Spooky Sunday: Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) & Apple Cookies
The perfect pairing for your late August "Fall wantsies."
Well it’s Labor Day Weekend and despite my internal calendar fully believing it’s time for sweater weather, here in Los Angeles the forecast looks like this:
Brutal. And frankly rude.
But no matter! I’m cranking up the AC, breaking out the autumnal spices and popping in an old spooky childhood favorite (despite the Disney Corporation’s repeated attempts to bury it.)
It’s the only major film adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, directed by Jack Clayton with a screenplay by the author.
What It’s About:
In the dead of night, one week before Halloween in the early 1900’s, a carnival comes to the sleepy village of Green Town, Illinois, led by the shadowy Mr. Dark and his mysterious friend, Mr. Cooger. Two local boys, Jim Nightshade and Will Halloway, are fascinated by the carnival’s uncanny characters and ornate carousal until they discover its horrible secret: Mr. Dark can grant wishes, but only at a terrible price.
As the carnival gains influence in town and begins transforming more and more locals into warped sideshow attractions, Jim becomes increasingly tempted to make a wish himself. So Will must turn to his meek librarian father to help save his friend and his town from the clutches of Mr. Dark.
Who’s Good In It:
Bradbury, famous for his wistful, poetic and complex depictions of boyhood, stacks up a tall order for the central duo of Will and Jim (played by Vidal Peterson and Shawn Carson, respectively). The pair are earnest and likable enough but the adult cast is a murderers’ row of powerhouse actors.
Jonathan Pryce is pretty much perfection as Mr. Dark. In a film that hinges on the menace of its villain, Pryce’s artfully restrained performance is nothing short of blood-curdling. There’s a Shakespearean quality to Dark’s fairground showmanship that’s rendered all the more chilling by his dead eyes which only occasionally flash a glint of hunger.
Jason Robards is similarly excellent as Will’s father, Charles Halloway, an almost defeated man at the end of his life, trying to muster up memories of joy from his youth. The scenes he shares with Dark are especially electric, as Robard’s everyman world-weariness makes him the perfect counter to Pryce’s predatory viciousness.
Rounding out the impressive cast are Dianne Ladd, Mary Grace Canfield, Royal Dano, and a criminally underutilized Pam Grier as “The Dust Witch,” all of whom leave an impression in their supporting roles.
Scene With The Best Cozy Vibe:
The opening scene of Green Town in all its autumnal glory is pure Rockwellian Americana. Blazing autumn foliage, children frolicking through a sun-dappled pumpkin patch, a stirring musical score by James Horner and this genuinely moving narration “First of all, it was October, a rare month of boys; full of cold winds, long nights, dark promises. Days get short. The shadows lengthen. The wind warms in such a way, you want to run forever through the fields, because up ahead, ten thousand pumpkins lie waiting to be cut. It was the October of my 12th year when the seller of lightning rods came along the road toward Green Town, Illinois, sneaking glances over his shoulder. Somewhere not far back was a terrible storm. Even now, on those special autumn days, when the air smells like smoke, and the twilights are orange and ash gray, my mind goes back to Green Town, the place where I grew up. In my memory, I'm back on Main Street again, among the neighbors who gave me my first glimpses into the fearful needs of the human heart.”
Scene That Will Spook Your Whole Ass Off:
Disney’s trademark halcyon warmth proves to be something of a Trojan Horse in this movie, as it contains some of the most high octane scares ever to bear the mark of the Mouse. I could pick the scene in which both of our hero’s childhood bedrooms are crawling with hundreds of actual living tarantulas. Or the one in which Will witnesses a vision of HIS OWN BEHEADING.
But I think I might have to go with Dark’s grisly comeuppance, which I believe takes the cake for “Most Disturbing Disney Villain Death.” Trapped on his own infernal carousal that can make the rider young or old, a lightning strike causes him to rapidly age until he’s nothing but a rotted skeleton.
Stray Thoughts:
I reread Something Wicked This Way Comes every other October, so it’s safe to say I’m a deep fan. I also think it’s an incredibly difficult novel to translate to a visual medium. So much of its beauty lies in its prose, its descriptions of the character’s unexpressed feelings or hidden inner lives. Similarly, the book’s eeriest moments are often described in less literal terms, often relying on what the characters think they’re seeing rather than what is actually happening.
Disney’s film adaptation makes sense on paper: a Halloween fantasy set in yesteryear, with a message that only hope and joy can drive out darkness. But it came at an odd time for the company’s brand, bookended by its other forays into horror, 1980’s The Watcher in the Woods and 1985’s Return to Oz. All three films are narratively ambitious, technically impressive and tonally confused, and all three lost money at the box office. But but of them, Something Wicked garnered the most critical praise upon its release. Ebert and Maslin each described the film as “elegant” which I think is fitting, seeing as it was directed by Jack Clayton, who also helmed one of the greatest cinematic ghost stories of the 20th century, 1961’s The Innocents.
My takeaway in watching Something Wicked now is that it’s an admirable, if flawed, attempt at combining the heartfelt hope of Pollyanna, with the unflinching horror of The Shining. At times, these drastically different genres dovetail beautifully, but at others, they tumble. As such, I think it absolutely warrants an autumnal viewing, and more than deserves a respected spot in the Disney+ catalogue (where it is currently missing).
You know what else deserves a respected spot…in your stomach?
Apple Cookies!
Ingredients:
Cookies:
2 sticks unsalted butter
4 granny smith apples (around 8-oz. each), peeled, grated on large holes of box grater
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups Old-Fashioned rolled oats
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Optional Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 pinch salt
2-3 tbsps milk
Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, melt two sticks of butter over medium high/heat, stirring consistently til butter browns slightly (but doesn’t burn). Remove from heat and let cool for at least 10 min before pouring into a heat-safe bowl.
Return the pan to medium-high heat and cook the apples for around 5 minutes. Most of its water will evaporate and reduce in size. It will be ready once bits and pieces start to stick to the bottom of the pan. Transfer cooked apples to a large plate and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl mix in the butter, sugar and vanilla and cooled apples until thoroughly combined. In a medium bowl mix the flour, oats, salt, baking soda and apple spice. Add to the apple mixture and mix until combined and there are no flour streaks left.
Divide dough onto trays with at least 1 ½ inches in between. There should be 8 cookies in each tray. Bake for around 17 minutes until the top and edges of the cookie have browned. Switch the trays, top to bottom in between to even the baking. Let cool for 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl whisk milk, powdered sugar, and a pinch of salt until it has a smooth consistency, around 1 minute then drizzle over cookies. Best enjoyed while in view of an ornate carousal.