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The Witches

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The Witches

PG

Released Feb 16, 1990

1h 31m

Kids & Family

Fantasy

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

49 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

While staying at a hotel in England with his grandmother, Helga (Mai Zetterling), young Luke (Jasen Fisher) inadvertently spies on a convention of witches. The Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston) reveals a plan to turn all children into mice through a magical formula. When they find that Luke has overheard, the witches test the formula on him. Now, with the help of Helga and the hotel manager, Mr. Stringer (Rowan Atkinson), Luke the mouse must fight back against the witches.

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Critics Consensus

With a deliciously wicked performance from Angelica Huston and imaginative puppetry by Jim Henson's creature shop, Nicolas Roeg's dark and witty movie captures the spirit of Roald Dahl's writing like few other adaptations.

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Michael Upchurch

Seattle Times

It's not a film for small children. But for precocious first-graders with a warped sense of humor and an appetite for chills, thrills and spills, nothing could be better.

Rated: 4/4

Nov 25, 2013

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Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

Real darkness seethes beneath the "Once upon a time" surface, mostly due to Henson's seemingly curious selection of the brilliant and audacious Roeg to direct.

Nov 25, 2013

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Ada Calhoun

Austin Chronicle

Based on a Roald Dahl book, Nicholas Roeg's The Witches is a film surprisingly faithful to the creepiness of the original.

Nov 25, 2013

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Chance Solem-Pfeifer

Willamette Week

The Witches (1990) is another level of beautifully demented cinema—pitched at children in theoretical genre terms but actually a fairy tale lensed so grotesquely that it would make Guillermo del Toro squirm.

Jan 22, 2025

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Farah Cheded

A Good Movie To Watch

Finds a clever balance between being nightmare-inducing and deliciously fun, a tonal blend that harks back to the twisted appeal of traditional fairy tales.

Oct 28, 2023

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Terry Francis

Southern Voice (Atlanta)

Anjelica Huston is an extravagantly gifted actress.

Rated: 3.5/4

May 9, 2023

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Shaun R

Some scenes and comments in this film would not make a kids movie nowadays. All the better for it. A great film and some iconic scenes that you don’t forget from your childhood.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/03/25

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Bobby B

This film is better than the 2020 version. I think the effects are good for the time and they stay relatively true to the book. Also anjelica huston taking her face off was the scariest thing i can remember from my childhood.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/25

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Brody H

Childhood movie. I loved watching this movie and will always love it, new adaption of the book was trash

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/29/24

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matthias s

*The Witches* deserves its reputation as a classic, but it's much scarier than I anticipated. While it’s labeled as family-friendly, the creepy makeup and eerie practical effects make it genuinely terrifying, especially for younger viewers—I’d have had nightmares if I'd seen this as a kid! The plot itself is decent, bringing to life a twisted, fairytale-like world with a good dose of dark humor. Anjelica Huston steals the show, effortlessly embodying the Grand High Witch with a sinister elegance that elevates the entire film. And, of course, Rowan Atkinson adds his own quirky charm to the mix, making even the quieter moments fun. While I appreciated its craftsmanship and dark edge, I can’t say it fully resonated with me. I imagine I'd enjoy it more with some nostalgia for the book or having grown up with it. Still, a solid 3-star viewing experience.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/26/24

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McKay S

I like the story and it's entertaining to watch. But the kids are such bad actors that it really detracts from the movie.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/07/24

Full Review

Lucas t

Why does it only have 70%, it should be in the late 80s, a lot more people like it than that.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/21/24

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Nicolas Roeg

Director

Anjelica Huston

Miss Eva Ernst

Mai Zetterling

Helga

Jasen Fisher

Luke

Rowan Atkinson

Mr. Stringer

Bill Paterson

Mr. Jenkins

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Synopsis

While staying at a hotel in England with his grandmother, Helga (Mai Zetterling), young Luke (Jasen Fisher) inadvertently spies on a convention of witches. The Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston) reveals a plan to turn all children into mice through a magical formula. When they find that Luke has overheard, the witches test the formula on him. Now, with the help of Helga and the hotel manager, Mr. Stringer (Rowan Atkinson), Luke the mouse must fight back against the witches.

Director: Nicolas Roeg
Producer: Mark Shivas
Screenwriter: Allan Scott, Roald Dahl
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Home Vídeo
Production Co: Jim Henson Productions, Lorimar Film Entertainment
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Fantasy, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 16, 1990, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.7M
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround

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