There is no shortage of frightening children’s films, but a 35-year-old classic is so scary that it gives most horror movies a run for their money. Crafting a great story that’s appropriate for youngsters is no easy task, and it’s especially difficult to make movies that appeal to slightly older children who are ready to graduate to something more adventurous.

Some films must walk a fine line between being too juvenile and too adult, and many end up falling to one side or the other. Classics like The Goonies combine high-stakes action with a family-friendly approach, and feature just the right number of chills to have its audience scared but not too scared.

The ’80s and ’90s were a boom period for children’s films that were actually terrifying, and many of them seemed to revel in pushing the envelope. Many a sleepless night was had after watching such films, though they haven’t all stood the test of time. A nearly 40-year-old film is still divisive today, largely because it is unabashedly nightmarish.

Despite Being A Kids’ Movie, The Witches Was Absolutely Terrifying

Children’s author Roald Dahl outdid himself when he penned The Witches in 1983, though it took the better part of a decade for its film adaptation to hit the big screen. The Anjelica Huston vehicle was intended to be a children’s film, but its execution leaned heavily into the horror concepts at the heart of the story.

The Witches borrows from fairy tales, but the movie isn’t particularly playful. The concept of child-hating witches is scary enough as it is, but their physical appearance is like something ripped straight from a monster movie. Huston’s Grand High Witch alone is enough to inspire nightmares, but her plan to turn kids into mice is just icing on the cake.

The treehouse scene is particularly horrifying, as a witch tries to lure young Luke with a snake and a bar of chocolate. It conjures images of real-life dangers that children face, and is not nearly as whimsical as the filmmakers might have hoped it would be. Each concept could have been more lighthearted, but its execution is universally dark.

The transformation sequences, in which people are turned into mice, feature grotesque makeup effects, and it’s clear that the process of change is violent and painful. Speaking of violence, there is quite a bit of shocking gore, something not usually included in any children’s movie. One or two scenes of terror are excusable, but The Witches is non-stop nightmare fuel.

How 1990’s The Witches Holds Up 35 Years Later

The Witches was not a big hit when it premiered, though critical reactions were generally positive at the time. However, it soon found a cult following and has maintained a steady fanbase for the last 35 years. There are certainly highlights of the movie that are worth remembering, but it is far from a perfect film.

Anjelica Huston’s performance is excellent, and the effects are top-notch. Sadly, the movie feels rudderless, and doesn’t move at the pace its story demands. The exposition dump at the beginning of the film goes on for way too long, and the 90-minute movie then must rush through all the most interesting bits to get to its ascribed running time.

The changes from the novel are also perplexing, and for a film so dark, it has a cop-out ending. Having the boy change back undermines the central theme, and the ending itself is awkward. It lacks a jaunty playfulness that makes children’s films so enjoyable to watch, so it’s a mixture of incredibly dark subject matter and adult-oriented execution.

Nevertheless, it has appeal because of just how far it’s willing to go. No other children’s film has ever been so completely frightening, and it’s a relic of the early 1990s. Most movies aimed at youngsters today are watered-down, but The Witches is the opposite. It holds a certain nostalgic value, but it has aged quite poorly.

How 1990’s The Witches Adaptation Compares To Anne Hathaway’s Modern Version

If ever a movie needed a remake, The Witches was perhaps one of the prime candidates. The 2020 Robert Zemeckis version stuck closer to the novel in some ways, and toned down many of the most chilling aspects of the 1990 film. Anne Hathaway plays the Grand High Witch, and her character design reflects Dahl’s original vision.

The plot has a lot more narrative thrust, and the remake moves along at a nice clip. The new cast is quite strong, and some of the subtle modernizing changes help make it accessible to a contemporary audience. The lack of practical effects is disappointing, but the use of CGI opens the door for a more book-accurate approach.

Unfortunately, the remake is mostly bland and overproduced, and the ultra-modern slickness of the filmmaking is detrimental to the overall experience. It lacks character, and feels like a cynical glossy production with no humanity. The decision to put more focus on the Grand High Witch is also a mistake, since it demystifies her too much.

No remake would ever be able to top the nostalgic popularity of the 1990 version of The Witches, but the 2020 version didn’t try hard enough to improve upon its predecessor. As such, the original will always be better because it at least tried to do something interesting and new, even if it resulted in the most terrifying children’s film of all time.