Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- eerie
- nostalgic
- foreboding
- halloween family viewing
- rainy autumn evening
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film visually evocative and entertaining as a child-oriented horror fantasy, while divided over its pacing, script density, climax, and uneven effects.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mr. Dark and the Dust Witch exploit Miss Foley, Mr. Tetley, and other frustrated residents by turning wishes into soul-threatening bargains.
Green Town, the woods, the storm, and the arriving carnival transform an apparently wholesome Illinois community into a fairy-tale horror landscape.
Charles Halloway’s bond with Will becomes central to resisting Mr. Dark and overcoming Charles’s shame about age and fatherhood.
Pandemonium Carnival arrives mysteriously, grants wishes, makes townspeople vanish, and serves Mr. Dark’s search for vulnerable souls.
Films like Something Wicked This Way Comes, and why
The Watcher in the Woods
shared child-centered fantasy, small-town setting, and supernatural menace with an autumnal atmosphere
The Last Unicorn
shared coming-of-age adventure, eerie fantasy, and young protagonists confronting an otherworldly threat
The Witches
shared rural-american horror, childhood perspective, and sinister supernatural forces
The Dark Crystal
shared dark family fantasy, moral temptation, and visually stylized supernatural conflict
Movie Details
- Director
- Jack Clayton
- Release Date
- 1983-04-29
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (219)
Cast
- Jason Robards
- Jonathan Pryce
- Diane Ladd
- Royal Dano
- Vidal Peterson
- Shawn Carson
- Mary Grace Canfield
- Richard Davalos
- Jake Dengel
- Jack Dodson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Disney Plus, History Vault
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Something Wicked This Way Comes about?
- Two Illinois boys and a haunted librarian confront a carnival that turns desperate wishes into sinister bargains.
- What is Something Wicked This Way Comes like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Something Wicked This Way Comes as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Something Wicked This Way Comes violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Something Wicked This Way Comes as mild.
- What did critics think of Something Wicked This Way Comes?
- Critics broadly found the film visually evocative and entertaining as a child-oriented horror fantasy, while divided over its pacing, script density, climax, and uneven effects.
- Which films are like Something Wicked This Way Comes?
- Films with a similar feel include The Watcher in the Woods, The Last Unicorn, The Witches, and The Dark Crystal.
- How long is Something Wicked This Way Comes?
- Something Wicked This Way Comes runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch Something Wicked This Way Comes?
- In United States, Something Wicked This Way Comes streams on Disney Plus, History Vault.
