YMMV / The Witches (1990)

• Angst? What Angst?: Unlike in the book, where only the protagonist managed to keep a cool head upon first realizing that he’s been turned into a mouse (Bruno had a minor freak out), both Luke and Bruno seem to take being turned into mice in stride, Luke because he’s now more determined than ever to stop the witches, and Bruno because he’s more concerned about how his parents will react, particularly his mother, who’s terrified of mice.
• Ass Pull: Miss Irvine has the power to reverse the effects of the potion to help Luke and Bruno. While it's arguable that the witches would have this ability considering they are shown to use spells throughout the film and they'd possibly want a safety net in case their plan backfired on them, there's virtually no buildup to it and the fact that it comes completely out of nowhere in the final few minutes feels pretty ridiculous. Even for a movie about witches it feels illogical, as the formula was established as being a brand new concoction brewed by someone who was far too cruel and haughty to even think of coming up with an antidote. Granted, this was part of a re-shot "happy ending" so it makes some sense why it's there but still.
• Award Snub: The film failed to get any Academy Award nominations, especially for Anjelica Huston's role. It did receive numerous other awards, including Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards and National Society of Film Critics Awards giving Huston the prize (in a dual nomination for The Grifters.)^note In fact, The Grifters might have been the reason she didn't get an Academy Award nomination, since rules state an actor can only be nominated for one film in a category in a year.
• Awesome Music: The score by Stanley Myers is particularly memorable.
• Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: The film includes a brief bit of narration from Helga explaining that she took Luke to her home in England after the car accident. No other part of the film is narrated, making this narrative choice rather odd. While the film does open with Helga telling a story, it is immediately revealed that she is speaking to Luke.
• Can't Un-Hear It: Anjelica Huston as The Grand High Witch. Even Roald Dahl, who otherwise hated the film, thought she was the perfect choice.
• Catharsis Factor: After implied decades of getting away with atrocities with her latest being the immense pleasure in the humiliating transformations of Bruno and Luke into mice as well as pushing a baby in a pram, the Grand High Witch being subjected to the same transformation, getting insulted by her enemy, and getting killed as a rat as an afterthought - the same fate she intended onto the children of England and later the world itself - is very satisfying.
• Complete Monster: The Grand High Witch, the most wicked woman in all the world, is the leader of the Witches who promotes a system of constantly disposing of children. Losing her patience with slow progress, the Grand High Witch decides to have all the children of England turned into mice to have them exterminated, transforming young Bruno Jenkins and young protagonist Luke into mice after attempting to trap Luke by almost murdering a baby.
• Fanon: While it's not confirmed within the movie, due to the sinister musical motif that plays beforehand and the lack of clarity by the authorities over their deaths in comparison to the 2020 version that makes it more mundane albeit still traumatizing, some fans believe that the Grand High Witch had Luke's parents killed in order to spite Grandmother and to make Luke an easier target.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Mr. Stringer wears almost exactly the same outfit as one of Rowan Atkinson's most famous characters, Mr. Bean. The film was released about six months after the first episode of Mr. Bean aired, though was filmed before it.
• Moral Event Horizon: If the plan to turn all children in England into mice wasn't horrible enough for you, the Grand High Witch pushes a baby in a carriage down a cliff to draw Luke out.
• Narm:
  • The doctor who tells Luke "your granny has a very mild case of diabetes" recites all her lines in that scene with no expression or character at all.
  • Luke's Motor Mouth reaction to receiving his pet mice is way over the top (possibly intended as contrast to his grandmother suddenly being ill), especially as he's making all his plans for his mouse circus within three seconds of seeing them.
• Nightmare Fuel: The Grand High Witch's true appearance, natch.
• Realism-Induced Horror: The witches may use magic to get rid of children, but they're not above traditional methods of child endangerment as either a component or an alternative. Key moments being the witch grabbing Grandmama's friend Erica and dragging her into a dark alleyway, along with the Grand High Witch pushing a baby down a hill. The witch that tries to bribe Luke out of his treehouse when Grandmama's out of sight is also quite chilling even with Luke being wise to her act.
• Retroactive Recognition: Charlie Carson is the head chef.
• Special Effects Failure: Costuming variant. When the Grand High Witch is in her hotel room reapplying her mask, the mask only covers her immediate facial area, leaving her neckline completely exposed so the audience can see she's lacking the haggard skin which was present the first time she revealed her true face.
• Squick:
  • Bruno's (still married) father flirting with the Grand High Witch. He hasn't seen what she really looks like but the audience has.
  • When Mr Stringer kills the Grand High Witch in her mouse form, a bit of her splatters on his face. It looks a tad too thick to just be blood.
• Tear Dryer: It seems that we are headed for the book's Bittersweet Ending where Luke stays a mouse but is glad to die together with his grandmother. However, Susan Irvine appears and turns him back into a human.
• Tough Act to Follow: Despite Anne Hathaway receiving praise for playing the Grand High Witch in The Witches (2020), she pales in comparison to Anjelica Huston's iconic performance as the Grand High Witch. Not only was her performance considered too derivative to make an impression, but her character design was completely different despite Hathaway already resembling the character in the original story.
• Ugly Cute: The Grand High Witch after she’s been fully transformed into a mouse might count as this.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: The makeup prosthetics used for the witches and puppetry used for Luke and Bruno as mice were so well done that many viewers consider them better than the CGI used in the 2020 film adaptation.

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