A good rule of thumb for movies and TV specials seems to be: if it was traumatizing to watch as a child, it makes for great Halloween viewing. Jim Henson’s The Witches is a prime example. (See also: The Worst Witch, Witch’s Night Out, and Lady in White.)
There’s a lot of movies about witches, but this one is one of my favorites even if it’s not explicitly a Halloween witch movie like, say, Hocus Pocus. I love Jim Henson’s creatures, especially these darker, sinister characters that are the stuff of nightmares. The beginning of this movie has an awesome Storyteller feel to it, where Grandma tells Luke a fairy tale about a little girl being trapped in a painting by a witch.
This movie came out in 1990; I was nine years old. I almost crapped my pants the first time I saw Angelica Huston remove her face to reveal the gnarled, disgusting, hairy monster beneath. It’s one of those movie moments that little kids either find hilarious or terrifying. And then I thought, hey look, a Skeksis! I wasn’t scared so much after that.
Now, the most important thing you should know about real witches is this – now listen very carefully! Real witches dress in ordinary clothes, and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses, and they work in ordinary jobs. For all you know, a witch might be living next door to you.
You may remove your shoes! You may remove your wigs!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1ddxJECccA
Spooky Screencaps
What is 31 DVDs of Halloween?
As a special feature for the Halloween Countdown, I’m showcasing 31 Halloween DVDs from my personal collection. I have a lot of Halloween-related and horror DVDs in general, but for this year’s countdown I’m only going to focus on my absolute favorites–the ones I consider 100% essential for my enjoyment of the holiday.
