Something Wicked This Way Comes

Director: Jack Clayton
Actors: Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane Ladd, Royal Dano, Vidal Peterson
Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
Category: DVD

Buy Used: $15.96

New (8) Used (10) Collectible (2) from $15.96

Rating: 73 reviews
Sales Rank: 72771

Format: Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Letterboxed, Widescreen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 2
Picture Format: Array
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 95 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 0.6

UPC: 013131089196
EAN: 0013131089196
ASIN: B00000K3CC

Theatrical Release Date: April 29, 1983
Release Date: September 21, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Use in very Good Condition, Don't hesitate to contact us if you have any problems or concerns about your order, We will resolve it ASAP!!!

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Customer Reviews

   Read 68 more reviews...

great movie    December 14, 2008
Robert A. Baker
The order was sent on time and was in great shape.
Price was the lowest I found any wear.


Something Wicked this way comes    December 10, 2008
Lori A. Owens (Texas)
I saw this while shopping for a different DVD and thought I remembered it was good. Got it and its a timeless Bradbury Classic made into a all time classic movie. Jason Robards was excellent as were the other actors. Highly Recommend!!!! All around good for young or old!


Spooky    October 15, 2008
J. Shelton (delta)
An erie movie from the 80's. Look close at Mr. Dark. Does he look familiar? I'll leave that one up to you to find out who he is, and what other movie he has been in. A great halloween spooker of a movie!


Very good    August 29, 2008
Andrea J. Pigg (mulberry, ar)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

One of my daughter's fave from when she was younger. Great movie to add to your DVD collection.


Decent Adaptation of Ray Bradbury Novel; It Needs a Better Ending Though    August 16, 2008
Tsuyoshi
"Something Wicked This Way Comes" starts brilliantly with the arrival of "Mr. Dark's carnival" in a small, quiet town. They are no ordinary carnival, however, because mysterious Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce) seems to know the desires hidden in the hearts of townspeople. In fact, he knows how to make them come true. You get what you want, but it comes with a price to pay.

The film captures the darkly poetic touch of Ray Bradbury's 1962 novel with believable descriptions of the lives of main characters - two boys Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, Will's father Charles Halloway (Jason Robarts) - living in this peaceful town. Will and Jim are the first to notice something is not right, after witnessing the carousel going backward. The effects are decent (but not great, even by the standard of the 80s). The pace is good, the atmosphere is nice (Miss Foley's "nephew" is really creepy) and the acting is all fine, especially Jason Robarts and Jonathan Pryce. After all the director is Jack Clayton, who made a great psychological thriller "The Innocents."

However, after the library scene the film suddenly becomes confusing, as if someone had decided to hurry the story and skip the key chapters of the original book. The pace suddenly becomes rushed; some parts of the film remain unexplained; Charles Halloway forget his broken wrist; Will suddenly wakes up; Dust Witch (played by Pam Grier, too brief time), very interesting role in the book, suddenly disappear.

I know changes care inevitable, but some things should not be removed from the original. "Macbeth" is not "Macbeth" without three witches. In film version of "Something Wicked This Way Comes" almost everything about the Witch (including the riveting bullet catching scene of the book) is gone. As a result the undercurrent nature of the evil that was suggested in the book's final chapters (the Mirror Maze, etc.) becomes pointless. I'm afraid what happens in the film's concluding chapters only puzzles the viewers who haven't read the book. The film somehow manages to wrap up the story neatly with lots of special effects, but the logics and philosophy that are suggested in the film's earlier chapters are totally missing.

Ray Bradbury adapted his own book for the film and he is no stranger to the task of cutting and changing the source material. But I believe this was not what he and Jack Clayton really intended. The film is good, but is deeply flawed, telling us that here is a book that is waiting to be turned into film again.