SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (1983)

After a decade of dwindling returns on progressively toothless, technically shoddy, family-friendly pablum, someone on the Disney board suggested it might be best to just stop live-action feature film production. Instead, they came up with a new releasing shingle (Touchstone) for films with adult appeal, promptly connecting on a Hail Mary pass with Ron Howard’s SPLASH/’84. Forgotten in that success was this compromised, but still remarkable try at grownup horror from the year before. Adapted by Ray Bradbury from his own novel, and directed with rare taste & insight by Jack Clayton, it's an Americana coming-of-age memory piece about the bond between a pair of 12-yr-old small town boys who at first delight as a mysterious fair appears out of the blue but soon discover that in carnivals as in life, the devil is in the details. Literally so since the manager/owner is offering new, youthful starts to adults disappointed in life. But at a horrible price recalling PINOCCHIO’s Pleasure Island. The film tested poorly and a fair amount of reshooting led to a flawed narrative line tricky to follow. But you’ll catch on. And with it, a unique and effective tone even if the film flopped badly. (Very Stephen King like, too. No wonder he took a whack at the adaptation.*) With fabulous set pieces that help make up for occasional continuity problems including one scene where Jason Robards, older father to one of the boys, turns down a chance to reclaim years of his youth as Jonathan Pryce’s devil figure snatches page after burning page from his book of unrecoverable opportunity. A scene so perfectly balanced & deep in conception & execution, it can take your breath away. Beautifully shot by Stephen Burum, with superb art direction (ever so slightly off, like a meticulous scale-model town blown up to life-size), it’s one of those flawed films that feel all the more personal & precious since you need to help it along here & there to get the most out of it.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Knowing the ways of Disney, where nothing is ever thrown away, surely an original cut, with the original Georges Delerue score, hides in the archives.

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: *Was SWTWC in King’s mind when he came up with IT?

DOUBLE-BILL: Director Jack Clayton likely got the gig for his work with the pair of kids in THE INNOCENTS/’61, his adaptation of Henry James’ creepy TURN OF THE SCREW.