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Summary: "The Movie"
Review:
"By The Pricking Of My Thumb, Something Wicked This Way Comes", Ray Bradbury.
From a small town somewhere in Greentown, Illinois, the stage name given for Ray Bradbury's own home town of Waukegan, Illinois comes a dark fantasy filled with evil characters who are out to take your soul in exchange for satisfying your deepest yearning.
This tale, at times lyrical, and the autumn scenes in October are almost symbolic of the end of life when you might regret unfulfilled dreams.
On a dark stormy night, this carnival of pure evil comes into town and presents temptations for the people of Greentown, Illinois. James Nightshade and William Halloway are two curious little boys who feel compelled to climb out of their bedroom windows to go see Dark's Pandemonium Carnival being set up.
In this story the question is asked, if you had the choice to have anything you wanted in life, would you give up your soul to achieve your ultimate dream? Would you choose to be younger, richer or even wish to change the Past? ....................................................... All of the Greentown's folks deepest and most secret desires are met by the devilish inhabitants of the traveling fair and with dire consequences.
" A master................Bradbury has a style all his own, much imitated but never matched," Portland Oregonian.
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Summary: Something Wicked this Way Comes
Review: Something Wicked This Way Comes is a must have VHS becase it is one of Ray Bradbury's best stories.This movie will have you wondering how it all happened. It's filled with action and it will frighten you. It also contains a few humurus scenes.
This story is about two young boys that discover that there is something wicked about a carnival that come to town. The two boys are named Will and Jim. There is one ride in particular that the boys find interesting, which is the Carousel. The Carousel is really a time machine that Mr. Dark is trying to hide. Mr. Dark is the villain in this story. Once the boys find out that his body is made out of souls, he tries to kill them. Mr. Dark can also grant peoples temptations, but if you don't know how to use it it backfires. In the end both the witch and Mr. dark get killed by Will and his father.
Rating: 
Summary: A masterpiece!
Review: This 1983 adaptation of Ray Bradbury's classic novel of the same name is a powerful classic. The special effects are absolutely impressive especially by 1983 standards and are still quite amazing to look at considering how overdone they can be in modern times. The tone of the movie is suspenseful and charming all at once. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Review: This movie was a spectacular film,which in my opinion is a must have dvd.It was filled with action and suspense. The way Bradbury masters people's temptations to use it against them is very genius.
The story is about two young boys that discover that a carnival is being run by soul collectors. The boys, Will and Jim, accidentaly find out that the carnival was wicked that came to town. And only they can stop Mr. Dark and the Dust witch.Later when the boys are trying to run from Mr.Dark, they run into Mr.Halloway.While trying to find the boys Mr.Dark uses peoples temtations against them. In the end Mr.Dark and the Dust Witch are killed by the power of love and happiness.
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Summary: I love this movie
Review: "Something Wicked This Way Comes" is based on a classic story by Ray Bradbury that has been overlooked in a day and age of computer special effects and bombastic on-screen violence.
It is the classic show about the quintessential "dark carnival" that other disasters like HBO's "Carnivale" fail to live up to, despite the plethora of sex and luridness that dominates the latter.
In addition to the eerie, dream-like, and elusive atmospheres, Jonathan Pryce as Mr. Dark is quite sinisterly handsome, and the character of Mr. Dark is one of my favourites. :)
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Summary: Genuine Horror from Disney via Anchor Bay Comes
Review: Based on the best-selling 1962 novel by venerable SF and horror writer Ray Bradbury--who also penned this cinematic adaptation--1983's SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES is the unabashedly nostalgic story of two young boys, Will Halloway (Vidal Peterson) and Jim Nightshade (Shawn Carson), who engage in a battle of wills with Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce), the nefarious proprietor of a preternatural carnival that that literally blows into the boys' hometown one brisk October night (circa 1940). When Will and Jim discover that Dark and his troupe of midway miscreants are hiding some evil secret that might endanger the town, the boys take it upon themselves to uncover the truth and protect their friends and neighbors.Some viewers are surprised to learn that this somber film is a product of the Walt Disney Company. Though there are the lovable small-town characters that one expects from Disney, it is admittedly rare to find a Disney flick with an incorrigibly evil character such as Mr. Dark (obviously the Devil in all but name). It is also unusual for a Disney film to have such a grim atmosphere, at least one that is not regularly punctured with puerile comedic relief, but SOMETHING THIS WAY COMES has a consistently spooky ambiance and an earnestly frightening plot, both of which elevate it to the level of a genuine horror film DESPITE its Disney label. The performances in SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES are top-notch. Jonathan Pryce is deliciously wicked as the enigmatic Mr. Dark--genre fans might recognize Pryce as the actor playing Governor Swann in the 2003 blockbuster PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL--and Jason Robards does a fine turn as the wise librarian father of young Will. Vidal Peterson and Shawn Carson, the two young actors portraying Will and Jim, are relative newcomers whose lack of substantial experience is an asset rather than a liability, as it actually adds to the realism of their characters' youthful innocence. Some of the seasoned actors that fill supporting and background parts also contribute greatly to the quality of the film. The gorgeous Pam Grier, star of several popular "blaxploitation" flicks in the 1970s, plays the carnival's witch-like fortune-teller; Diane Ladd plays Jim Nightshade's mother, a woman who is raising her son alone after both were abandoned by the boy's father; and Ellen Geer, daughter of the late Will Geer of TV's THE WALTONS, portrays the mother of Will Halloway. Horror fans might recognize the late Royal Dano in the role of Tom Fury, the lightning-rod salesman. During his lengthy career, the ubiquitous Dano appeared in such genre favorites as Hitchcock's THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY (1955), 7 FACES OF DR. LAO (1964), and KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE (1988); and also in episodes of genre TV shows like LOST IN SPACE, NIGHT GALLERY, AMAZING STORIES, and TWIN PEAKS. Although the script does not have the same scope and attention to detail found in the novel, Bradbury has still done an exceptional job of translating to screenplay the novel's eerie essence and moral subtext. And director Jack Clayton does almost as well in visually interpreting Bradbury's script. He generates the perfect atmosphere for some genuinely creepy moments, and he is also quite adept at evoking Bradbury's primary theme of innocence lost. SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES generates most of its chills and scares the old-fashioned way--through atmosphere, suggestion, good plotting, and great characterization. Unfortunately, the flick was originally released during the peak of the first big wave of slasher films in the early 1980s, and it was therefore unfairly ignored by moviegoers and panned by critics. But thanks to the cool folks at Anchor Bay, this little beauty has a new lease on life via DVD. Anchor Bay's disc is short on extras, offering only the theatrical trailer and the option of viewing in either pan-and-scan or 1.66:1 Letterbox formats. But the digital transfer looks nearly pristine--even when viewed on a widescreen HDTV-- with only a few minor defects from the source print noticeable. In keeping with the subject matter, the film was shot with dark tones and subtle hues, and these come through wonderfully on the DVD. Serious collectors of horror films on DVD won't want to let this genre gem slip away.
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Summary: Love Bradbury! ...not so much love for film adaptation -
Review: Director, Jack Clayton, The Innocents, [an excellent film...] Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) -- Staring Jason Robards and Jonathan Pryce. This screenplay adaptation (1983), by the author, of his own novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, is good only during scenes with Robards and Pryce (these scenes are VERY good) yet, the plot is motivated by the actions of the characters of the two boys, Will Holloway and Jim Nightshade who, were inadequately cast (it's hard to find good child actors). Along with not being shot very well (Director of Photography, Stephen H. Burrum [the writer of this review simply can't tolerate the day-for-night scenes.]), it also seems that, 10 to 18 pages of the original script are missing from the final cut (the whole Tom Fury, B-Story), and much of the special effects scenes are cut in such a way as to reveal they didn't work and had to be cut out &/or around; how sad. The story simply falls apart! Somehow, a BEAUTIFUL script ended up as a film that, "had to be saved." Such, is the way of Hollywood. Something Wicked This Way Comes, is available in paperback, ISBN: 0380729407 based on the screenplay, Dark Carnival by Ray Bradbury, based on the short story, The Black Ferris (1948), by Ray Bradbury available in ISBN 0-394-51335-5
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Summary: Something 'Worthwhile' has this way come
Review: Excellent film adaptation to Mr. Bradbury's whimsical book by the same title. The film is cast in the autumn (the autumn of life?) and a small town around turn of the century America (our dream of what America should be?). Two boys, Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade are excited to hear of a carnival coming to town (remember our youth when autumn always brought some sort of carnival to your town?). However, this carnival is no ordinary one. It's proprieter, Mr. Dark, offers people what they desire most -- at a fearsome price. Jim and Will discover the underlying nature of Mr. Dark, his menions and the carnival and end up as quarry for the mysterious, sinister man. Will's father, Charles Halloway - the town librarian - is an unlikely hero who faces his own fears and temptations to protect the two youths from Mr. Dark. Not really bloody or scary, I'd say the theme of this movie (that of facing the realities of life) creates uneasiness because of the familiar setting and its dealing with normal everyday people and their dreams/wishes. The movie is well done and entertaining. Certainly worth a look. You might consider before allowing younger children to view it - it would probably give them dreams. ~P~
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Summary: Unsatisfied.
Review: For a Disney film of the early 1980s, this is unusually "scary." For kids I mean. To have a character like Mr. Dark, who is the devil in all but name, is provocative, and lifts this movie out of the category of mundane. Ultimately, though, this is still a kids' movie. There's a predictable selection of lovable small town characters, including a cranky schoolteacher, a cheap merchant and a friendly barber. The characters are drawn far too shallowly for this otherwise spookily enjoyable film to really satisfy an adult crowd. There's an endless supply of moments in which our pint-sized heroes make big eyes at yet another shocking revelation, and not quite enough of Jason Robards and Jonathan Pryce filling their characters with personality and meaning.
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Summary: This movie is the bomb
Review: For PG this is one awesome scary movie!!! I loved this movie as a kid and I stilll love it today!
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