October is a rare month for boys. That’s what author Ray Bradbury reminds us at the beginning of both his novel, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and the movie that was made from it some twenty years later. Bradbury (1920-2012) was a celebrated grandmaster of science fiction, fantasy and dark fantasy--writing novels, short stories and screenplays throughout the better part of the twentieth century. He would also write The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, and Fahrenheit 451. Something Wicked This Way Comes started out as the short story Black Ferris. Bradbury later turned it into a film script, but when plans fell through, he adapted the script into a novel, publishing it in 1962.
Taking place in a small town in the early 20th century, SWTWC deals with a pair of boys who face a malevolent force that seeks to destroy everyone and everything they hold dear. Will Holloway (Vidal Peterson) and Jim Nightshade (Shawn Carson) are best friends who are innocently enjoying their childhoods when a strange carnival arrives, settling on the outskirts of their home town. Led by Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce), the carnival looks like fun on the surface, but visitors uncover--too late--the underlying malice beneath each of the attractions.
Pam Grier (Jackie Brown) makes the most of her small role as the enigmatic Dust Witch, a servant of Mr. Dark, while Diane Ladd (Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore) garners sympathy as Jim’s mother. Jonathan Pryce (Brazil, Tomorrow Never Dies) is superb as Mr. Dark, imbuing the lead villain role with much-needed menace. And there are scenes where Pryce is genuinely scary. But the best performance in the film has got to be Jason Robards (All The Presidents Men) as Charles Holloway, young Will’s father. An older man with a bad heart who fathered Will late in life, Charles is wracked with guilt over an incident in Will’s childhood where he had to rely on someone else to save his son’s life.
Robards’ performance as an aging man who’s slowing down, but still wants to be there for his son, is touching to watch. And Bradbury gives the character a great redemption arc that shows that sometimes, it’s the quiet, unassuming people who make the biggest heroes of them all. I first saw WTWC in the theaters back in 1983, and I really wasn’t too fond of the film. Disney has recently released SWTWC on its Disney+ app, making it available to the public for the first time in years, just in time for Halloween. Watching it again--for the first time since seeing it in theaters--has been a revelation.
While I don’t hate SWTWC like I did when I was 18, it’s still not the best of director Jack Clayton’s films, which included the original black and white version of The Innocents (1961) and the third film adaptation of The Great Gatsby (1974). But, that being said, I’m now able to better appreciate the themes that Bradbury was trying to convey, and--despite meddling by the studio--SWTWC is still an endearing portrayal of how a father and son’s love can overcome anything. If you’re looking for more mild and charming scares this Halloween season, take a ride at Mr. Dark’s carnival. --SF
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