Saturday, August 23, 2014

Revisiting My Childhood -- The Witches

     I'm watching again a few movies from my childhood (a surprisingly short list).  Grasping at straws, I suppose, trying to keep the fade from moving too fast.  Silly, I know.
     I watched The Witches tonight.  That movie scared the pants off me when I was a kid, and I hadn't watched it since.  There were three things from this movie that I've always remembered quite clearly:  the look of the Grand High Witch (in all her nasty, gory, glory), the boy's first encounter with a witch and the little girl in the painting.
     The Grand High Witch is still horrifying -- absolutely terrifying -- as is the little boy's first encounter with a witch.  Yeah, and the little girl who is stolen and placed in a painting to live out her days before fading away...(yup, I went there).  
     I guess the movie itself is no longer pee my pants scary since I'm no longer a child in danger of having my existence stamped out  by a witch.  Now that I'm older, there are a few fun things I observed:  the Grand High Witch meets a ghastly end by Rowan Atkinson (familiar to most as Mr. Bean); Downton Abbey's Mr. Carson plays the head chef; a little romantic tryst between the hotel manager (Atkinson) and a member of housekeeping -- not something I would have picked up on as a kid; the number of men who played witches (all witches in this story are female) -- that observation was especially fun.  Also, ironically, I believe this was my first exposure to Angelica Huston (she played that fearsome Grand High Witch) who, I think, is fabulous.
     There are two things I am taking from this viewing of The Witches: 1) I am no longer scared to watch this movie (seriously, I was very nervous, it really was horrifying to me as a kid) and 2) be wary of any large gatherings of women by the English seaside.
      Next on the roster: Troop Beverly Hills

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