Why Roald Dahl threatened to sabotage the 1990 film adaptation of The Witches
In short: The 1990 dark fantasy film The Witches remains a cult classic, yet its creator, Roald Dahl, despised it. He was so incensed by the production's decision to alter his book's ending that he threatened a public campaign against the movie, only relenting after personal intervention from executive producer Jim Henson.
Directed by Nicolas Roeg, the film was the final project Jim Henson personally oversaw before his death in 1990. The production featured elaborate animatronics from Jim Henson's Creature Shop, including mice used alongside real animals. Anjelica Huston, who played the Grand High Witch, endured six-hour makeup sessions to achieve the character's grotesque aesthetic, which included a full face mask and mechanized claws. Despite the technical ambition, the film faced significant hurdles, including a distribution delay caused by the collapse of Lorimar Film Entertainment.
The central conflict between Dahl and the filmmakers stemmed from the film's conclusion. In the original novel, the protagonist Luke remains a mouse, a somber ending that Dahl insisted upon. However, Henson and Roeg opted for a more conventional, happier resolution where the boy is transformed back into a human. Dahl was so appalled by this departure that he threatened to demand his name be removed from the credits and launch a publicity campaign against the film. He was only dissuaded from this course of action by Henson's personal urging.
Despite Dahl's hostility, the film earned critical acclaim, particularly for Huston's performance, which won awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics. Critics praised the film's dark, witty tone and imaginative puppetry, with Rotten Tomatoes reporting a 94% approval rating from 50 critics. While the film was a box-office disappointment, grossing $15.3 million against an $11 million budget, it has since secured a dedicated following. The score, composed by Stanley Myers, remains notable for its inclusion of the Dies irae, echoing Berlioz's Witches' Sabbath.
The production was marked by several chaotic incidents, including a flood caused by Rowan Atkinson leaving bath taps running, which destroyed electrical equipment. Furthermore, Roeg chose to cut scenes he deemed too frightening for children after observing his own son's reaction to an early edit. Today, the film is remembered as a unique collaboration between a legendary author and a master of puppetry, forever linked by their final creative effort.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Witches (1990 film)
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