GRETEL & HANSEL (2020)

As director, Oz Perkins (Grandson of actor Osgood Perkins, B’way’s original Walter Burns in THE FRONT PAGE) has stuck to Horror with literary cachet, never more so than in this re-imagined lost-in-the-wood Brother/Sister act.  Topsy-turvy from the title down, here Gretel plays older, dominate sibling to kid brother Hansel.  Even before that, scripter Rob Hayes loads a backstory prologue to explain the Witch’s actions.  It’s a dark & spooky take on the old tale (more gooey than gory), split between medieval atmosphere and a modern vibe to the kids who generally speak & act like suburbanites, occasionally lapsing into foreign vowel enunciation (Irish?), lending a flat, anachronistic spin.  Intentional distancing?  Even the screen ratio (an eccentric 1.55 : 1) pulling attention.  Ultimately, it’s an intriguing defeat with Perkins losing grip of his story arc; 100 meticulous design details adding up to 100 meticulous design details.  Overcooked as one of the witch’s deep dish pies.  And the fascinating idea of the children not merely food supply, but heir(s) apparent, wafting away like a chilly breeze rustling thru the dry leaves.

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Perhaps a story more in keeping with Perkins’ fixations; The Pied Piper of Hamelin?

DOUBLE-BILL: Nicolas Roeg’s version of Roald Dahl’s THE WITCHES/’90 (the one with Anjelica Huston) closer to the mark.