Latest news with #TheWitches
Metro
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Children's' film The Witches is one of the scariest of all time
I was only 10 years old when my first film scarred me for life. Picture the scene: I was scrolling through TV channels in my bedroom and stumbled upon a film I've never heard of before that seemed right up my alley – The Witches. As a self-proclaimed weird kid, ghosts, ghouls, and goblins had always appealed to me. That's why you find me writing the Horror Haunt column – I love all things spooky. I was hooked before I'd even hit play. What I didn't expect, however, is the impact it would have on me. Based on the Roald Dahl novel of the same name, the film focuses on a coven of evil witches who masquerade as ordinary women to go about their daily business – ridding the world of children by turning them into mice. During a vacation with his grandmother Helga (Mai Zetterling) in Norway, eight-year-old Luke Eveshim (Jasen Fisher) is warned of the witches, and when he discovers them to be real, he must find a way to foil their plans and bring down the group led by Grand High Witch Eva Ernst (Anjelica Huston) Director Nicolas Roeg takes the beloved children's novel and turns it into straight nightmare fuel from start to finish with terrifying creatures, spine-chilling dangers, and death around every corner. Needless to say, I loved every single minute, and it's become a staple in my collection of gateway horror films and nostalgic comfort watches. Now a parent, I recently rewatched The Witches to gauge whether it might be appropriate for my eldest to see for the first time, and it remains one of the most terrifying films I have ever watched, even 35 years since its release. It is wild to me that The Witches was given a PG rating, (this was in the days before the 12A certificate) given it's an entire film about a group of women that can peel their skin off and want to eradicate children. If you've seen the film, the one scene that likely sticks in your mind is the one in which the witches, including Miss Ernst, reveal their real forms as they're ordered to 'remove their wigs.' How poor little Luke didn't scream and run for his life when secretly witnessing these women shed their shoes, as well as their hair and actual skin to reveal the horror show underneath is beyond me. It is a masterclass performance from Huston and a marvel of practical effects, but it is also sheer terror condensed into less than 10 minutes. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video But The Witches is chilling long before we get to this moment. The film doesn't waste a second on pleasantries, opening with Helga's short story explaining the child-killing witches and her hatred for them, tapping directly into the idea of 'stranger danger' as she warns Luke 'You can never be sure if it's a witch you are looking at or a kind lady.' It sets the tone of the fantasy elements at the centre of the narrative, but also the very real fear of child abduction and death that remains terrifying no matter your age of viewing. The Witches also challenge children on the people they likely trust the most at a young age – motherly and grandmotherly figures. It paints them as aggressors who can cause harm to them, something we still often do not see in films, instead opting for predominantly male antagonists. Roeg's filmmaking style makes The Witches even more nightmarish, with extreme close-ups of every grisly detail of the titular villains, and canted angles for an even more unsettling, sickening vibe. The power of that was only confirmed by the lukewarm response to the controversial 2020 adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel, with Anne Hathaway stepping into the role made famous by Huston. As IndieWire put it, 'Roeg's version may have scarred a generation of kids for life, but at least they remembered it.' The film isn't shy of the idea of death, revealing early on that Luke's parents were killed and establishing that children are not immune to the tragedies of the world. This is hammered home when the witches' evil plan is carried out – both Luke and his pal Bruno Jenkins (Charlie Potter) are turned into mice. Despite beating the witches at their own game and managing to be restored to their regular human selves, it highlights that children won't be spared from traumatic events simply because of their youth. We very nearly could have gotten a bleaker ending, with the novel of The Witches ending with Luke remaining as a mouse, being told he will only live for nine years at most. None of this would have been possible without Dahl's 1983 novel, exploring a time in a child's life in which they begin to question their realities, as well as the safety and dangers of the world. More Trending He made readers distrust every 'nice old lady' we saw, checking for a purple glint in any stranger's eye while questioning if they could do us harm, both in our childhood and through to our adult lives. The Witches and its most iconic scenes remain as memorable as they are because of its villains. Not only do they look like literal monsters, they act the part in every sense of the word as they utilise their sex appeal and natural charm to manipulate adults, while getting closer to children to axe them off. Some films marketed towards children are scarier than any R-rated slasher flick – and The Witches is a chilling example of that, like no other. The Witches is now available to stream on NOW TV and Sky . Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Horror fans 'can't wait to be traumatised' after watching new show's trailer MORE: I'm 53 and have never had savings – I thought that was normal MORE: The Thick of It used to be satire – now I'm not so sure
Sky News
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
John Lithgow on JK Rowling's trans stance backlash: 'She's handled it fairly gracefully'
Why you can trust Sky News John Lithgow is a man well aware of cancel culture and its ability to destroy careers in the blink of an eye. The Oscar-nominated actor tells Sky News: "It is terrible to be so careful about what you say. Even in an interview like this. It goes into the world, and you can get misconstrued and misrepresented and cancelled in [the click of a finger]." It's a theme that runs parallel with his latest work - the stage show Giant - which through the lens of one explosive day in children's author Roald Dahl 's life, poses the question, should we look for moral purity in our artists? The writer of great works including The Witches, Matilda and The BFG, Dahl revolutionised children's literature with his irreverent approach, inspiring generations of readers and selling hundreds of millions worldwide. But his legacy is conflicted. Lithgow describes Dahl as "a man with great charm, great wit and literary talent. A man who really cared about children and loved them. But a man who carried a lot of demons." Specifically, the play - which explores Palestinian rights versus antisemitism - deals with the fallout from controversial comments the children's author made over the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. Its themes couldn't be more timely. Lithgow explains: "Things are said in the play that nobody dares to say out loud… But God knows this is a complicated and contradictory issue." 'It didn't start as an idea about Roald Dahl at all' So controversial are some of the play's themes, the 79-year-old star admits his own son warned him: "Prepare yourself. There'll be demonstrations in Sloane Square outside the Royal Court Theatre." Indeed, the play's first run carried an audience warning flagging "antisemitic language; graphic descriptions of violence; emotional discussion of themes including conflict in the Middle East, Israel and Palestine; and strong language". But it didn't put audiences off. Following a sold-out run at the Royal Court, the role won Lithgow an Olivier. Now, it's transferring to London's West End. The play was written by Mark Rosenblatt, a seasoned theatre director but debut playwright. He tells Sky News: "It didn't start as an idea about Roald Dahl at all. It was about the blurring of meaningful political discourse with racism, specifically when, in 2018, the inquiry into antisemitism in the Labour Party started to come out." Rosenblatt describes Dahl's Revolting Rhymes and Dirty Beasts as the "wallpaper" of his childhood, and says he had no desire to "smash the Roald Dahl pinata". But despite the fond recollections, he was conflicted: "Understanding that [Dahl] also, possibly, didn't like someone like me because I'm Jewish felt complicated." It was Rosenblatt's exploration of "how you hold those two things at the same time" that led to Dahl becoming the play's focus. 'He's not cancelled in our home' Rosenblatt describes him as "a complex man, capable of great compassion, great passionate defence of oppressed people, and also incapable of enormous cruelty and manipulation. He was many things at once". And as for Dahl's place in his life now? Rosenblatt says: "I still read his books to my kids. He's certainly not cancelled in our home." It's likely that Dahl's comments, if uttered today, would lead to swift social media condemnation, but writing in a pre-social media age, the judgment over his words came at a much slower pace. Dahl died in 1990, and his family later apologised for antisemitic remarks he made during his lifetime. But the debate of whether art can be separated from the artist is still very much alive today. Earlier this month, Lithgow found himself drawn into a different row over artists and their opinions - this time concerning author JK Rowling. 'A matter of nuance' Soon to play Dumbledore in the Harry Potter TV series, he has been criticised by some fans for working with the author known for her gender critical beliefs. Lithgow told Sky News: "It's a question I'm getting asked constantly. I suppose I should get used to that, but JK Rowling has created an amazing canon of books for kids… "I have my own feelings on this subject. But I'm certainly not going to hesitate to speak about it. Just because I may disagree... It's a matter of nuance… I think she's handled it fairly gracefully." The actor ignored calls not to take the role. He goes on: "Honestly, I'd rather be involved in this than not. And if I'm going to speak on this subject, I'm speaking from inside this project and very much a partner with JK Rowling on it." Demanding an eight-year commitment and a move to the UK for the part, the stakes are high. And with a legion of Harry Potter fans watching on from the wings, only time will tell if the Lithgow-Rowling partnership will prove a magical one.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Giant, review: This could be the West End hit of 2025
After a sell-out run at the Royal Court, and with three Olivier awards to its name, Giant strides into the West End looking like an unslayable hit, its relevance to the incendiary international moment, Israel/ Gaza-wise, undimmed. Still, the issue facing the playwriting debut from director Mark Rosenblatt – about Roald Dahl and the anti-Semitism storm that engulfed him in 1983 – is whether it can now live up to insanely high expectations. Led by a career-best performance from John Lithgow, Nicholas Hytner's superbly acted production doesn't make insistent early attempts to woo us. The setting, Gipsy House – the waspish Dahl's nest in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire – is an unprepossessing spectacle of dust-sheets and ceiling supports. And the opening chatter finds the author preoccupied with, and pernickety about, the proofs for The Witches – dispensing aggrieved barbs about the illustrations by Quentin Blake. Lithgow, looking not unlike a Blake illustration himself, with his angular, pinched, slanting frame, presents the impish storyteller on drolly entertaining form, but barely theatrically so. He mutters, while Elliot Levey as Dahl's British publisher Tom Maschler does a good impression of a man who'd rather be elsewhere (we're told he has a tennis-match date with Ian McEwan). But as the reputational crisis that Maschler is venturing to broach rears to the fore, with the flustered arrival of his American counterpart (the fictional character of Jessie Stone), the piece gains the inexorable, transfixing momentum of, well, a giant peach hurtling downhill. The demand from team Dahl sounds reasonable – a politic apology for the upset caused by his 'off-piste' diatribe about Israel in an article for the Literary Review (which has resulted in death-threats and a copper outside). But Dahl won't comply, presenting his defiance as a badge of integrity in the face of cynical self-interest. Maschler, Jewish himself, bends over backwards to placate Dahl's ego, pragmatic to a fault. Stone, also Jewish, breaks ranks to fulminate against the prejudice implicit in the article and bubbling away too in the cauldron of his conversation. Even if there's a blunt dramatic convenience to this character holding the not-so-lovable eccentric to account, especially in relation to a construed anti-Semitic subtext to The Witches, what remains hugely impressive about Giant is its complex plethora of thought-provoking little details. We may admire Stone's flinty resolve (American actress Aya Cash taking over, capably, from Romola Garai), but she's still inclined to separate the artist from his art in deference to her learning disabled son's reading needs, her stance complicated further by Dahl's compassion for the boy, and for her. And Lithgow's multi-faceted portrait keeps our sympathies shifting to the unpalatable end: his insouciance and incorrigible wit beguiling, his humanitarian concern persuasive, his prejudice bound up with his self-sabotaging personality type. Rachael Stirling remains pitch-perfect as his warily, almost wearily supportive partner Felicity, with Tessa Bonham Jones and Richard Hope completing the cast as the astute house-help and bluntly sage handyman. They each get their moment to shine – and deserve to bask in a by turns lightly enjoyable and powerfully serious-minded summer smash. Until Aug 2 Book ticketsvia Tickets | Telegraph Media Group provided by London Theatre Direct Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Bloomberg
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
How Giant, a Provocative New Play, Tackles Roald Dahl's Antisemitism
The summer of 1983 was a tough time to be—and to be around—Roald Dahl, according to Mark Rosenblatt, whose play about the iconic author, Giant, has just opened at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London's West End. Dahl, then 66, was recently divorced; his fiancée was renovating his home, so he was living amid a construction mess while working on edits of The Witches; and the press was tearing him apart for a review he penned about a book on the 1982 Israel-Lebanon conflict. His essay went beyond criticism of Israeli actions and was widely denounced as antisemitic. 'Never before in the history of man has a race of people switched so rapidly from being much-pitied victims to barbarous murderers,' Dahl wrote.
Telegraph
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Giant: John Lithgow is mesmerising as Roald Dahl in this summer smash
After a sell-out run at the Royal Court, and with three Olivier awards to its name, Giant strides into the West End looking like an unslayable hit, its relevance to the incendiary international moment, Israel/ Gaza-wise, undimmed. Still, the issue facing the playwriting debut from director Mark Rosenblatt – about Roald Dahl and the anti-Semitism storm that engulfed him in 1983 – is whether it can now live up to insanely high expectations. Led by a career-best performance from John Lithgow, Nicholas Hytner's superbly acted production doesn't make insistent early attempts to woo us. The setting, Gipsy House – the waspish Dahl's nest in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire – is an unprepossessing spectacle of dust-sheets and ceiling supports. And the opening chatter finds the author preoccupied with, and pernickety about, the proofs for The Witches – dispensing aggrieved barbs about the illustrations by Quentin Blake. Lithgow, looking not unlike a Blake illustration himself, with his angular, pinched, slanting frame, presents the impish storyteller on drolly entertaining form, but barely theatrically so. He mutters, while Elliot Levey as Dahl's British publisher Tom Maschler does a good impression of a man who'd rather be elsewhere (we're told he has a tennis-match date with Ian McEwan). But as the reputational crisis that Maschler is venturing to broach rears to the fore, with the flustered arrival of his American counterpart (the fictional character of Jessie Stone), the piece gains the inexorable, transfixing momentum of, well, a giant peach hurtling downhill. The demand from team Dahl sounds reasonable – a politic apology for the upset caused by his 'off-piste' diatribe about Israel in an article for the Literary Review (which has resulted in death-threats and a copper outside). But Dahl won't comply, presenting his defiance as a badge of integrity in the face of cynical self-interest. Maschler, Jewish himself, bends over backwards to placate Dahl's ego, pragmatic to a fault. Stone, also Jewish, breaks ranks to fulminate against the prejudice implicit in the article and bubbling away too in the cauldron of his conversation. Even if there's a blunt dramatic convenience to this character holding the not-so-lovable eccentric to account, especially in relation to a construed anti-Semitic subtext to The Witches, what remains hugely impressive about Giant is its complex plethora of thought-provoking little details. We may admire Stone's flinty resolve (American actress Aya Cash taking over, capably, from Romola Garai), but she's still inclined to separate the artist from his art in deference to her learning disabled son's reading needs, her stance complicated further by Dahl's compassion for the boy, and for her. And Lithgow's multi-faceted portrait keeps our sympathies shifting to the unpalatable end: his insouciance and incorrigible wit beguiling, his humanitarian concern persuasive, his prejudice bound up with his self-sabotaging personality type. Rachael Stirling remains pitch-perfect as his warily, almost wearily supportive partner Felicity, with Tessa Bonham Jones and Richard Hope completing the cast as the astute house-help and bluntly sage handyman. They each get their moment to shine – and deserve to bask in a by turns lightly enjoyable and powerfully serious-minded summer smash.
