtle by some, but for me at times was rather mumbly and a little underwhelming at times. Pam Grier as the Dust Witch feels a little under-used, but is appropriately enigmatic when she appears.
The revelation, for me, of the whole movie is the portrayal of Mr. Dark by Jonathan Pryce, a presence who dominates the screen whenever present. He is, by turns, charming and creepy, exuding a malevolence that is subtle and palpable. The scene where Mr Dark berates Jason Robards in the town library is thrillingly wonderful, and worth watching the whole movie for:
From this, you can tell that this is not typical Disney.
In summary, though it has faults, Something Wicked This Way Comes is an undeservedly forgotten gem that is visually impressive, poetic and lyrical. It is as close to encapsulating Bradbury’s work on screen as anything else I’ve seen. If you can get a copy, give it a watch. Like me, I suspect you will be most pleasantly surprised.
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
Film Produced by Walt Disney Productions
Directed by Jack Clayton
Written by Ray Bradbury and John Mortimer
Starring Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane Ladd, Pam Grier
95 minutes.
*Believed lost, this is now being released this month.
It’s been years since I’ve seen this, Mark, but your review rings true to my memory. While the production was troubled, Jonathan Price alone is worth watching and as I recall his career actually got a boost from this performance.
Just to note: This isn’t Jack Clayton’s only dark fantasy. He directed THE INNOCENTS, too, an adaptation of Henry James’ THE TURN OF THE SCREW. I’d say more about it, but I have yet to see it; it has a reputation, though, of being on a par with Robert Wise’s THE HAUNTING.
Randy M.