The Witches

If Roald Dahl had been the author of the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel," he would probably have let Gretel be eaten by the malicious witch, whom Hansel would push into the oven after an exciting battle, but the witch would have managed to cast an unpleasant spell on Gretel before that. It's simply somewhat darker compared to more relaxed fairy tales, but at the same time, it is equipped with humor that is ironic and sarcastic, similar to German classics. It has more of a children's horror character, which is constantly comically trashed in the style of Sam Raimi. Thanks to the ironic exaggeration, the audience can also enjoy Rowan Atkinson in the ungrateful role of the hotel manager who is futilely fighting against the invasion of rodents at the moment when the witches at their congress decide to turn all the children into mice. The Witches is a made-for-television film, which is reflected in the visuals and special effects used, but the cast is charming and Dahl's literary style is evident. Overall impression: 60%. (15/06/2010)

So my childish self didn't dream of it then, this is indeed a horror movie in many scenes. Terrifying bleakness alternates from beginning to end with the conviction that everything will turn out well, and the mood is very similar to that of Karel Zeman's The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Now, together with scaring, The Witches also entertains, thanks to black humour, great make-up effects and puppets and of course the performances of Anjelica Huston and Rowan Atkinson. (22/11/2021)