SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (1983) – Episode 297 – Decades of Horror 1980s

“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.” Wait a minute. Is that what it means when your thumbs are pricking? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they visit Dark’s Pandemonium Carnival in Green Town, Illinois, via Disney’s Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) from Ray Bradbury’s novel and screenplay.

Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 297 – Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

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ANNOUNCEMENT
Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL
Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era!
Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website.
Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.
https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

Synopsis: In a small American town, a diabolical circus and its demonic proprietor prey on the townsfolk. Dark’s Pandemonium Carnival arrives in Green Town.

• Director: Jack Clayton
• Writers: Ray Bradbury (screenplay by) (based on his 1962 novel)
• Producers: Kirk Douglas (executive producer) (uncredited); Peter Douglas (produced by); Dan Kolsrud (associate producer)
• Composer: James Horner
• Cinematographer: Stephen H. Burum (director of photography)
• Special Makeup Effects: Stan Winston (uncredited)
• Selected Cast:
  • Mary Grace Canfield as Miss Foley
  • Richard Davalos as Mr. Crosetti
  • Jake Dengel as Mr. Tetley
  • Jack Dodson as Dr. Douglas
  • Bruce M. Fischer as Mr. Cooger
  • Ellen Geer as Mrs. Halloway
  • Pam Grier as Dust Witch
  • Brendan Klinger as Cooger as a Child
  • James Stacy as Ed, The Bartender
  • Jason Robards as Charles Halloway 
  • Jonathan Pryce as Mr. Dark
  • Diane Ladd as Mrs. Nightshade
  • Royal Dano as Tom Fury
  • Vidal Peterson as Will Halloway
  • Shawn Carson as Jim Nightshade
  • Angelo Rossitto as Little Person #1
  • Peter Risch as Little Person #2 (as Peter D. Risch)
  • Tim T. Clark as Teenage Boy
  • Jill Carroll as Teenage Girl
  • Tony Christopher as Young Ed
  • Sharan Lea as Young Miss Foley
  • Scott De Roy as Cooger as a Young Man
  • Sharon Ashe as Townswoman
  • Arthur Hill as Narrator (voice)

The 80s Grue-Crew have wanted to cover this one for some time and were excited to discover it streaming. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) is a Disney film based on Ray Bradbury’s screen adaptation of his 1962 novel. It’s a shame that the filmmakers’ original vision will never be seen. At the last moment, the film was pulled from the schedule; a script rewrite was ordered behind Bradbury’s back; a new score was commissioned; new scenes were shot (the original director was not involved in their shooting); and a complete re-edit was conducted. The original film might have been a disaster or surprisingly good. No one will ever know. Considering the shameless “tinkering,” it’s surprising it’s as good as it is. The cast excels, and it still has that Bradbury feel of youthful years gone by. As Bradbury is quoted as saying, “… (it’s) not a great film, no, but a decently nice one.”

At the time of this writing, Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) is available to stream from Disney+. 

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Jeff, is Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), starring Michael Rooker. This will be a tough one.

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