Nicolas Roeg’s 1990 dark fantasy film The Witches remains the most terrifying children’s horror movie even 30 years after its release. It is adapted from Roald Dahl’s equally horrific 1983 novel of the same name. As the remake is set to release in 2021, now is the opportune time to reflect on the monumental impact The Witches had on children’s horror movies in the early 1990s and 2000s.
Roald Dahl is known for his ability to create dark and fantastical environments for children to navigate. Many of his works have been adapted to screen such as James And The Giant Peach (1996), Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005), and Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009). Nearly every novel and film take from Dahl’s works feature a child placed in danger in an array of bizarre ways. In particular, The Witches finds the young protagonist Luke Eveshim (Jasen Fisher) the victim of the Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston) who changes him into a mouse. Ultimately, he prevails with the help of his grandmother and fellow child turned mouse Bruno Jenkins (Charlie Potter).
The Roeg film is a near exact adaptation of the original source with England as its setting and an undercover, English witch coven that goes by the name “Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children”. Its biggest difference is the ending, which is joyous in comparison to Dahl’s abysmal one. Regardless, The Witches has the highest ratings in comparison to other children’s horror films and deserves the title of the scariest one of all time.
While The Witches could be considered outdated in comparison to contemporary children’s horror films such as Coraline (2009) and Monster House (2006), its horrors are timeless. It constructs an environment where a child is put in a situation where they have already suffered the loss of their parents and then places them directly in front of the most power witch in the world. Luke is tormented throughout the film’s entirety. Other films that released around the same time as The Witches such as Hocus Pocus (1993) and Monster Squad (1987) do not carry the same unsettling nature that Roeg’s film does.
The Witches does not hold back, it consistently displays the coven’s deep hatred of children and their plan to turn every child in the world into a mouse. In comparison to Hocus Pocus, it showcases a nearly successful attempt to rid the planet of children whereas the Disney original focus solely on everlasting youth. The deeply disturbing nature of the Grand High Witch’s cruelty provokes viewers to consider the malice of strangers and even neighbors. Furthermore, they do not go into a form of hibernation after a period of time. These specific witches are always present and hidden in plain sight.
The Witches is the scariest children’s horror movie due to its ability to capture the constant presence of danger, a child in perpetual torment, and the inescapable fear that accompanies knowing there are other witches across the world plotting to do the same. The 2021 remake is completely altering the original setting by taking its young protagonist to 1960s Alabama during the Jim Crow Era. As a young Black boy, he will face new horrors at the hands of the Grand High Witch portrayed by Anne Hathaway. Conclusively, The Witches continues to reign supreme as the scariest children’s horror movie of all time and the 2021 remake may further solidify that the story in general is worthy of the title.
