‘The Witches’ movie, reviewed: Read the book first

Ronald Dahl’s novel, “The Witches”, follows an 11-year-old boy and his grandmother on a suspenseful adventure. The first movie was released in 1990 staring Anjelica Houston. The second was released this year staring Anne Hathaway with changes that may startle a book lover.

Location

The 2020 movie is set in Alabama, a very far departure from the novel, which is startling for readers expecting a gloomy location that sets the tone for the terror to come. Not in the 2020 movie. We are thrown in the South where it is sunny and optimistic.

From a storytelling perspective, both settings make sense. Each setting allows the witches to come in and scare the audience. But in the film, Octavia Spencer’s character does mention Norway, a nice detail that only a book lover would appreciate.

Description of the Witches

Out of all the changes, this one doesn’t bother me. In the movie, the witches have stretched mouths, which adds to their creepiness. If anything, Dahl missed this obvious opportunity. His witches only have the crazy blue spit.

The Mice

In the book, the 11-year-old boy’s entertainment and companions are his two mice, which he trains. While the movie stayed faithful to the education of the pets, it reduces the number to only one mouse. Budget constraints, maybe?

But the big problem isn’t that there is only one mouse. It’s that the movie decides that this mouse, Daisy, talks. Not only that Daisy used to be a child, but she is also a witch’s victim. This subplot is distracting to the heart of the film, which is supposed to be about a boy and his grandmother’s loving relationship. If there is a way to enrich the story with pet sidekicks and best-friend characters, this is not it.