The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

Director:

George Miller

Writers:

John Updike (novel)
Michael Cristofer (writer)

Release Date:

12 June 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Music | Thriller

Tagline:

Something wicked this way comes.

Plot:

Three single women in a picturesque village have their wishes granted - at a cost - when a mysterious and flamboyant man arrives in their lives.

Plot Keywords:

New England | Violinist | Lightning | Vomit | Statuary

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Jack Nicholson	...	Daryl Van Horne
Cher	...	Alexandra Medford
Susan Sarandon	...	Jane Spofford
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Sukie Ridgemont
Veronica Cartwright	...	Felicia Alden
Richard Jenkins	...	Clyde Alden
Keith Jochim	...	Walter Neff
Carel Struycken	...	Fidel
Helen Lloyd Breed	...	Mrs. Biddle
Caroline Struzik	...	Carol Medford
Michele Sincavage	...	Ridgemont Child
Nicol Sincavage	...	Ridgemont Child
Heather Coleman	...	Ridgemont Child
Carolyn Ditmars	...	Ridgemont Child
Cynthia Ditmars	...	Ridgemont Child

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:PG | West Germany:12 (f) (re-rating) | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 (f) (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Abbott Hall - 188 Washington Street, Marblehead, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Anjelica Huston was auditioned for the role of Alex, but she was passed over for the part which eventually went to Cher.

Goofs:

Continuity: Just after the string on the cello breaks, you can still see all four strings intact.

Quotes:

Daryl Van Horne: Have another cherry.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in The Witches of Breastwick (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Devil's Dance

The songs Witchy Woman (women) meets Sympathy for the Devil, combined for a comic fantasy

George Miller (Mad Max) creatively sets the stage for a story of three witches and one Lucifer, who are in regular human form, in a small, uptight New England town. Of course, for a tale like this one can try to suspend disbelief, and it has to be when dealing with the supernatural. Thankfully, Miller has great casting tastes- Cher, Sarandon, and Pfieffer are wonderful in their roles, each with an acute, potent sexuality that was at their peaks in the late 80's. And then there's Mr shark grin himself, Jack Nicholson, who gives another superb layer to the performance of the dark prince. There are other actors who have portrayed the man downstairs- Al Pacino in Devil's Advocate was the devil as lawyer, Billy Crystal was himself in the Woody/Dante sequence in Deconstructing Harry, even Elizabeth Hurley in Bedazzled.

But rarely have they had this much outright fun and charm with the role, enough to almost make me, a man in his 20s, charmed too. Maybe it's the eyebrows. Nicholson gives one of his best over-the-top performances as the "horny-little devil" Darryl, who comes into town during a storm and cooks up more than that for his avid female guests. Of course, he doesn't have control for long, when the girls find they have powers of their own. When the movie gets overly fantastic (which is a number of times) it gets a little hard to take, yet the acting is above par, and the special effects are a delight.