La foire des ténèbres

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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In Green Town, Illinois, the twelve year-old boys Will Halloway (Vidal Peterson) and Jim Nightshade (Shawn Carson) are neighbors and best friends. Will's father Charles Halloway (Jason Robards) is an old man and the local librarian while Jim and his mother wait for the return of their father and husband that will never occur. The boys know everyone in town, including their school teacher Miss Foley (Mary Grace Canfield) that misses her beauty and youth; the lonely barber Mr. Crosetti (Richard Davalos) that has no girlfriend or wife; the greedy owner of a cigar store Mr. Tetley (Jake Dengel) that is obsessed with money; and the bartender Ed (James Stacy) that has severed arm and leg and dreams on being a football hero. One day of Autumn, Jim buys a lightning rod from the salesman Tom Fury (Royal Dano) that tels that a storm is coming. During the night, the boys overhear a mysterious train and they run through the woods to see the arrival but they do not see a living soul. However, they find the Mr. Dark's Pandemonium Carnival ready to be enjoyed and they snoop around. Soon they realize that frustrated and greedy people are vanishing in town and the evil Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce) and the Dust Witch (Pam Grier) from the carnival make their dreams come true. In return, Mr. Dark seizes their souls. Now Mr. Dark is seeking the boys out but Charles Halloway has a journal from his father about the autumn carnival that might be their last chance to defeat the evil.

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" is an impressive movie with many layers with a story by Ray Bradbury. It is amazing how a story about greedy, vanity and shattered dreams can be seen and understood in different levels, depending on your age and life experience. The dialogs and lines are mature, but children will have a different understanding. Unfortunately this little gem is underrated and not well- known. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): Not available on VHS, DVD or Blu-Ray

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.

While this production is strictly fantasy, it lacks all of the bells and whistles of modern day films of this genre. Ray Bradbury, like Spielberg, has an affinity for telling stories from a child's point of view. Without CGI technology, this movie still is compelling in its own right. Pam Grier puts in a good performance as the truly menacing temptress, a little creepy but alluring at the same time. The film is about regrets and unreliazed dreams. It also manages to work in several of the Seven Deadly Sins-greed, vanity, lust, and anger. The character most burdened by events from his past is the Jason Robards part. He regrets being held back by his upbringing from acting during a crisis, something not learned during childhood that most normnal children take for granted. This film would be a nice change of pace during Halloween, a little dated, but still worth a couple hours.

Iremember reading an article on this movie in the NME in the 80s. It told how some execs at Disney did not like the movie because it went against what the studio stood for. good family entertainment. I have heard that they didn't like Watcher In The Woods either for the same reasons.Soon after they formed Touchstone Pictures and made Splash which must have been in script development at the time and thats family entertainment?. This movie really deserves a reissue as it remains one of the best live action pieces that Disney have ever done. Jonathan Pryce was perfectly cast as Mr Dark and the two child actors are refreshingly mature for a Disney movie. it seems funny that a movie that is this scary should have been made by Disney and as the house of mouse never throws anything away there must be enough for a real good DVD release of it. i notice on the comment boards that there is demand for a remake. good idea but it would have to be Jonathan Pryce as Mr dark once again and Cauron or del Toro as directors as they are the only ones with a vision dark enough for it.