Something Wicked This Way Comes
- Angelina Kemmett
- Oct 28, 2018
- 3 min read
As you probably know, BUSS’s Macbeth is just around the corner. In honor of the Shakespeare masterpiece, I present another masterpiece: Something Wicked This Way Comes. The 1983 movie, like the 1962 Ray Bradbury novel it is based on, draws its name from the one, the only… Scottish play! DUN DUN DUNNNN (cue theater nerd shrieks of terror, mass destruction)!
In Act 4 of Macbeth, one of the witches states “By the pricking of my thumbs/ Something wicked this way comes” (IV.I.44-45). Thus, one of the most iconic lines in all of literature was born. Even people who know nothing about Shakespeare have heard these words, perhaps in this song in the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban film, comprised entirely of lines from Macbeth. They may not be as familiar, however, with this particular film. (Read a description here.)
I can’t say I relate. Every October since before I was born, my family has sat down together in our highly decorated house to eat cheese curls and caramel apples and quote our favorite (and least favorite) lines of Something Wicked This Way Comes while we watch it for the umpteenth time. It is a tradition that I look forward to every year. (Few things put a person in the Halloween mood better than sitting on the couch and watching a sinister carnival that grants people their deepest desires.) So, in honor of “spooky season,” as the kids say, here is a list of reasons to watch this movie. Come for the Shakespearean title, stay for:
1. The melodramatic Sunday parade from Hell!
Who doesn’t want to join this party?
2. The two random scenes where the main characters have grown older!
You will definitely notice.
3. Beautiful fall scenery and all the *jOyS oF tHe CaRnivAl* that come with the changing leaves!
Nothing more gorgeous than New York pretending to be Illinois.
4. Long shots of a steam train!
The music that accompanies these shots (composed by James Horner, who also worked on such movies as Braveheart and Amazing Spider-Man) is fantastic, so I’ll never be mad about it.
5. Lightning rods!
Tom Fury is a king among peasants.
6. Creepy townspeople!
Mr. Crosetti is my top pick.
7. Tarantulas!
And plenty of them.
8. This gal!
Halloween costume ideas?
9. Mr. Halloway quoting Shakespeare in the library! (And continuously complaining about how old he is when he’s in his early 50’s??)
Were all you Thespians getting tired of me not talking about Shakespeare?
10. Terrifying children!
How precious. ❤️
11. One-liners for the ages!
“There’s a ham. And some peanut butter.”--Mrs. Nightshade
12. And most importantly: JONATHAN PRYCE as Mr. Dark.
Fun fact: he looks alarming similar to my uncle.
In all seriousness, I love Something Wicked This Way Comes. Though it has its cheesiness (come on, it’s the 80’s!), it is always fun to watch, and has some genuinely great performances. I believe it doesn’t have the audience it deserves. Whether you’ve exhausted your stores of Shakespeare content to keep you busy after midterms, love the novel, or hate going out and need something to do on Halloween, this movie is for you.
Watch the trailer here. Something Wicked isn’t available on Netflix, so you may have to do a little searching. (I have it on this ancient thing called a DVD…) I promise that it’s worth it.
(All photos are from Google Photos, with the exception of number 11, from IMDb.)