It has been more than 30 years since Nicolas Roeg’s The Witches came out. It's since earned cult classic status and continues to be a nostalgic dose of unfiltered horror for those who grew up with the film. HBO Max will release a new version of the Roald Dahl story on Oct. 22, but it's hard to rival Anjelica Huston’s memorable, campy performance as the Grand High Witch.
Roeg's adaptation of Dahl’s 1983 dark fantasy novel faced a number of issues, from delayed production to delayed release -- but the biggest hurdle was the author's dissatisfaction with how the story was handled. He was worried about budget restraints turning his masterpiece into a sub-par product, anxious that producer Jim Henson wasn’t directing and afraid his story would be muddled with an unnecessary Disney treatment.
What Dahl had no trouble agreeing to was Huston’s selection as The Witches’ devilish leading lady, who secretly hates children and makes a scheme to turn all of them into rats.
Even though The Witches commercially underperformed upon release, it received a string of glowing reviews and continues to be a true Halloween treat. Without doubt, one of the biggest reasons for its forever fame is Huston, who vamped as the imperious Grand High Witch in that two-in-one sexy gown, delivering every withering stare and wicked line in a delightfully menacing manner.
The Witches follows a young orphan named Luke, whose aging grandmother tells him about witches, including their purple eyes, features they hide under masks and their utter disdain for children. Luke initially entertains it as a bedtime story, but when he and his grandmother visit the Excelsior Hotel in the English countryside, he witnesses real-life witches in disguise who meet annually to craft ways to rid the world of all its children. In the past, they banished their victims for life and imprisoned them in paintings -- but now the plan is to turn them into mice forever.
The leader of this huge coven of witches is the seductive and glamorous Evangeline Ernst (Huston), whose transformation into the horrifying Grand High Witch is an absolute showstopper. A lesser actor would have undoubtedly hammed up the role, as it was both witty and scary -- but Huston embodies the camp required to make the role work and adds a truly sinister presence. Just like Roeg doesn’t shy away from the malevolence of the story, Huston isn't afraid to deliver an equally ferocious performance that oscillates between being a seductive villain to dropping every visible shred of humanity. Her pushing a stranger’s baby carriage towards a cliff edge with horrifying elation is proof enough that she can nail both sexy and chillingly scary.
CGI wasn’t that advanced then and thus Huston had to endure hours of discomfort, first during the application of the makeup of the scary witch and then shooting while wearing the itchy latex costume for 12 to 14 hours. Despite it all, Huston gave a larger-than-life performance as the captivating Eva Ernst, which reigned over her most acclaimed roles, including in John Huston’s Prizzi’s Honor.
While Anne Hathaway is just days away from portraying the Grand High Witch in Robert Zemeckis' hyped-up remake of the 1990 original, looks like she has some pretty big square-toed shoes to fill.
Written and directed by Robert Zemeckis, The Witches stars Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Chris Rock, Jahzir Kadeem Bruno, Stanley Tucci, Kristin Chenoweth and Codie-Lei Eastick. The film arrives on HBO Max Oct. 22.