Roald Dahl's The Witches
2020 · Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Original language: English
- comedy
- fantasy
- family
- horror
The story
In late 1967, a young orphaned boy goes to live with his loving grandma in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. As the boy and his grandmother encounter some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, she wisely whisks him away to a seaside resort. Regrettably, they arrive at precisely the same time that the world's Grand High Witch has gathered.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated fantasy with a storybook gloss: glossy digital images, deep greens and candy pinks, and a fluid, swooping camera that dollies through grand hotel corridors and rural Southern rooms alike. The 1960s Alabama settings carry warm amber light and sun-faded porches, while the hotel interiors lean into gilded, slightly uncanny opulence, with heavy shadows at the edges. Sound is full and playful, a bustling orchestral score with eerie woodwind flourishes and whimsical sound design around the transformations. The vibe is wry, mischievous and cozy-creepy, the kind of thing to put on for a family evening or a Halloween-season watch. Pacing is brisk and episodic, with a slightly chaotic energy that tips into slapstick, and the emotional core follows a small, grieving boy and his fierce, tender grandmother bonding through danger. Intensity is moderate: frightening villains, a few sudden scares, a car crash, and creature transformations, but the violence is cartoonish and the tone never turns truly grim. It suits children and families, and adults who enjoy playful, gently macabre fairy tales with a sense of humor.
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