El carnaval de las tinieblas

Ray Bradbury and the makers of this film ventured into foreign territory for the Disney Studios, they went to explore the dark side of humanity and came back with the honest truth that much of humanity is plagued and there are shiny bright spots within. This film explores the petty desires of everyday people, their eagerness to give what is really important in life up for things like vanity, lust, money, etc... The story centers around two small boys, Will and Jim, and how their lives change and the townfolk around them when a carnival comes to town. The atmosphere is chilling to say the least. It is easily the darkest of any Disney film(even considering the outstanding The Hunchback of Notre Dame). It uses dark landscapes, eerie haunting music, and bleak characterizations to perfection. The acting is good all around with two standouts. Jason Robards plays Will's father, and is the epitome of flawed goodness. He suffers for his goodness but has strength of heart. Robards is wonderful, and I felt myself wishing this man had been my father(or my father more like him). For an actor to be able to create that appeal is a true feat of integrity of performance. On the other side, in a simply sinister portrayal of evil incarnate is the performance of Jonathan Pryce, an overlooked and underappreciated English actor. His performance is scary, and he chews up every and each scene he is in. The script by Bradbury himself, based on his novel, is full of rich texture and subtlety. As with just about every film adaptation, the film is not the book...but then if you wanted that you only have to sit down and read...one page at a time.

A surprisingly dark and well made fantasy movie with a slight taste of horror. A nice production, a good cast and a fine story based on the same titled novel written by Ray Bradbury make Something Wicked This Way Comes an entertaining piece. For sure maestro Stephen King got some inspiration from that novel (first published 1962) for such works as It and Needful Things comes to mind. Last statement: today's Disney Inc, would never make such a movie again, and that's a very sad fact.

I enjoyed this movie as a child, it was very interesting and it was nice to watch a horror movie that was rated PG as it would actually come on in the day rather than having to try to stay up late to watch it. Granted, it is not a pure horror movie, it has some other genres mixed in as well, but at its core I say horror is its main ingredient. The movie also features good characters in the form of Mr. Dark and Jason Robards character. The kid who is featured is also quite good here. The story has a carnival coming to town, however this carnival contains a dark secret and it is not just the fact the owner of this particular carnival is named Dark. No it seems he likes to offer those that are a bit weak the thing they desire most and then twist it in a way that makes it not so good. However, that is the price you must pay when dealing with this gentleman. The story moves at a good clip and while it never really gets gory or anything the story more than makes up for this and provides plenty of entertainment.

In the collection of 80's sci-fi/fantasy films that garner much recognition, no one ever seems to mention "Something Wicked This Way Comes". But they should. The film is a very well done film, from a technical aspect, blending moody cinematography with good f/x (for 1983,anyways) to make some truly memorable moments. Clayton's directing focuses on grand imagery and atmosphere, and it creates a very fine tone for the film. Bradbury's writing adds a lot to the story, his expertly sculpted dialogue bringing life to some good characters. He, and the film, do struggle with the coming of age stuff between the two boys, as it is mostly run of the mill material, but still effective in places. The father-son talks are also not too amazing. But, the were some great moments, most notably the library scene with Mr. Dark and Mr. Halloway. Great writing and directing accented by Jonathan Pryce's pitch-perfect performance. A few of the "scary" scenes were rather hokey, but for the most part provided decent enough suspense. The cast was very good, the two young boys definitely worked well with each other. Jason Robards kind of walked through his role, but Robards can do that and still make it look good. And of course, as mentioned before, Jonathan Pryce is just uber-creepy as the bad guy, Mr. Dark. It's a shame Hollywood never really caught on to him.

All in all, the film provides some tense (for a kid's film) moments with a lot of visual flair, but also provides some more heavier (once again, for a kid's film) material about father & sons and what's it's like to grow up.

7/10

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There was a time in cinematic history where making a perceived "kids" film had one core question at heart. Do we want to entertain the kids or do we want to traumatize the kids? I kid you not, this era existed in the late 70s and the early to mid 80s. Filmmakers still made kid friendly films which we see today, but they also wanted to fill kids with a sense of existential dread. Ironically, the studio that started this was Disney.

Ray Bradbury was still something of a household name in the 70s and 80s, so having him adapt a screenplay of his own work was a no brainer. However, that popularity was largely on its last legs in 1983, but he at least made one last mark with Something Wicked This Way Comes. It's starts innocently enough, as the small sleepy town of Green Town, Illinois (a frequently used town in Bradbury's oeuvre) begins yet another day. However, that quiet is brought to an end when Mr. Dark's Pandemonium Carnival hits town. It looks fairly innocuous, but there is a dark and sinister force controlling and manipulating this carnival.

Jonathan Price is by no means scary or intimidating, and this is why his turn as Mr. Dark (or G. M. Dark for us Bradbury fans) is so damn chilling. His slight accent, his all knowing knowledge of people's hidden desires and the outright disregard for the very bargains he makes. His Faustian turn as the leader of The Autumn People makes him one of the most bone chilling antagonists of the 80s. I will gladly fight anyone for that statement. His first run-in with Charles Halloway is the stuff of nightmares.

And speaking of nightmares, this film intentionally played on the many assorted nightmares of children. While Return to Oz would be the primer for scaring and traumatizing kids, this one was pretty close. The worst aspect it did bring up was two fold...the death of a parent and disappointment in yourself and your children's eyes. I would venture to say this film would slightly agitate a decent swath of viewers.

In spite of all the implied danger and darkness, this film does have its weaknesses. The special effects just weren't good enough to match the event of the story at the time and the two boys were rather wooden in acting. But on the other hand, the rest of the movie is so beautiful to look at you just kinda wish Disney would finally remake this film (along with Condorman!). However, I don't know if they could replace Jonathan Price and Jason Robards. The scenes they had together are show stoppers, and the simple body effects and implied horror would be replaced with boring CGI.

I won't pretend this is an amazing movie. It has flaws for sure, but it kinda makes you long for more of this kind of output from Disney rather than the never ending stream of comic books and endless franchises.