"Something Wicked This Way Comes" is THE best title for anything!

I know I am late to the party, but the library scene in this movie is one of the most badass scenes in all of Disney.

who wouldn't want to be called "Jim Nightshade"

Okay, it's not perfect, but there is so much to love about this movie. Some delicious filmmaking in certain scenes, cinematography, lighting, performances and subtle details you'll only catch on repeat viewings. Unfortunately it's not without its flaws. Still, it's an underrated gem that deserved better. Yes it's paced slowly and more contemplative. But most movies were back then, especially compared to the fast edit, thrill a minute we've gotten used to in recent years.

This is the movie that made me LOVE Jonathan Pryce!!!

Fun Fact. The director of this film (Jack Clayton) directed a film called"The Innocents" which is one of the scariest horror films ever made. People defiantly need to give that film a watch. Its masterpiece.

This film adaption is one of the truest to it's source material I've ever seen...and I LOVE it for that. The dialogue is odd, original and interesting, the characters engaging and the performances top notch...plus, it's a great creepy Disney film.

never heard of it til 9th grade? i neve rheard of it in general

Disney has recently been toying with making better use of Mr. Dark, and his Pandæmonium Carnival, on Main Street, U.S.A. during Hallowe'en, at least in Hong Kong Disneyland.

One of my favorite books. The film was okay but since Disney wanted to make the film more kid friendly, they took a lot of it away. Jonathan Pryce is the reason to watch it. He did a fantastic job as Mr. Dark. I've loved this film since I first saw it at age 5.

I think a lot of the nostalgia for this comes from those kids who grew up in the 80's. This film was just so much darker and creepier than anything else that was shown in schools at the time, and English teachers LOVED showing it. Imagine being in class, lights out, and 30 kids all watching this on a tiny CRT tv (Seriously, what were those... 24 inch screens? At best?) and seeing this. I even think there was a 16mm condensed version that was like concentrated fear in a film can.

Oh come on man, I didn't see this until I was an adult with my own child and I thought it true Disney magic, so under rated. This and "The watcher in the woods" should be Halloween classics to watch with the family.

There's that scene where Mr Dark makes the tattoo on his forearm animate -- when I was a kid I thought that was the coolest thing ever!

this movie is a classic... loved it growing up

There are scenes, one with spiders - lots and lots of spiders, for example, that certainly would frighten young children. I saw this when it first ran (as an adult) and loved it. While it is available on DVD, you can't get it on any pay service (Netflix, KZfaq, Amazon Video, etc.) at present, which is a shame. It's very well done, and has some sensation actors, including Royal Dano, and Jason Robards, both in the twilight of their careers.

One of the best Disney movies ever. first saw it when i was 3 (1983)

That library scene with Will's dad and Mr. Dark is excellent.

This movie is great. Every October I watch it.

Something Wicked This Way Comes has some of the best prose of any book every written -- seriously it's THAT good -- so I can't imagine the movie could ever be BETTER than it. Still it seems worth checking out for lovers of the book. Oh, and if you're looking for scares? READ THE BOOK. The book is TERRIFYINGLY creepy IMHO and it's because of its prose, not because of the situations. So the movie couldn't top that either. Also, I have to say, if the movie wasn't able to make Will Halloway's father one of the most interesting characters of the story then that does take away some points in its favor. He isn't some bumbling adult in the book. He's very willing to believe in the nightmare once he gets just a bit of proof and he's cunning in many situations. He's basically Bradbury's self-insert -- an older man who has enough yearning for his childhood that he's able to interact in the "world of the child" or the "circus of the child" if we're going to be poetic and apropos. He isn't a useless adult -- in fact without him the boys would be doomed; he saves the day in the climax of the book -- and he's very, very smart. So I'd've liked to see that in the movie.

In the movie: literally shows a kid getting his head chopped off with a guillotine, and shows his bloody disembodied head in a close-up shot. Doug- I never really found this movie that scary.... Me: ARE YOU SERIOUS!?

Damn, Jonathan Pryce was handsome!

Still need to see this film

1:10 Hang on, a circus that comes out of nowhere? KIDS IT'S THE MIDNIGHT CIRCUS GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE BEFORE YOU GET ZONAPHA SYNDROME!!!

One of my favorite movies as a kid!

I read the book before I saw the movie so that might have shaped my experience but to me the real monster was the carnival the ringmaster was someone that was being taken advantage of by this evil carnival as much as he was using it for his own ends. I do agree that the movie wasn't scary but created an atmosphere that made you uneasy. Its been quite a few years since I read but that's what I remember.

I loved it and believe it or not it was used in my college level English class because of its heavy symbolism. My professor basically dissected it and I guess that’s why I have a deeper level of appreciation for movies like this.

"you've been nice to me Mr.needful, you respect me." "please, call me the devil."

I remember when it came out. The spider scene always creeped me out. I thought it built the tension just fine, and the ending delivered.

The book is very different, and honestly...much better. More because of how Charles Holloway is a badass old guy.

I watched this as a kid and didn't find it particularly scary, but it did make me look for more "creepy" than "scary" books. It led me to things like Poe and even Lovecraft afterwards. Because of that, this movie has always had a special place in my memories.

The message in this film is quite resounding of the events of the day. I saw it when it came out and it has been returning to my memory since the start of 2020.

The title was from "Macbeth"

Scared me so bad when I was a kid

This movie scared me so much when I was little!!!! It's not a kids movie lol

I loved this movie as a kid...I was only 4 or 5 when I first saw it. I think it caused my fear of spiders too!

I listened to the book on audiotape this Halloween season.

I didn't get to see the film until about ten years ago and I loved every second of it. I have watched it many times since. I had no nostalgia at all going in to it, and it was an excellent experience for me. I love watching it in the fall, the season the story takes place.

I watched this in class too. It was seventh grade for me.

Love this movie.......grew up watching it........🤙🤙

I thought it was like a kid's version of Phantasm

"Dr.Dark"(aka Johnathon Price) was the Inspiration for my first Villian NPC when i ran my first AD&D game.He even had an Apprentice named "Jack Knightshade"...

It was the first horror movie I was ever allowed to see. I found a dvd of it years later. I love the atmosphere and outright darkness. Good job.

I remember seeing this as a child and the guillotine scene scared the piss out of me, I couldn't finish the film.

What a great concise review. “Think are you afraid of the dark, only smarter and more elegant”. How very on the nose! Love this movie for the atmosphere and characters, but those are the real highlights. Seriously, this review is very very tight. Nicely done!

I love this movie. I watch it around Halloween every year. I never thought of it as a kids' film though. I've always thought it was something Disney was trying to aim for a more mature audience. I don't think my parents would have let me see this as a kid any way because it's so darn dark. It's even darker than Hunchback of Notre Dame which I did get to see in theaters when it came out and I was only 6 at the time. Hunchback didn't even scare me. (Well, okay. Frollo was creepy but he didn't scare me to pieces like Ursula did.) This movie probably would have scared me as a kid though, especially the part with the tarantulas since I had an awful case of arachnophobia back then. That scene would have scarred me for life.

Saw it in the theater when it came out! I didn't love it but over time loved it!! Thanks for posting! 🕷⚡

I've never heard of it, but I wanna watch it now, spooky movies during the holidays yaaaas!

funny how this according to fanboy from freakazoid broke the bank for disney in 83 and not tron

I've never heard of this film untill I clicked on this video

I'm waiting for a remake, but it might suck because it might focus on scares rather than atmosphere

This movie scared the snot out of me as a kid. I could not even get to the end.

i never heard of this film at all looks cool might have to see this

I love that movie. Haven't seen it since my folks rented it for us in 1989

Young Jonathan Pryce looks like James McAvoy.

I have a feeling that this was the atmosphere for Gravity Falls. Just thinking it.

Something Wicked This Way Comes. Coming to you. Becareful what you say.

I read the book last year. I was completely confused by it, but enjoyed it. Although I never imagined Mr. Dark as being quite so young...and shouldn't Will and Jim be a bit older, around 12 or 13?

It was originally based off a book of which was very interesting

I wanna see it now.

Never knew this existed. Bummed because it seems like something I would've been super into. Also reminds me of that song from Harry Potter 3.

This is like an American version of an Amicus film...with a higher budget. I did see it as a kid and yes if you first see it as a 9 year old it's lots scarier (especially Jonathan Pryce). I also like that it's set during my birthday month of October. Autumn is my favorite time of year and this film gets the atmosphere of that season just right. One criticism: not nearly enough of the delicious Pam Grier as the Dust Witch.

The first time I saw Big (with Tom Hanks) I imagined the Zoltar Speaks machine as coming from Cooger & Dark's Carnival.

I remember the film being cool and frightening ----but still a kid's tale. Maybe I need to see it again, but I think it's quirky fun that deserves to be watched.

What the hell was Disney going through at the time?

It would be nice to see the original cut of the movie, which was said to be creepier and had a more foreboding soundtrack (which is available btw). But of course, Disney is hiding it under the rug out of shame, pretending it never existed and lying about a remake. They only remake things that were fine the way they were, and make them worse.

I loved this when I first saw it as a teenager, and still enjoy it today. Both Johnathan Pryce and Jason Robards did a spectacular performance in my book. I don't like it as much as Watcher in the Woods, however.

Holy hell, there's a film? I loved the book so much. Where do you find this?

I got wolfpac in my head

I always had a hard time accepting it was at Disney film . I liked it ok .... But for its time it didn't feel like something Disney would make.!

I haven't watched the movie but I love the book Those Tarantulas man I can't find them creepy anymore

I never heard of it until now

I finally heard of it when I had to read the book

One of the darkest Disney movies ever made, and that’s saying a lot; the Teaser itself is like the original Alien trailer. Mr Dark pretty much the Coachman from Pinocchio, the Child Catcher, Pennywise the Dancing Clown, and Satan wrapped up into one character.

This seems like a Goosebumps book.

i agree.

I found this film as am adult and it haunts me. expecially Jonathan Pryce.

Huh. I actually saw this years ago and even thought about the climax recently (I think about random scenes from movies when I'm bored), but I had no idea what it was called.

It may have bombed at the box office, but it had HEAVY rotation on HBO in the early 80s. I loved it then.

My dad bought this for me to w as tech when I was 7 and I got so scared that they had to turn it off. Now it's one of my Halloween musts.

It's like Stephen King except the kid's not psychic.

I just showed this last night to a friend who'd never heard of it, and it rekindled some old feelings of how much I love this movie. I think it's downright beautifully crafted, with the beginning giving us a peek into the lives of the people in the town without beating us over the head or being too vague with the details. Some scenes are written so unbelievably well, like when Jim buys the lightning rod from the salesman. On the surface, it's such a cheerful mood, but there is so much sadness when you read between the lines; Jim pretty much has to take care of himself and his mother, ever since his father ran off, and the salesman, who makes a strong pitch with tall tales, sells a rod for an incredibly small amount of money, either because he realizes it's all Jim's got, or because he is so poor himself he'll take what he can get. While trying to be as objective as I can, I really do think this is one of the best spooky kids movies ever made, and I really wish someone would make movies with this level of craftsmanship again.

I loved this movie. it was so fucking awesome

I'm getting some vibes from Dr. Screw Eyes's carnival in the film We're Back! (which I enjoyed overall).

Creepy elegance is a perfect way to describe it. It's a beautifully crafted horror story, when horror was in the back of your mind, not splashed in fake blood across the screen.

I always loved this movie!

Wish I'd seen this; we read the book in school and it was one of the best we had as part of our English curriculum. To be fair we read some real crap too but this stood out for me, I loved it.

One of my favorite movies it's great and a great cast not just a kid movie 🎥

I still love this movie and I'm 30 :D Something Wicked This Way Comes and Hocus Pocus It wouldnt be Halloween without these 2 movies

This was the movie that broke the bank for disney back in 83, before the isner era.

God this movie scared the crap out of me when i was a kid.

I saw it in 6th grade and I thought it was creepy and somewhat terrifying. But I bet if I watched it now I would understand more and it would probably be a film I liked. I don't like the horror genre at all but the suspense and mystery surrounding the characters and the circus is more up my alley.

I found it a fascinating adaptation of Bradbury’s novel, and my young daughter (11 yrs) found it extremely creepy. Best, it teaches important life lessons while giving kids a low grade scary experience.

I have nostalgia for this movie

This movie is amazing! I will not rest until Something Wicked This Way Comes and Watcher in the Woods get put on Disney+! Fans should start a petition and organize a protest lead by Nostalgia Critic outside of Disney headquarters for this purpose and everyone should be holding up posers for the movies and chanting quotes from the movies and "What do we want!? To get Watcher and Wicked on Disney+! When do we want it? NOW!!!"

It's an 80's movie most of the movies back then are "Typical Run of the Mill" that's one thing that made them great.

After all these years I remember Jason Robarts saying "where do you come from the dust, where do you go to the grave".

Giant Spiders on your window...A Family Picture

Hopefully I am not the only one who never heard of this movie.

I saw this in the theater as a kid, and I recall that what scared me the most was having a feeling of hopelessness because the townspeople seemed defenseless to the manipulation of the carnival people. It was a similar feeling to watching Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I assume it was supposed to be a metaphor for fascism and the importance of maintaining one’s identity. I think one of the best parts of the movie is its design elements which really take you back to another time. Also, Jack Clayton, who directed the movie happened to also direct what I believe to be the greatest haunted house movie of all time, “The Innocents.”

His name is Mr. Dark, not Dr. Dark, genius!