Something Wicked This Way Comes

A carnival arrives in a country town at the end of October. Its owner, Mr Dark, knows people's most secret wishes and takes their years in exchange. Two boys, Will and Jim, see what happens at night and can convince nobody. Their only adult ally is Will's father, the town librarian. The subject is not fear but regret. What the carnival hunts is the moment people say if only, and the father is wounded in exactly that place, because he counts being an old father as his own failure. The form is fairy-tale: fog, dark streets, a carousel and a library. The effect rests largely on light and sound, with few showy effects. The source is Ray Bradbury's 1962 novel, and Bradbury wrote the screenplay himself. The production was troubled: the studio disliked the result, sections were reshot and the score was replaced. Even so, what emerged is among the darkest things Disney released in that period. Jack Clayton directs. Jason Robards plays the father and Jonathan Pryce plays Mr Dark. Who it is for: viewers who like gothic fable and the darker family films of the eighties. Who it is not for: anyone planning to watch with small children; the film has child protagonists and is genuinely frightening.