No Templo das Tentações

I enjoyed this movie as a child, it was very interesting and it was nice to watch a horror movie that was rated PG as it would actually come on in the day rather than having to try to stay up late to watch it. Granted, it is not a pure horror movie, it has some other genres mixed in as well, but at its core I say horror is its main ingredient. The movie also features good characters in the form of Mr. Dark and Jason Robards character. The kid who is featured is also quite good here. The story has a carnival coming to town, however this carnival contains a dark secret and it is not just the fact the owner of this particular carnival is named Dark. No it seems he likes to offer those that are a bit weak the thing they desire most and then twist it in a way that makes it not so good. However, that is the price you must pay when dealing with this gentleman. The story moves at a good clip and while it never really gets gory or anything the story more than makes up for this and provides plenty of entertainment.

Ten years old I was when I first saw "Something Wicked This Way Comes"… It was a movie that I loved and got fascinated with from the very first moment and long afterwards. Today I re-watched it for the first time in more than twenty years and, although I still definitely loved it a lot, it also brought me to draw another additional conclusion: this film is far too disturbing for 10-year-olds! Okay it's a Disney production and the story qualifies as a fantasy, but there are a few petrifying characters as well as a handful of sequences that are downright nightmare-inducing, like the giant spider invasion in the bedroom or the climax on the merry-go-round. Scenes like these, as well as several others, apparently got unconsciously burned on my retina because I immediately experienced flashbacks to childhood nightmares when I saw them again. I've always been intrigued by the "darker" kids' movies (other favorites include "Dark Crystal", "Island at the Top of the World", "Return to Oz" and "Escape from Witch Mountain"), but "Something Wicked etc…" is inarguably the darkest of them all.

The story sprung from the versatile mind of the widely acclaimed and immensely popular author Ray Bradbury. He loved this story so much (or maybe didn't trust anyone else?) that he himself adapted his own novel into a movie script and, for the direction, opted for the reliable and highly professional Jack Clayton. The result became a, as mentioned already, pitch-black fantasy movie that is perhaps flawed and definitely comes across as dated in the year 2012, but it still ranks as the creepiest and less sentimental Disney movie ever released. The arrival of the ominous Dark's Pandemonium Carnival is an all but joyous event in a sleepy little town during autumn. The eerie Mr. Dark and his crew particularly target the nostalgic and phantasmagoric adults in town, who are all too willing to sacrifice whatever it takes make their dreams come true, whether it's richness, lust or eternal youth. The most rational person in town is actually a young boy, Will Halloway, and he has more than his hands full with helping his friend Jim and even his own father Charles to resist the carnival's Temple of Temptation. "Something Wicked This Way Comes" is a masterfully narrated story, with a terrific gloomy atmosphere and wonderfully imaginative decors & set pieces. The merry-go-round, the mirror palace, the exotic show … They're all very uncanny! My main complaint is actually that, after a rather slow-paced and patient introduction of the film, the middle-section and especially the finale, seem overly rushed and incomplete. I think I would have much rather seen "SWTWC" as a mini-series, perhaps in three or four episodes of one hour running time each, but further elaborating on all the hinted sub plots like Jim Nightshade's father, Tom Fury the lightening expert and the background of the townspeople. Stellar performances all around, most notably Jason Robards as the wise father and Jonathan Pryce as the wayward Mr. Dark, but also from the young actors and B-movie queen Pam Grier as the seductive but dangerous circus wench. I'm not sure if I'll let my own kids watch it when they're still too young and easily petrified, but it forever remains an all-time favorite childhood classic.

This is a very eerie and dark film for one made by Disney. It contains all sort of dark and bright side of the human nature such as greed, envy, temptation, and at the same time it also embraces joy, hope, courage, and friendship. Although, the core of the movie is a fight between good and evil, it is not preaching at all. Yet it does have a conviction of fear.

It's like one of campfire folk tales that comes at you very slowly from your behind and some unexpected moment it grubs your neck. Something Wicked This Way Comes is a that kind of movie.

I don't consider this film as a horror film because it reminds of me something from my childhood memory and it is beyond horror. Do you remember the line your mom used to say when you were bad? "Be good or ..... will come and get you"

To me, Mr.Dark fits into the blank much better than any other monsters.

This film is well made in all regards; the cast is top-notch, the cinematography and direction drive the tone of the movie, the effects inventive and wonderful (even by late-90's standards) and best of all, the storyline superb.

That said, this is arguably the best film made from any of Ray Bradbury's works. I first read the book years ago as a 13-year-old and remember the images the tale concocted, and the questions about myself that the storyline propose ring as true today from the film as they did then from the page.

Owing much to the casting of the film, the director marvelously weaves the story around the principal leads by allowing a score of tertiary characters to guide the plot's tone, mood and motion. Each person, whether major or minor, is an intriguing part of the tale with their own tale to tell. With great efficiency we understand what drives each of the townspeople, and grow more curious and suspicious as to the background of the carnival folk.

Sympathy -- or contempt -- for each of the characters is developed throughout, and best the film's two supporting actors, Jason Robards and Jonathan Pryce. While neither is exactly cast against type here, both provide a driving stability for the film. The two boys that serve as the film's protagonists do an admirable job in portraying both the fear and delight that is part of youth, and inherent to coming of age.

This movie is a fine example of how an effective thriller can be made without resorting to language, blood, sex, or violence. While I am not all opposed to films that use any or all of those conventions, it is a refreshing change from what is otherwise the norm.

One of the greatest benefits is that the resulting film is one that you can watch with your children, a film that will provide them a healthy scare and stimulate their mind as well. As the film does contain some dark and frightening imagery, it could certainly serve as a source of nightmares for younger children.

In the collection of 80's sci-fi/fantasy films that garner much recognition, no one ever seems to mention "Something Wicked This Way Comes". But they should. The film is a very well done film, from a technical aspect, blending moody cinematography with good f/x (for 1983,anyways) to make some truly memorable moments. Clayton's directing focuses on grand imagery and atmosphere, and it creates a very fine tone for the film. Bradbury's writing adds a lot to the story, his expertly sculpted dialogue bringing life to some good characters. He, and the film, do struggle with the coming of age stuff between the two boys, as it is mostly run of the mill material, but still effective in places. The father-son talks are also not too amazing. But, the were some great moments, most notably the library scene with Mr. Dark and Mr. Halloway. Great writing and directing accented by Jonathan Pryce's pitch-perfect performance. A few of the "scary" scenes were rather hokey, but for the most part provided decent enough suspense. The cast was very good, the two young boys definitely worked well with each other. Jason Robards kind of walked through his role, but Robards can do that and still make it look good. And of course, as mentioned before, Jonathan Pryce is just uber-creepy as the bad guy, Mr. Dark. It's a shame Hollywood never really caught on to him.

All in all, the film provides some tense (for a kid's film) moments with a lot of visual flair, but also provides some more heavier (once again, for a kid's film) material about father & sons and what's it's like to grow up.

7/10

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