Critic Reviews

The wit is highly sophisticated, but there’s also action, suspense, adventure — to say nothing of the spectacular visual effects produced by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

Magical, sinister and prankish, The Witches is a triumph.

Almost perfect ghoulish family entertainment. [24 Aug 1990]

This ranks among the most mercilessly creepy children’s films I’ve seen.

Using a screenplay by Allan Scott, Roeg directs with care, blending fantasy and whimsy with a chilling touch of evil. It works and it works well. [21 Feb 1991, p.4E]

The combination of Dahl’s bleak plot turns, from the offscreen death of Luke’s parents to a witch who lures the grieving young boy out of his treehouse with the promise of a pet snake, Roeg’s in-your-face camerawork and Henson’s creature effects make every second of The Witches unencumbered, gleeful torture.

From scene to scream, The Witches is good mean fun for the whole family.

Unlike many “adult” moviemakers, Henson believed his core audience capable of appreciating wit, irony, topical humor, idealism, intense emotion and bemused reflections on real life and all its complexity. All these, and more, are present in The Witches.

In this extended good time of a fairy tale, there's something for everyone.

The wizardry of Jim Henson's Creature Shop and a superbly over-the-top performance by Angelica Huston gives The Witches a good deal of charm and enjoyment.