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Something Wicked This Way Comes

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Fantasy · Mystery · Horror · 1983

In a small American town, a diabolical circus arrives, granting wishes for the townsfolk, but twisted as only the esteemed Mr. Dark can make them. Can two young boys overcome the worst the devil himself can deal out?

Movie details

Something Wicked This Way Comes

“What would you give a man who could make your deepest dream come true?”

1983 Fantasy · Mystery · Horror 1h 35m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

In a small American town, a diabolical circus arrives, granting wishes for the townsfolk, but twisted as only the esteemed Mr. Dark can make them. Can two young boys overcome the worst the devil himself can deal out?

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Something Wicked This Way Comes?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Fantasy · 1997

When young Lili's mother dies in childbirth, her father remarries Lady Claudia, a woman ruled by an evil mirror with the power to make her queen of all living things. After escaping an attempt on her life, Lili finds herself lost in a dark forest, where living happily ever after seems unlikely.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jack Clayton

Written by

Ray Bradbury

Jason Robards

Jason Robards

Charles Halloway

Jonathan Pryce

Jonathan Pryce

Mr. Dark

Diane Ladd

Diane Ladd

Mrs. Nightshade

Royal Dano

Royal Dano

Tom Fury

Vidal Peterson

Vidal Peterson

Will Halloway

Shawn Carson

Shawn Carson

Jim Nightshade

Mary Grace Canfield

Mary Grace Canfield

Miss Foley

Court is in session

Put Something Wicked This Way Comes on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.