In all fairness, we were unable to complete this movie, so opinions such as "not a good movie" "bad messages" etc will not be included here since seeing the Entire Movie is essential in those opinions. However, be warned that the movie begins ominous and bleak. The fact that Luke;s parents die is difficult enough, but the scariness of the characters are pretty intense. It reminded me of those campy, horror movies where the acting is near-comical, the dialog is clumsy, the camera angles Batman-like (where the floor looks like its at an angle) making the "horror" part almost kitschy. But, the outright scariness of the "Lead Witch" (anjelica huston) was way too much for my 7 year old son and 8 year old daughter. We had to turn it off. Having said that, these are kids that have seen two Indiana Jones movies and Young Frankenstein (its scarier to kids than you might think) with no real problem. I was kind of surprised by the scariness of The Witches. Perhaps because the target of the witches is little kids? What is scary to one kid, is not always scary to another. And what we DID see seemed like a pretty good movie and story. I just wanted everyone to be fore-warned. Even the sight of Rowan Atkinson (he played the Hotel Mgr) couldn't temper the scariness for my kids on this one.
The Witches
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Some kids will love it, some may find disturbing.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 8–9
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of The Witches was written by Nell Minow
Parents need to know that this story has a genuinely twisted flavor that some children will love and others will find disturbing. Luke is exceptionally brave and enjoys being a mouse (in the movie, he is changed back, but in the book, he stays a mouse). Children may be upset not only by the witches, but also by the death (offscreen) of Luke's parents and his seeming indifference to it.
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about the notion of witches. Are you fascinated or disturbed by the idea of these strange women with magical powers? Why do you think most witches are portrayed as evil?
More on The Witches
What’s the Story?
Is It Any Good?
Movie Details
Run time: 91 minutes
Theatrical release: 1/1/1990
MPAA Rating: PG
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
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Kids ages: 8
I rate this title iffy for age 9 and give it- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Makeup on the Witches a little TOO good!
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
i watched this in school and me and my class liked it. Although i don't like as much as i used to. This movie is more for kids than adults and teens.
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Not bad AT ALL!
Well, it has some really interesting effects, like the special costumes they put on.
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I rate this title iffy for age 6 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
ewwwwwwwwww
i liked the book better this is too disturbing for kids 5 or possily 6 and under ok this wasnt scary AT ALL but for little kids yes
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
you should think twice before going with a toddler
The best movie ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I rate this title on and give it
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I rate this title iffy and give it
Um.. Wow.
I found this movie extreamly disapointing. I'm not a big details person when it comes to movies adapted from books, But this was too much. I've read this book many times when I was younger and the ending was what hit me the most. WARNING! SPOILER! In the end of the book, It's touching how Luke says that he doesn't care that he'll die in 9 years, because he wouldn't want to live longer than his grandmother, And so they would die together. In the movie, on the other hand, when it's almost over, all of the sudden some random witch they added in JUST for this part, comes in and changes Luke back into a boy, gives him Mary and William back, and gives him his glasses back. Alright. Number one, that was a horrible way to change the ending. And number two, HE DOESN'T EVEN WEAR GLASSES! Haha, Well, Good luck with watching it.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 100% | of parents say it's too violent |
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