It's pretty rare occurrence when I watch a movie and then realize by the end that I had no idea what was happening the entire time. So far I got; weird old man, lots of midgets and a really scary spider scene. There are a few scary moments that were even scary for me- so I can only imagine what it must have been like watching this as a child. But for the most part kind of a let down. So without further ado I will take you on a magical journey through my experience of Something Wicked This Way Comes.
This is the movie as I understood it.
The crazy old man from Killer Klowns from Outer Space- plays a boy scout who sells lightning rods.
The bartender is missing an arm AND a leg- yet he can still run a bar and sweep the sidewalk. Also I forget how he lost his arm and his leg.
A carnival comes to town advertising exotic dancers with no pants on. But later we find out...
That they do wear pants! False advertising.
There also seems to be a surplus of Midgets in this movie and it's really hard to keep track of them.
See? Serious midget overdose. And too many midget props too now that I think about it.
This was the most horrifying spider scene I have ever seen. You'll have to find this on youtube if you want to see it in full, but here are a few examples. I read that they used 200 live tarantulas in this- and let me tell you....I'm going to have nightmares about this scene for the rest of my life.
There are more but I couldn't watch the scene twice. Things like grabbing a door knob where a tarantula is curled, stepping on a tarantula, and having tarantulas under your covers. It was seriously the worst thing I have ever seen. And this is coming from someone who watched people eating poop.
After the spider scene, things got a little fuzzy because I think I fainted. Fear not- I was suddenly revived when this happened.
Yup. That's right- it's the Killer Klowns guy running through a mirror maze with a light saber.
Then there was some battle with love and happiness against evil or something...blah blah and THEN the most important life lesson is revealed at the end...
Midgets never leave a fallen comrade behind.
So there you have it. Quite a journey. I think there was also a scary carnival that involved giving people their deepest wishes in exchange for their soul- but who knows these days. I guess I just never remembered this one from my yester years. I hear the novel of the same name is way more terrifying though. Can anybody confirm that? There were a lot of startling things that I never thought Disney would put in in their movies- for instance that gross skeleton guy up there-very creepy...yikes.
6 comments:
This movie is really weird. Wasn't there something about a carousel that turned people into kids?
Yes! There is indeed. It was weird one of the carney's changed into a kid and tricked the old lady into thinking he was her nephew. Then he threw a rock at her window!! Very strange
This is one I've been meaning to revisit for a while. I have a real soft spot for Creepy Carnivals (I count FUNHOUSE and KILLER KLOWNS as two of my faves), and I'm old enough to remember this being touted as Disney's First Horror Film. Also I'm a huge fan of Royal Dano (the old guy from Killer Klowns) and always enjoy anything where he pops up. (Incidentally, he did another memorable Creepy Carnival turn in GHOULIES 2--okay, maybe more "comical" than "creepy," but still a good time; and I think one of the midgets here is also in that as a Shakespeare-quoting carnie!) Dano was also excellent in MESSIAH OF EVIL, another of my favorite flicks.
As for terrifying spider scenes, if this one got you, I'd suggest building up your resistance a little bit and then taking a look at Coffin Joe's THIS NIGHT I'LL POSSESS YOUR CORPSE. Just as many spiders, but many times the sex. I've got a review with a screenshot over at my site; you were warned.
Yikes Vicar I don't know if I have the strength for a scarier spider scene than this one! Maybe after my nightly glass of wine and a little courage I will try to look at it...
The novel is way better. Some of Ray Bradbury's most poetic writing. To give an idea, the spider scene is a replacement for the scene in the book where a hot air balloon trails giant slugs over the boys houses to mark them out. Ludicrous? Yet still, somehow, amazingly scary.
Considering it was made by DISNEY! it's a great horror film geared for kids. The book is amazing.
What I love about the film, even though it can be scary, and deals with the issue of "what if you got your deepest desire", the story is really about the one boy and his father. Leave it to Bradbury to hide a heart warming message in the movie.
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