Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
Sell Us Your Item
For up to a $0.10 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
40K ITEMS ON SALE Add to Cart
$14.07  & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

Jason Robards , Jonathan Pryce , Jack Clayton  |  PG |  DVD
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (149 customer reviews)

List Price: $14.99
Price: $11.93 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $3.06 (20%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 17 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it tomorrow, June 21? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Other Formats & Versions

Amazon Price New from Used from
DVD 1-Disc Version $11.93  

Special Offers and Product Promotions


Frequently Bought Together

Something Wicked This Way Comes + The Watcher in the Woods + The Lady in White
Price for all three: $29.17

Buy the selected items together

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Product Details

  • Actors: Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Diane Ladd, Pam Grier, Royal Dano
  • Directors: Jack Clayton
  • Writers: Screenplay By Ray Bradbury
  • Format: Color, NTSC, Subtitled
  • Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
  • Subtitles: French
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
  • Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: August 3, 2004
  • Run Time: 94 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (149 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0001I55U6
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,572 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Learn more about "Something Wicked This Way Comes" on IMDb

Special Features

Theatrical Trailer

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Ray Bradbury adapted his own novel for Something Wicked This Way Comes, Jack Clayton's beautiful rendering of the turn-of-the-century fantasy of a mysterious carnival that literally blows into a small town to taunt and tempt the inhabitants. Jonathan Pryce (Brazil), the handsome but demonic proprietor of Dark's Pandemonium Carnival, preys upon the vanities, the delusions, and the regrets of the townspeople by granting their wishes at the expense of their souls. Jason Robards, as the meek librarian Charles Halloway, becomes his unlikely nemesis when his son Will, with his best friend Jim Nightshade (a deliciously dark name in its own right), discovers the secret of Dark's nightmarish carnival. When they become hunted by Dark's minions (including Pam Grier as the beautiful and mysterious Dust Witch), Halloway must confront his own fears and regrets to save the boys. Clayton captures the idyll of childhood in the fall with rich autumnal colors, his camera gliding along with the energetic boys as they tear through field and forests. The climax, however, gets lost in a cacophony of competing special effects, imaginatively visualized but never very terrifying, as if producer Disney resisted the uneasy undercurrent of the story. It's more dark fantasy than horror, a nightmarish adventure filtered through the memory of a man remembering his childhood in mythic terms. --Sean Axmaker

Product Description

The movie is based on Ray Bradbury's book of the same name, which was inspired by Shakespeare's "Macbeth."

Customer Reviews

It's a good, somewhat scary, family Disney movie. D. Lloyd  |  18 reviewers made a similar statement
The way Bradbury masters people's temptations to use it against them is very genius. Jose  |  7 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
82 of 86 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
"And in despair I bowed my head, there is no peace on earth," I said. "For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men." Then pealed the bells more loud and deep, "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail. With peace on earth, good will to men"...

With Shakespeare & Longfellow both quoted in the film & movie screenplay, penned and adapted by the author Ray Bradbury, how could you go wrong with this Disney Family great!

Set in the 1940's in a small idyllic town called Greentown, Illinois; it is the pseudonym for Ray Bradbury's own home town of Waukegan, Illinois. Waukegan plays quite a big role in most of Ray Bradbury's works, just as Bradbury had a pseudonym himself by the name of Douglas Spaulding.

Greentown is mentioned in passing several times in short stories, just for the reader to put a name to the place, but it is featured most prominently in "Dandelion Wine", a beautiful anthology Bradbury wrote concerning his childhood
memories, and in the dark fantasy novel, "Something Wicked This Way Comes". So essentially, you COULD visit Greentown if you wanted to... Just be careful of the carnival "Autumn People" in October.

Jason Robards heads a stellar cast as the small town's middle-aged, midlife crisis cursed, librarian, Mr. Charles Halloway. Vidal Peterson plays Charles' son, the light, tow headed good boy, Will Halloway and Will's best friend, blood brother and alter-ego, the dark & brave Jim Nightshade, played by Shawn Carson.

This dynamically diametric duo get caught up in the carnival that literally blows into town, courtesy of a spooky black train, one fateful, autumn night.
... Read more ›
Was this review helpful to you?
127 of 137 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars FYI, if you are looking for the widescreen version... September 7, 2006
By J. Wade
Format:DVD
This is not really a review, but if you are looking for the widescreen version of this film, it is also included on this DVD. That has NOT been noted in the description provided by Amazon. It really irks me when DVDs are issued in only full screen versions. I won't go into the particulars as to why. Those of us who are into this know why. This DVD has both 1.33:1 and 1.85:1 versions on a one-sided dual layered menu selectable format.
Was this review helpful to you?
47 of 48 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Genuine Horror from Disney via Anchor Bay Comes March 17, 2004
Format:DVD
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....

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. Read more ›

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favourites! October 20, 1999
Format:VHS Tape|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have watched this film every October since it first came out on video, so you can see what a fine piece of work I think it is. The opening scenes perfectly sum up the spirit of autumn for me: the narration (accompanied by James Horner's wistful and beautiful score) along with the photography of the October landscape conjure up a rather melancholy longing for the past. There are some great scenes showing the different ways people deal with their own private sadnesses and regrets. (And it makes you think, if the dark carnival came to your town, what would you wish for? On which longings of your own would the carnival feed?) The film is particularly suited to viewing in October, but it isn't a Halloween story, and can be enjoyed year-round. Watch the film, but by all means view the LETTERBOXED version! Even though the black bands on the top and bottom of the screen are minimal (the film wasn't shot in a very widescreen aspect ratio), the letterboxed edition shows much more of the original film frame than does the standard tv version--it makes a big difference (I've done a direct comparison of the two versions)...Highly recommended!
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Scary Fun
All of who still have a kid inside love this movie. It is so well acted and the filming is superb. If you are one of the few who have not seen this one, get it and be amazed by... Read more
Published 2 days ago by dailymuse
5.0 out of 5 stars good science fiction
Ray Bradbury has been one of my favorite authors through the years. He writes cogently and the movie has been pretty faithful to his writing.
Published 4 days ago by V. E. Qualley
4.0 out of 5 stars WICKED!!!!
Good story line for those who like a good story. Good acting esp. by the young boys. Not for the young who are starting to pay attention to the plots. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Elizabeth Gutschke
5.0 out of 5 stars Scary!
This movie is fascinating and really demonstrates that nothing ever comes without a price. The cast is great and the fall foliage really reminded me of my childhood. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Brock R. White
5.0 out of 5 stars Will miss you Ray Bradbury
This is one of my favorite books. The whole idea of good and evil told through the eyes of two young boys. Read more
Published 21 days ago by Darlene Parker
5.0 out of 5 stars Good classic
Movie is great, its a classic and one of the first scary movies I've ever seen! Love it and so does my daughter.
Published 1 month ago by Snowden's
5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie
Great plot. This Disney movie explores fear and the idea that you "be careful what you wish for," as those wishes could actually be quite bad!
Published 1 month ago by Julie Livingston
4.0 out of 5 stars A good movie
A little scary for younger children but this movie is worth watching.I had it on VHS and replaced it with DVD.
Published 2 months ago by Jamie S. Nurdin
5.0 out of 5 stars Something Wicket This Way Comes
I bought this movie for my son for Christmas he loved it ...Told me it was perfect...Thank You so much..
Published 2 months ago by Penny L. Sparling
5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie
I got this movie, because I remember it as a child. It is a great movie to watch for children with an adult. It's just scary enough.
Published 2 months ago by TJ
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Forums

There are no discussions about this product yet.
Be the first to discuss this product with the community.
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 



Look for Similar Items by Category