Something Wicked This Way Comes

The words "Disney" and "horror" wouldn't seem like they belong in the same sentence. Disney is the wholesome family studio, where a group of toys bring joy to a young child's heart, or a wooden puppet becomes a real boy through the power of love. Look again, though, and you'll see that Disney has always dabbled in horror. That story of toys and their adventures when their child owner is away is charming and sweet, until you think about Sid and the trauma of seeing his toys come to life and militarize against him. That story of a wooden puppet's quest to become flesh and blood stops being so beautiful when he gets to the island and watches his friend be stripped of his humanity and turned into a braying donkey. Mixing childlike whimsy and horror makes sense, because the moment of terror makes the beauty that much more cherished. But never had Disney gone ALL IN on horror like they did with Something Wicked This Way Comes, an adaptation of a Ray Bradbury story about a travelling carnival that hides terrible secrets by preying on those who have secret desires. It's a twist of sorts on the Faustian bargain story (and a predecessor to Stephen King's Needful Things, although that took the form of a black comedy), with the carnival giving its visitors their fondest wishes, for a price. In the hands of Disney, this sounds like not just an odd marriage, but a bad one. After all, it was in the 80's, during their darkest period, where nothing seemed to go right for them in theaters. And yet, there's an elegance to this movie that makes sense. The story of two boys discovering this carnival, then discovering its demonic proprietor, and trying to stay a step ahead of him, is done well by the House Of Mouse, because they manage to give it a touch of fantasy and whimsical nostalgia. Think the old Amazing Stories TV show, or Steven Spielberg's segment in The Twilight Zone movie. It very much feels like an Amblin Entertainment movie, with its period-piece setting of post-WW1, focus on children via an adult narrator, and sense of adventure gone wrong. It fits right alongside The Goonies, Time Bandits, and Explorers, as their dark, goth older sibling. The music is properly enchanting when it needs to be, and just sinister enough when the moment calls for it. For younger kids -- say 8 or so -- I can see this being the kind of scary movie to introduce them to the concept. I read that Christopher Lee and Peter O'Toole were considered for the lead, but I think Jonathan Pryce is a great choice. Lee would've been too over the top, and O'Toole likely too understated. Pryce plays it right down the middle; you know he's the antagonist, you know he's got secrets, but he seems so damned charming. Jason Robards does a nice job as the father of one of the two main boys, who has lived a life of regret. The boys are full of youthful energy that keeps the movie going. And while Pam Grier gets limited screen time as a witch of sorts, she's ethereal and creepy when you see her, so much so you won't even recognize her. Where this movie stumbles for me is the pacing and the ending. While kids may not notice it, I was a bit frustrated that we don't get to see much of Mr. Dark's handiwork and its consequences, or what he gets out of it. You see a few people get their heart's desire -- riches, youth, beauty -- but it is fleeting, like the movie doesn't want to dwell on it. The movie should, though, because that's how you build up the nature of the villain. Breezing by it (only the elderly teacher and her lost beauty is really touched on with any depth) doesn't give Mr. Dark and his carnival enough dimension. How does granting these wishes do anything for him? What is the tradeoff for the news-stand operator who wants to be rich? Or the handicapped former football player who not only gets his appendages back, but his youth? It's not consistent or clear. The ending, as well, is rushed and not entirely satisfactory; it makes sense (to a point) with things set up early, but it happens so quickly, it feels like they ran up against a time limit and had to just tie up loose ends. It's a Raiders Of The Lost Ark ending; the heroes do nothing, and everything happens around them. But I also admit I'm viewing this through adult eyes. Had I seen this at the age of 9, I would've likely been mesmerized, and it would carry massive nostalgic value for me to this day. Kids, likely, will watch and have no such nitpicks. And it still does a fine job building atmosphere without feeling like its sacrificing anything for its big mousey overlords. It's not a fantastic film, but it's a fine film, good enough to show young'ns of a certain age as a sort of intro-to-horror class. Or maybe to enjoy yourself in an 80's Spielbergian way.