Halloween Horrorfest: Something Wicked This Way Comes

Much like The Watcher in the Woods before it, Something Wicked This Way Comes is from a bygone era of when Disney was perfectly content to scare the bejeezus out of the little kiddies. With it's Autumn setting and general creepy mood of magic and mystery, it makes for perfect Halloween viewing for the whole family. 

The film centers on two boys, Will Holloway (played by Vidal Peterson) and Jim Nightshade (played by Shawn Carson) and Will's father Charles (played by Jason Robards) and tells an enchanting and dark tale of one October when a mysterious and menacing carnival came to town. The carnival, led by Mr. Dark (played by Jonathan Pryce),  appears like most any other carnival on the surface. But underneath, it aims to tempt it's attendees with granting their deepest wishes, but with a terrible price. 

When the two boys discover the dark secrets of the carnival, they become the target of Mr. Dark and his cronies to either silence or preferably tempt the boys. Mr. Dark also sets his sights on Charles, a man filled with regret and remorse, to try and tempt him to give into his deepest wishes. The three of them try to resist the promises of Mr. Dark and find away to stop Mr. Dark and his sinister carnival from preying on the townsfolk of their small Illinois town.

I've always really enjoyed this film, from it's romanticized Autumn Midwest setting of a bygone era (the year it's set is never explicitly said, but I'm guessing mid-late 1920's) to the fantastic performances, especially from Jason Robards and Jonathan Pryce. There is a scene between the two of them in the town library that is absolutely electric and easily the best scene in the movie. The film also manages to capture the mood and lyricism of Ray Bradbury's writing (he wrote both the screenplay and the original novel it was based on) quite well. To top it off there is also a unique and haunting score by James Horner.    

Overall, Something Wicked This Way Comes, is perfect Halloween viewing and is certainly one of the darkest Disney films they have made, while still being a Disney film. There are several creepy moments in the film, but that's what makes it perfect scary movie viewing for the whole family.