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 enlarge | Director: Nicolas Roeg
Actors: Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher, Jane Horrocks, Anne Lambton
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
Buy New: $4.00
You Save: $5.98 (60%)
New (25) Used (10) from $4.00
Rating:  88 reviews
Sales Rank: 1163
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 92
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Pan & Scan
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.6 x 0.6
ISBN: 0790740885
UPC: 012569067127
EAN: 9780790740881
ASIN: 0790740885
Theatrical Release Date: August 24, 1990
Release Date: June 22, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
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| Customer Reviews:
 A perfect family movie, but a shoddy disc. February 2, 2006
42 out of 43 found this review helpful
Roald Dahl man...he's the guy to turn to when you're looking for a good book for kids. 5th grade was the year I was introduced to his stories, and I'd be lying if I said he wasn't a big influence on my style over my school years. Unfortunately, any movie based off of his work doesn't fare as well. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (which should've just been called Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory) was despised by Dahl, and I'm sure the recent remake wouldn't have done any better if he were alive to watch it. James and the Giant Peach was good for what it was- a puppet movie, but it was too sugar coated. Matilda had potential, but had a weird tone to it. The Witches, however, is a different story. It was one of my favorite books of his, and the movie version translates the story perfectly. While I don't know if Dahl watched it or not, I don't think he would've had much bad to say. It's a great movie for any child 10 or older, and doesn't rely on special effects or songs to keep your interest. The only bad thing is, the dvd is just pitiful. A movie this good deserves much better. It has terrible audio, poor picture quality, no special features, and is stuck in full screen. The people who put out this disc deserve to be turned into mice.
The Witches starts out simple enough. A child, Luke, is being told a story about witches by his grandmother. The witches she tells him about are very distinct in the way they act- they pinch their noses when children walk by, have purple eyes, no toes, massive hands, are bald and have to wear wigs, and kill children. She then tells him a story about a little girl that was taken by a witch during a trip to the store to get milk for her dad. After she was kidnapped, she appeared in a painting that her father had, and would age each year until one day, she vanished from the painting for good. Luke's parents bid him goodnight as they go off for a night of dancing or something, but the next morning, his grandmother gets some bad news. Luke's parents died that night. Luke and his grandmother, in order to up their spirits, head for the beach and stay in a nice hotel. But it's here, that everything takes a turn for the worse. Luke sees strange women, one of which he notices has purple eyes. He stays away for a while, and does a good job. But eventually, he's caught. When he heads to an empty meeting room to teach his pet mice tricks, the room floods with the strange women. Their leader, the grand high witch, is there as well, and holds the meeting. She tells them all of a new plan to wipe out all of the children in England- using a special formula she's created. It turns children into mice. How will it be used in order to work? By giving all of the witches money to open/buy candy shops in the country, and put the formula in the candy. 'pretty sinister, eh? They get to see the formula in action firsthand, when Bruno, a tubby boy, enters the room, demanding the chocolate the grand high witch promised him. At the right time she said it'd work, he transforms before their eyes. Sure enough, it worked, and he's now a mouse. Luke is caught as well, and suffers the same fate. It's now up to them to not only revert back to their original forms, but to stop the grand high witch's plan, as they only have that evening to take care of it before she sends off the other witches with the formula and their money.
While it does drag on in a few small spots, The Witches gets the job done of translating a perfect kids book to the big screen. It doesn't have a very big cast outside of the grandmother, Luke, Bruno, the grand high witch, and Rowan Atkinson as the hotel manager, but it's enough to keep you interested. All of the actors do a superb job. Angelica Houston has been praised enough, but no one mentions how great of a job Mai Zetterling does as Luke's grandmother. She never comes off as too forced or goody-good. She's just perfect. Luke's just as good- he's the model all child actors should set the standard for. Had this movie been made now, each character would have their own back story that we'd have to hear before they did anything particularly interesting, and there no doubt would've been a few musical sequences. The movie isn't loaded with special effects either, much less, impressive ones. When the grand high witch eradicates someone who questions her, it looks like purple MS Paint lines are coming out of her eyes, and I couldn't help but laugh. And when people turn into mice, the green smoke that comes from their mouths and ears looks weird. But the make up during the transformation(s) is good. It doesn't look too fake. And the animatronic technology back then? Not good, but damn good enough to look convincing. Mouse-Luke and mouse-Bruno are adorable no matter what they do. The younger kids will be sure to get a kick out of them. I guess I should mention how violent the movie is, as well though, because I know some uppity parents will freak out over some scenes. Mouse-Luke gets a tiny piece of his tail cut off, and there's blood. When a certain person is transformed into a mouse later on, and is stepped on, it explodes in a rain of green goo. Other than those two things, and maybe the transformation process, there isn't much that's going to creep kids out. Well, unless they're sissies and get scared by old bald women with scabs and huge Pumpkinhead-esque hands. If you must, read the book prior to having them watch the movie so you know what you're getting into.
Here's where the fun stops. The picture quality made me cringe. Presented in its original full screen version, The Witches is plagued with grain, artifacting and compression issues, not to mention some blocking here and there. Even during the opening credits, where names are just on a black background, you can see grain. Later on in the movie, there are even lines that appear over the picture, making it look like it was made in the 60s. I watched this on my high definition monitor, and couldn't believe it. The audio's worse- I had to turn up the sound on my computer all the way in order to even make out some of what they say in the first half hour. When the characters enter the hotel, everything gets louder, but I still had to move closer to the screen in order to get anything. The audio is almost entirely center-focused.
There are no special features at all. Languages and scene selection are the only options other than Play Movie on the main menu. It makes me sad to see a movie that was released early in the dvd's life get such poor treatment when others that came out in the same time got tons of special features. This disc is begging for a rerelease with interviews, something about Roald Dahl, maybe a commentary, bloopers, a proper transfer and audio job, and more. ANYTHING would be better.
I definitely recommend The Witches over just about anything else that's released for kids these days. With poor attempts like 5 Children and It, Valiant, Garfield and anything dealing with orphaned kids being taken care of Special Ops members, we need to give our kids -something- good to watch. And in times like these, our only choice is to go back to the past and show them what real family movies were like. Especially The Witches. It doesn't feel too dated aside from that one poor special effect.
Hey Anjel your soooo EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! February 1, 2006
10 out of 14 found this review helpful
i am twelve years old and a Anjelica Huston fan.she is like the bomb.i don't why,but everybody always spells her name wrong.it's either Angelica Huston or Anjelica Houston,or even Angelica Houston.i hate that,but anyways the movie thing.
i like her playing sinister parts and this one is quite good.actully very good indeed.
in the beginning it's starts with this boy named Luke and his Grandma.later his parents die,but has his loveable Grandma is ther for him.
later she takes him to england and go stay at a fancy english hotel.when they don't even know it The Grand High Witch is staying at the hotel as well.
Luke's Grandma always tells him about witches and what they do and are like.Luke discovers that all of the witches are having a so called "convention".he stumbles in and finds the witches and--The Grand High Witch is played the marvelous Anjelica Huston and she was the most scariest witch i've ever seen out of other witch movies i've seen.like Hocus Pocus with Bette Midler.know one could have done that role and same with this one.
The Grand High Witch's plan is too turn all of the kids in the world into little mice,but she calls them rats.she absoulty hates children.they disgust her soooooooo much that she practiclly pukes.and if you think i'm kiding,i'm not.TRUST ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!this movie is--well--not suitable for kids under the age of 8 years old.
it gave my mom nightmares and she's 41.she thinks Anjelica is quite revolting,but only when--.
you have to see the movie,but make sure that the kids aren't so afraid of witches and things,because if they are don't let them watch it.but other than that it's very good.my brothers watched it,and even though they hate Anjelica they said it was good.i have three brothers and two have autisum.
if your a kid and don't know what this is just ask someone,because i can't explain much.i have seen this movie about like 30 times.
you should see it dudes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
if you like Anjelica in this you should watch......
1.The Addams Family
2.Addams Family Values
3.Ever After
4.Buffalo Girls
5.Prizzi's Honor
6.The Mists of Avalon
7.The Grifters(i haven't see it,but heard it's really good)
8.Agnes Browne
9.The Golden Bowl
10.The Comic Book kids(haven't seen it but she looks interesting)
11.Family Pictures
12.A Rose For Emily(short film,about 33 minutes long)
she has made lots more,but these are the ones i have i think?!
i'm from Katy, Texas
my e-mail is marlena.grooms@sbcglobal.net.
if you are a Anjelica Huston fan me and my friend can send you some pix and things.
thanx 4 reading guys!!!!!!!!!hope you vote yes for mine!!!!!!!
GREAT January 15, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The movie was great with Anjelica Houston playing the lead Grand Witch. For those that do not know, the movie is based on Roald Dahl's famous children's book "The Witches". I have read the book and I even re-read it recently and even as an adult it is still captivating. I recommend the movie for the non-readers!
 magical and fun family movie November 22, 2005
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
the witches is a great family movie that will delight anyone who enjoys the twisted dark humor of storytellers jim henson and roald dahl.The witches is about a 9 year old boy and his grandmother that come across a group of witches that are trying to destory the children of england.this movie is highly entertaining and I reccomend this to anyone and believe me it is worth the money!
Classic Dahl, classic Roeg, classic Anjelica... November 11, 2005
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a brilliant adaptation of classic Dark Dahl by the genius who gave us David Bowie's The Man Who Fell To Earth.
The cast, which includes Rowan Atkinson as the hotel manager and Jane Horrocks as the Grand High Witch's assistant, is exceptional, but Anjelica totally steals the show with the camped-up Goth Goddess performance that she later adapted for her stunning Morticia role in The Addams Family.
Whereas Morticia has a warm personality, in The Witches, Anjelica is an ice queen, and probably quite scary to younger children. A stunning performance from one of the most talented actresses and one of the most physically perfect women on the planet.
I just wish there had been some extra features, such as behind the scenes interviews. Still, it's an essential purchase.
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